Nothin' but Links
About Persecution and Martyrs
Essay Posted Oct 24, 2006 by James E. Nelson
It's one of those weeks. I've got nothing. So rather than than try to pull something out of thin air (because those essays generally sound like they were pulled out of thin air), I'll just offer a couple of links.
Systematic persecution against Christians doesn't get much air play in our society. That's not a complaint, by the way. Persecution is an evil that Jesus Christ said would be with us as long as we were faithful to him. Media attention, and especially television, tends to turn it into a lurid spectacle. Turning it into spectacle tends to remove it from its context of holiness, and the whole point, both its inherent evil and its ultimate good, is lost to the spectacle.
Yet, we ought never forget those who are persecuted and we should never cease thanking God for the faithfulness and example of the martyrs. Theirs is a difficult and mysterious, but ultimately glorious gift.
Grace over at the This Side of Glory blog gave me the nudge I needed to get this posted. She references a particular story at CompassDirect.org about the murder of a Syrian Orthodox priest. Compass is dedicated to reporting on the persecution of Christians. It is a regular part of my prayer life along with Voice of the Martyrs. I don't check in every day. It's sort of like reading Fox's Book of Martyrs or the Orthodox Church's Synaxarion. In too big of a dose, it can get a bit overwhelming. But I commend these two web sites to you as good resources to remind us that persecution is ongoing and that Christian martyrs' blood continues to be spilled.
Copyright © 2006 James E. Nelson (Just Another Jim). All Rights Reserved.
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