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By Ed Iverson
Responding to a recent column, a reader criticized the tendency of some to portray American Christians as oppressed and helpfully pointed out that Christians in America are not a persecuted minority. I'll admit that in the heat of public exchange, Christians sometimes assume a defensive attitude as though they were a persecuted minority.
It is possible that past columns of mine could be interpreted in that light. I disavow any such interpretation. Our founder was persecuted and despised. He suffered the most brutal execution that had hitherto been devised. For American Christians to complain of persecution is surely an embarrassment.
Christians in America are not a minority. It is true that they are often treated rudely by a media empire almost exclusively dedicated to secularism. It is also undeniable that there is comparatively little respect shown for the Christian point of view or for ancient traditions that have come down to us from our Judeo-Christian heritage. We see beliefs and convictions that Christians have held dear for millennia scoffed at and derisively shoved aside. We stare in disbelief as our government officials and mainstream media outlets spare no effort to assure Muslims that their point of view is respected and their traditions honored in the pubic square. All of this points to the conclusion that there is some kind of disconnect going on in our society. But none of it is evidence that there is widespread discrimination or systemic persecution of Christians.
Not in America. It is different in other places. Consider three recent episodes. Not reported by the mainstream media, there has been no outpouring of sympathy from the American public.
In yet another police raid in the Eritrean capital, authorities arrested 80 members of the Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Asmara at the close of a Sunday worship service. According to a statement posted by Release Eritrea, a London-based advocacy group, "a U.S. couple as well as several teachers from India working in Eritrea were among those jailed."
In a move reminiscent of Saruman's sullying of the Shire, the Eritrean government has imprisoned duly elected church officials and installed their own "Chief" as Bishop of the Christian church. "Treasonous" refusal to accept the government toady serves as grounds for imprisonment. Patriarch Antonios is the most prominent of at least 2,000 Eritrean Christians currently under arrest. They are held solely for their religious beliefs, without trial or legal charges. Many pastors and priests languish in jails, police stations and military camps in 14 different cities and towns. Some have been prisoners for over three years. Observers have verified the deaths of three Christians from severe mistreatment while incarcerated during the preceeding nine months.
Noviana Malewa is a teen-aged Christian girl from Indonesia. According to a story at World Net Daily, "Noviana and three of her friends were walking on a school path when they were assaulted by radical Islamic jihadists wielding machetes. Noviana was the only survivor, and suffered a massive slash across her face and neck. The other three girls were decapitated." The machete chop scar that runs from her cheek bone across her face and down onto her neck has rendered her partially paralyzed and with impaired vision. The medical arm of the Voice of the Martyrs is assisting her rehabilitation in an undisclosed location.
In the Turkish province of Malatya, three Christians were sadistically tortured and brutally murdered by five Muslim youth. Pretending interest in the Bible, a local Tarikat (a fraternal organization dedicated to Islamic supremacy) laid ambush for Tilman Geske, a German Bible translator working in Eastern Turkey, and two of his Christian associates. For three hours, these Muslim youth sliced away sensitive body parts while videoing their grisly business. In a letter to the Voice of the Martyrs, the Christian Church of Smyrna asked fellow believers to support them in prayer.
It is true that Christians in the United States are not a minority. As these stories show, Christians in America have no reason to act persecuted. That said, there is no assurance that there are not now forces at work that may at length give rise to real persecution of Christians in America.
Responding to a recent column, a reader criticized the tendency of some to portray American Christians as oppressed and helpfully pointed out that Christians in America are not a persecuted minority. I'll admit that in the heat of public exchange, Christians sometimes assume a defensive attitude as though they were a persecuted minority.
It is possible that past columns of mine could be interpreted in that light. I disavow any such interpretation. Our founder was persecuted and despised. He suffered the most brutal execution that had hitherto been devised. For American Christians to complain of persecution is surely an embarrassment.
Christians in America are not a minority. It is true that they are often treated rudely by a media empire almost exclusively dedicated to secularism. It is also undeniable that there is comparatively little respect shown for the Christian point of view or for ancient traditions that have come down to us from our Judeo-Christian heritage. We see beliefs and convictions that Christians have held dear for millennia scoffed at and derisively shoved aside. We stare in disbelief as our government officials and mainstream media outlets spare no effort to assure Muslims that their point of view is respected and their traditions honored in the pubic square. All of this points to the conclusion that there is some kind of disconnect going on in our society. But none of it is evidence that there is widespread discrimination or systemic persecution of Christians.
Not in America. It is different in other places. Consider three recent episodes. Not reported by the mainstream media, there has been no outpouring of sympathy from the American public.
In yet another police raid in the Eritrean capital, authorities arrested 80 members of the Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Asmara at the close of a Sunday worship service. According to a statement posted by Release Eritrea, a London-based advocacy group, "a U.S. couple as well as several teachers from India working in Eritrea were among those jailed."
In a move reminiscent of Saruman's sullying of the Shire, the Eritrean government has imprisoned duly elected church officials and installed their own "Chief" as Bishop of the Christian church. "Treasonous" refusal to accept the government toady serves as grounds for imprisonment. Patriarch Antonios is the most prominent of at least 2,000 Eritrean Christians currently under arrest. They are held solely for their religious beliefs, without trial or legal charges. Many pastors and priests languish in jails, police stations and military camps in 14 different cities and towns. Some have been prisoners for over three years. Observers have verified the deaths of three Christians from severe mistreatment while incarcerated during the preceeding nine months.
Noviana Malewa is a teen-aged Christian girl from Indonesia. According to a story at World Net Daily, "Noviana and three of her friends were walking on a school path when they were assaulted by radical Islamic jihadists wielding machetes. Noviana was the only survivor, and suffered a massive slash across her face and neck. The other three girls were decapitated." The machete chop scar that runs from her cheek bone across her face and down onto her neck has rendered her partially paralyzed and with impaired vision. The medical arm of the Voice of the Martyrs is assisting her rehabilitation in an undisclosed location.
In the Turkish province of Malatya, three Christians were sadistically tortured and brutally murdered by five Muslim youth. Pretending interest in the Bible, a local Tarikat (a fraternal organization dedicated to Islamic supremacy) laid ambush for Tilman Geske, a German Bible translator working in Eastern Turkey, and two of his Christian associates. For three hours, these Muslim youth sliced away sensitive body parts while videoing their grisly business. In a letter to the Voice of the Martyrs, the Christian Church of Smyrna asked fellow believers to support them in prayer.
It is true that Christians in the United States are not a minority. As these stories show, Christians in America have no reason to act persecuted. That said, there is no assurance that there are not now forces at work that may at length give rise to real persecution of Christians in America.
