I have often heard that the best thing that could happen to the church, is persecution. That the reason the American church has become so soft is because life is too easy. We may feel pressured by society because of our views, especially in certain parts of the country (like the incredibly liberal city of Seattle where I live). But when you think about it, we have it really good. Think back to the beginning of the church. There were times when you would be killed if you did not renounce Christ! Roman Emperor Nero would eat dinner by the light of Christians burning at the stake. We can barely even comprehend that today.
What is it about persecution that strengthens the church?
Here in Seattle, we just had a few inches of snow. If snow sticks to the ground, the city basically shuts down. All sense of over-productivity that is so common in this area disappears and people will do what they can to stay home and out of the way of their fellow can’t-drive-in-snow Seattlites. As I have been walking around, I have noticed a grand difference in people. As a general rule, people here don’t interact with each other unless they have to. But since the snow hit the ground, people are…nicer! People are going out of their way to help those whose cars have spun out. Stopping and talking to others on the street as they’re walking around. That’s not what people in the suburbs of Seattle do.
So what is it that is causing my fellow Seattlites to be so much more friendly?
I think, in our day and age, with the rise of technology and social networking, personal face-to-face communication has lost much of its value to us. Why spend my time talking with this random person when I have the ability to talk to the people I REALLY want to talk to at any time? It’s hard work to relate to people we don’t know. You have to invest enough time and effort in that person to find things to talk about. Maybe even make yourself vulnerable by telling them things about yourself. But when snow happens to Seattle, you no longer have to work to find something in common. Snow gives you something to talk about without having to work at it. Even Seattlites can do that.
In a similar way, when we, as a church, have it easy, we can afford to wait to talk to the people we really want to talk to. We have no reason to really work at it. Just like the rest of our culture, we have access to technology and social networking that makes it easier to reach out to those who are the easiest and most comfortable for us to reach to.
But when persecution hits (real persecution), that’s no longer an option. Think of countries where there is a great hostility towards Christianity. If you were living in China, for instance, and a believer, you would greatly value every believer who you came across. You wouldn’t have the option of just reaching out and communicating with whoever you want so the people you could talk to would be that much more treasured.
If something as innocuous as snow can bring that kind of commonality to a group of people, than how much greater a commonality should Christ bring? It shouldn’t take persecution for us to be able to advantage of this. There is power in Christ. What is it going to take, short of persecution, to get us to value and treasure one another? I believe that if we are truly sold out to Christ, as He calls us to be, then community and commonality have no choice but to follow…
