The Hardest Persecution

“The things you own…end up owning you.”

-Tyler Durden, Fight Club

I found myself flipping through St. Clement’s treatise The Rich Man’s Salvation recently, as I reflect on possessions for my current sermon series on the 10 Commandments.  He has an interesting take on Christian persecution:

“Now one kind of persecution comes from without, when men, whether through hatred, or envy, or love of gain, or by the prompting of the devil, harry the faithful.  But the hardest persecution is that from within, proceeding from each man’s soul that is defiled by godless lusts and manifold pleasures, by low hopes and corrupting imaginations; when ever coveting more, and maddened and inflamed by fierce loves, it is stung by its attendant passions…into states of frenzied excitement, into despair of life and contempt of God. This persecution is heavier and harder, because it arises from within and is ever with us; nor can the victim escape from it, for he carries his enemy about within himself everywhere.” (Clement of Alexandria, #92 in the Loeb Classical Library [Cambridge: Harvard University press 2003], 322-323.)

This does not deny that the outward and overt forms of persecution should be denied or marginalized, mind you.  But it does serve as a useful reminder that the Church has always flourished when faced with external persecution.  This other, “hardest” persecution, however, seems to be precisely that which is destroying the church in the modern West.

Eugene Peterson on Growth, Change, and Fads

Sunday I preached on Christian maturity and holiness, playing off of Colossians 1:28:

“It is him whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

In my preparation I came across an excellent quote from Eugene Peterson’s Leap Over a Wall, a collection of reflections on spirituality from the life of David.  He talks wisely about the difference between growth and change, and consequently the value of both the old and the new:

“When we grow, in contrast to merely change, we venture into new territory and include more people in our in our lives – serve more and love more.  Our culture is filled with change; it’s poor in growth.  New things, models, developments, opportunities are announced, breathlessly, every hour.  But instead of becoming ingredients in a long and wise growth, they simply replace.  The previous is discarded and the immediate stuck in – until, bored by the novelty, we run after the next fad.  Men and women drawn always to the new never grow up.  God’s way is growth, not change…David at thirty-seven was more than he was at seventeen – more praise, saner counsel, deeper love.  More himself. More his God-given and God-glorifying humanity.  A longer stride, a larger embrace.” (136)

Peterson incisively names one of the besetting tragedies of our day: the idolatry of novelty.  This is true in fashion and entertainment, but also in the world of business and the church.  We hop from one thing to the next – like a frog jumping from one lily pad to the other – staying “interested,” but never growing.  Getting stimulation, but never going deep.

But God’s way is growth.  Our goal as the church is the same as was Paul’s – to present people, not just who have been “saved” or who “got Jesus” one day in the 70’s – but who are “mature” in Christ, who have spent their days following Jesus going deeper and growing more in discipleship.  These are not Sunday Christians easily imbibing just enough of the gospel so that they can remain apathetic, but engaged Jesus people who have made their lives a continual and growing sacrifice of worship to their Lord.

As John C. Maxwell has said, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”

Friendship, the Christian Life, and Good Conversation…

The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.

-John Wesley

I’ve been reminded today, on more than one occasion, of the importance of friendship to the Christian life.  One reason that the ‘lone ranger Christianity’ that seems to be so pervasive these days is a false gospel, a heresy, a perversion of Jesus’ message and life, is that we are simply not constructed to walk with God as if no one else exists.  We need people to hold us accountable.  People to fellowship and learn with.  “Iron sharpens iron,” as we hear in Proverbs 27.

In view of this conviction, I share with you a brief conversation, informal because of the context (Facebook), but still meaningful.  I found this edifying; perhaps you will agree.

We need each other.  There is no true discipleship without the companionship of others on the journey.

Pastor Mack (henceforth PM): I worry about Christians in China especially…

Shawn: Me too, but if there is one thing about the faith, it thrives best under pressure. God bless them.

PM: Yeah one of those amazing paradoxes. It also can’t bear success, which is i think why the US church is in shambles.

Shawn: Dude, you are so right. I don’t think that emergent church or any of these new movements is doing any [darn] good. I mean, do we need to be under pressure to appreciate what we have? It just sucks we can’t praise God as heartfelt in good times as when we need God in the painful times.

I don’t know what the answer is. Human condition, I guess.

PM: I guess there is no ideal time for the church, it’s always under threat either from direct persecution or the milder persecution of respectability.

So much of our faith today in America consists of little more than practical advice about being better dads and moms and citizens and financial planners, or how to think “positive,” it’s no wonder people have a hard time believing in God – we’re not really helping them meet Him.