The Church in Hostile Contexts

This is a summary of our evolving understanding of the issues related to our stated Mission and Vision. Suggestions and corrections are welcome. The Mission and Vision statement calls us to partner with Christian churches, organizations and communities struggling to serve Christ in areas hostile to Christian worship and practice. Christians in hostile areas push the gates of hell open where the battle for the kingdom of God is most brutal. Our challenge with the entire Christian community is the universal calling to give of ourselves in authentic love to God and neighbor (Matt. 22:36-40), by always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus Christ so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (II Cor. 4:10 NIV), by the creation of wealth for the Master (Matthew 25:14-30 NIV), by stewarding his resources to serve the poor, abused and dispossessed (Matt. 25:31-46 NIV), and especially by making disciples of all nations to build Christ’s kingdom (Matt. 28:18-19 NIV).

Mission Context: Globalization of ideas, communication, and exchange brings conflict between ideologies and religions resulting in increased tension, fear and hostility. The growing secularism in the west conflicts with religious institutions understanding of the sanctity of human life with abortion, contraception, and human cloning for the therapeutic benefit of others the center of conflict. Secularism seeks to remove religious speech, symbols, and understanding from the public square. Totalitarian rulers in other parts of the world enforce conformity to traditional religions with conversions sometimes punished by death, children of infidels sold as slaves, homes and churches routinely destroyed, mixed religion marriages are forced into divorce, girls coerced to marry within the traditional religion, employment and advancement are denied to those of a minority religion, tribe, or ethnicity. Protection money is often required for safety, separate laws are decreed based on religion, education is often denied for minority religions and arbitrary killing by extremists unpunished by authorities. The sentence of death or prison is given to those who simply make derogatory statements about the majority religion or government.

There is waning support for religious expression in the secular west and increasing hostility toward non-traditional religious in many areas. This provides antagonists the opportunity to do harm with little accountability with persecution and killing based on ethnic and religious abhorrence increasing dramatically in recent years. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, 114,000 Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians and 30,000 Protestants were martyred in the year 2000 alone with the highest martyrdom rate within the vocation of Bishop. Persecutions are not peculiar to only Christians but are exacted on any minority group or person not conforming to the majority, the fanatical, or the ruling elite. In spite of the hostility and deprivation, many Christian communities have maintained their faith and identity for many hundreds of years yet often feel forgotten or even opposed by the global church and the free world. Local hostility toward them has increased as they are identified locally as accomplices of Western globalization locally and often considered heretical by wealthy independent Western Christian evangelizers who attempt to convert those in the ancient community to their own unique form of Christianity.

The 6-10 million Coptic Christians in Egypt are the largest group of Christians living in a hostile environment. Egypt is becomes more hostile as the totalitarian regime placates the growing radical Muslim contingent increasingly hostile to Christians and the West. Sudan has seen millions killed and thousands of children sold as slaves to Arab countries. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population and while most Indonesians are moderate, the authorities have a hard time controlling anti Western and anti Christian Jihad declared by ruthless Islamic extremists. There are many Christian communities suffering where the totalitarian ruler and moderate Muslims at times see Christian and other minority communities useful in opposing fundamentalist Islamic leaders but are still periodically sacrificed to appease radical groups. Christians in hostile areas crave and need support and solidarity with the global church. The free world and especially the church must accept greater responsibility to not only provide aid in the form of relief but to help them gain the freedom and justice that many of us already enjoy. We have the moral responsibility to do all we can to oppose and depose authorities who initiate, allow or endorse hostility against peaceful people.

Some Islamic leaders and totalitarian rulers bar individual freedom that may result in economic development and decentralization of power. Over 87% of economic activity is in what Freedom House calls free countries (none Arab). Over 80% of world refugees are from the Islamic countries and 90% of their aid comes from the historically Christian West. Arab oil revenue allows impoverished enslaved populationsto be controlled by small ruling elites.

Helpful Initiatives: Below are a number of initiatives that we believe lead to increased human dignity, freedom to do good, and virtue that is a distinctive of the kingdom of God.

1. Encourage and empower Christian churches to better serve each other and their neighbors in ways that are a blessing to their community. This includes defending and supporting the sanctity of all human life from conception through natural death in many ways. Support holistic schools, hospitals, health care clinics, and orphanages. Support those defending, harboring and protecting those suffering unjust abuse and authentically loving neighbors who may or may not be Christian. Encourage those involved in political transformation and economic enterprise guided by Christian virtues. Egyptian and some other Arab Christians are already somewhat better educated and more qualified to serve their communities than are their Islamic neighbors and need to be encouraged and supported in this responsibility.

2. Encourage dialogue and scholarly papers by by seekers of truth of all traditions including convergent theologies and philosophies relating to human rights based on the dignity of all persons as created in the image of God with freedom of conscience and individual responsibility. Discuss why the spiritual sovereignty of human persons is fundamental to being human and living in peace.

3. Oppose Christian evangelizers who use coercion, false hope, and fear to gain converts and support those who incarnate the good news of Christ’s kingdom of love for all humanity. The recent genocide in Christian Rwanda and other atrocities by Christians in history must compel us to repentance and propel us to proclaiming and living Christ’s teaching on the true kingdom of God!

4. Encourage a greater sense of universal Christian unity, partnership, support, and accountability for churches in free and hostile areas. Christ’s prayer recorded in John 17 invalidates any theology supporting an independent unaccountable Christian church or theology that would thwart Christian unity in worship or service. Encourage prayer initiatives, dialogue, and partnership between churches struggling with their cross of hostilely.

5. Report religious human rights abuses to friendly authorities and publish stories in influential media to develop public and political support to end religious and ethnic persecution. World political pressure is one of the most effective ways minorities are protected from genocide.

6. Encourage human freedom including protected private property rights and economic freedom with free and just local and global trade. Oppose harmful protectionist trade practices such as removing agricultural trade restrictions in developed countries. Support the local agricultural economy with market price purchases especially for local food aid and oppose dumping of developed country subsidized food products in ways that harm the local agricultural entrepreneur. Promote entrepreneurial economic empowerment that results in decentralization of power and increased human freedom.

7. Support Christian communities near hostile areas that become a refuge and light for the surrounding region.

8. Work to dethrone despotic rulers and support those who protect people from powerful hostile adversaries.

9. Support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Relevant Reading:
World Christian Encyclopedia, Oxford University Press
Mission as Transformation, Samuel & Sugden
Real Christianity, William Wilberforce
A History of Christianity, Paul Johnson
A History of the Jews, Paul Johnson
Authentic Transformation, Stassen/Yeager/Yoder
Christian Missions, Stephen Neill
Evangelical Is Not Enough,Thomas Howard
Christian Microenterprise Development, David Bussau and Russell Mask
Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton
The City of Joy, Dominique Lapierre
Built to Last, C. Collins, Jerry I. Porras
Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond
Wealth & Poverty, George Guilder
The Mystery of Capitalism, Hernando De Soto
Witness to Hope, George Weigel