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Christianity Under Attack?

This Christmas season there has been a lot of talk about the attempts on the part of secularists to systematically remove all signs of God out of the public arena. The extent of this phenomenon may be debatable, but taken to the extreme it could amount to a form of persecution of the faith of those who believe in God. As we consider our opinions on this issue however, a word of caution. In modern western cultures, how far are Christians really willing to go to stand up for what they believe? Consider the following as an object lesson of true persecution:

“…Nine years ago in South Pyongan province, a unit of the
North Korean army was assigned the job of widening a highway connecting
Pyongyang to the nearest seaport. Demolition of a house standing in the way
revealed, hidden between two bricks, a Bible and a list of 25 names: a Christian
pastor, two assistant pastors, two elders and 20 parishioners. The 25 were all
detained and, later that month, brought to the road construction site, where
spectators had been arranged in neat rows. The parishioners were grouped off to
one side while the pastor, the assistant pastors and the elders were bound hand
and foot and made to lie down in front of a steamroller. As if following a
script written in early Roman history, they were told they could escape death by
denying their faith and pledging to serve Dear Leader Kim Jong II and Great
Leader Kim Il Sung. They chose death. Some of the parishioners ... cried,
screamed out, or fainted when the skulls made a popping sound as they were
crushed beneath the steamroller."
– Excerpted from "Christians Afoot" - William F. Buckley

I hope the above puts our lukewarm Christian living into some perspective. These people undoubtedly showed their persecutors how important Christ is in their lives. As we live our lives of creature comfort desires and indignation at petty slights, can we say the same?
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