*DISCLAIMER: This article deals strictly with the issue of Christian persecution, but this is in no way meant to underplay the horrors faced by so many other religious groups around the world*
It’s been a tricky few months of seeing Christians with platforms interact with pop-culture.
From Rugby players brazenly de-contextualizing the bible and, in a highly anti-social manner, using their platform to (knowingly) bate the broader community, to prominent, and in many cases noble-hearted Christians calling out an “attack on religious liberty”, there are many times that it feels like some members of the Christian community have taken their comfortable position in this country for granted.
I couldn’t agree more with what former World Vision CEO and senior fellow for the Centre for Public Christianity Tim Costello has said to members of this community; calm down, suck it up – you are not being religiously persecuted.
I myself am surrounded by the types of people that are apparently causing trouble for many of the “quiet Australians” who attend church on a Sunday. I work as a musician and freelance journalist, jobs which include extended hours with the (generally) left-leaning artistic community; meeting, networking with, auditioning for, interviewing and performing with people who fit into all the categories ticked off by Israel Folau in his Tweets.
All of these people are aware that I attend an Anglican Church in inner-west Sydney that preaches the Bible as God’s authoritative word to people and that I believe what the Bible has to say about Jesus, his resurrection and his way of life (again contextually speaking, but that’s an article for another day). And these beliefs which occasionally fall on the wrong side of the social moment which Australia, and especially my area of inner west Sydney, finds itself in.
Ninety-nine percent of the time my religious beliefs, while definitely not agreed with, are respected, and I face absolutely no problems from the largely secular world that I work and socialise in.
Occasionally, however, there may arise some problems, be it a sudden disengagement of a relationship, purposeful exclusion from events or the occasional cynical or sarcastic remark, said either behind my back, vaguely in a social media post or to my face.
All of these are primarily social and relational issues, and while I’m the first to admit that I understand that there are Aussies that have it way worse than me, it’s laughable to think about the nature of the issues a vast majority Australian Christians face when a little perspective is injected into the conversation.
Israel Folau has become a symbol to many of concern for religious freedoms
If we really want to look closely and tear ourselves away from the flame threads, we can see examples of religious persecution in our world every single day- it just happens in countries that don’t feel as woke to keep tabs on.
Newly converted Christians in Iran can be imprisoned for up to 10 years if word gets out they have decided to follow Jesus.
In Eritrea, meeting to pray together can land you a prison sentence, even if your a child or pregnant.
Christians in Nigeria have been targeted in mass killings that many are referring to as ethnic cleansing, with rape, executions, and beatings taking place in churches.
In our own geopolitical region, worshipers in Vietnam are pressured to renounce their faith if not in accordance with government church rules, with the threat of prison and physical assault from government bodies hanging over the heads if they refuse to renounce their beliefs.
Christian protesters in Hong Kong
Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, China (many churchgoers led the recent Hong Kong demonstrations out of fear of extradition as a result of their beliefs)… The list goes on, with one in nine Christians in the world today facing physical persecution for their faith.
To tell these people that Australians are facing our own ‘persecution’, exemplified in a successful Rugby Player ignoring several previous warnings about inappropriately using his platform, would be quite insulting.
A confronting look at what Christian persecution actually looks like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_eW2zNj_9I
At the end of the day, one can’t help but bear in mind what the Bible says into our interaction with Christian belief in Australia. Jesus reminds his followers that, “If the world hates you, remind them that it hated me first” (John 15:18), that we are “blessed” if we are insulted on account of Jesus’ name (Matthew 5:44) and that all who live a Godly life will face some degree of hardship for their belief (2 Timothy 3:12).
Should Christians expect hardship for their beliefs?
Absolutely, but what we face in Australia doesn’t come within a bee’s dick of issues faced by our fellow believers around the world. But because Christians are assured hardships, does that mean that Christians should go out of their way to piss others off in order that they can experience some sort of social flagellation?
Paul’s instruction in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 to “make it (our) ambition to lead a quiet life and mind your own business and work with your hands” seems to pose some problems there.
Of course, there will be times where belief may need to be expressed, but then it can be done so in an appropriate manner. And if you get some angry reactions, some abusive characters written on a forum, hell, even a potential pay cut at work, say a prayer for your brother or sister across the seas facing potential death for wanting to go to church on a Sunday.
And for the love of God, get out of the comment sections and into your real community that God has placed you in.
Extra Reading
9 Things You Should Know About The Global Persecution Of Christians (2019 edition)
Christian Persecution World Watch Map
