Chuck Roots
26 December 2016
www.chuckroots.com
The War on
Christians
Please bear with me on this article.
I have wrestled over writing on this particular topic for the simple reason
that it can easily be misunderstood and misconstrued.
What I am about to present is not
new. In fact, it is an old story dating back to the persecution of Jews (Hebrews)
several thousand years ago. Many Christians would like to believe such
persecution of believers is only occurring in isolated areas around the world,
but certainly not here in America! The truth is Christians are an ever-growing
target for all sorts of groups.
The Islamic faith makes no bones
about being at war with Christians, as well as their intent to wipe out all
Jews and Christians. While in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf on military
assignment, I decided to request a visit with a Muslim cleric (an Imam) in
order to hear about their beliefs first hand. We discussed many things during
the hour or so that we met. The cleric gave me several books on Islam, which
included a copy of the Koran in English.
Later, when I had time to study the
Koran without interruption, I discovered that there was a very troubling verse
in the first Surah. These seven verses are to be memorized by every Muslim, and
is recited during the calls to prayer. Verses 6&7 reads, “Guide us to the Straight Path; the Way of
those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace (those who follow the Prophet
Mohammed), not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor
of those who went astray (such as the Christians).” This was taken from,
The Noble Qur’an, an English translation of the meanings and commentary. I have
three different copies of the Koran, so to be fair, the only version that
pinpoints Jews and Christians in the footnotes from the seventh verse is the
version the Imam gave to me. Muslims believe that they are to conquer the world
for Islam. Make no mistake: This is their goal.
Another group that is targeting Christians
is atheists. To be clear, atheists are often defined as, “People who do not
believe in God.” This is incorrect. Atheists don’t believe in God (or any god)
because a true atheist believes there is no God to believe in. The word atheist
is a Greek word literally meaning: “No God.” These folks are organized and are
working very hard to disrupt any expression of the Christian faith,
specifically, so as to cause people to see Christians as hateful, intolerant, bigoted,
and a host of other negative descriptions in an attempt to discredit those who would
follow Jesus. Much damage has been done by atheists in the academic, political,
and medical fields. There are attempts, some successful, in removing any reference
to Christ or the Christian faith in the founding of America and the subsequent
emergence of the United States from school books and text books. In the medical
field, the value of human life has been assaulted – particularly the unborn.
Abortion is the tragic outcome of reducing humans to animals, instead of recognizing
that each one of us is the handiwork of God.
And a third group that is at war
with Christians are those who typically look for a scapegoat to blame for the
ills of a nation or the world. The finger is frequently pointed at Christians
as the culprits for whatever ills are being experienced in a country or across
the globe. This was a common approach by the Romans in their quest to rid the
Roman Empire of Christians and their witness for Jesus. The Emperor, Nero, had
Rome burned, and then placed the blame on Christians, who were rounded up and
thrown in the arenas for sport. Today, you can hear on the news how Christians
are being blamed for the troubles America is having with Islamic terrorists. “If only Christians wouldn’t be so
exclusionary,” these accusers say, “then
we could all get along with Muslims, and they would like us.” If only that
were true! The fault for the recent attacks by Muslims across Europe and here
in the United States is laid at the feet of Christians. This is simply a “Roman
Redux.”
So, here’s my antidote for all this
Christian blaming. First, stop being so surprised when you’re attacked for your
faith in Jesus. Did Jesus not say this would happen? Yes, of course he did.
Second, be open about your faith in Jesus. Nothing is more powerful than a
solid reason for your faith. The church in America became rather timid
following World War II. There was a concerted onslaught against our secular and
religious beliefs from the Mainstream Media, Hollywood, and a Democrat Party
that has clearly lost its way. I mentioned a few months ago why I could not
vote for Hillary Clinton or any Democrat. My differences of belief with Democrat
positions and policy notwithstanding, I was appalled to witness the Democrat
National Convention in 2014 vote to exclude God, or any reference to God, from
their Platform. I watched this travesty in fascination and horror, as thousands
of Democrat delegates, by voice vote, let it be known that God was not to be
included in any of their doings.
Speak of your love for Jesus up with
a holy boldness, telling others how much Jesus loves them, and what Jesus has
done in your life. After all, you are God’s messenger.
The war on Christians will last
until Jesus comes back. As a follower of my Savior, I am instructed from his
Word, the Bible, to use the weapons that are spiritual in fighting back in this
war. Those spiritual weapons are Prayer and the Word. Train hard, Christian!
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