More Musings about Faith and Safety

KC's comments are very much appreciated. I agree that Christianity in this culture is being treated appallingly, especially for a country that was founded by Christians. Chuck Colson does a great job of writing about the current political and social situation. I have read some things by David Limbaugh and also been quite impressed. That being said, our level of persecution is very low compared with almost any other country in the world today. Chuck Colson's Breakpoint Commentary from 6/10 (http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=462) comments on true martyrs as well as the political correctness in our culture that keeps us from addressing it. The consequences that we face for standing up for our faith are miniscule compared to the rest of the world, though. PrisonerAlert.com has listings of people who have been imprisoned for years simply for attending a church service or having a Bible. In our country, we face the loss of position, short jail terms, or loss of job, but nothing like in other countries. Unfortunately, our culture is declining, so there is the potential that we could face further overt persecution in the future.

I am not unaware or unconcerned about the status of Christianity in our culture. And I agree that Christians must be proactive about positively affecting our culture. Social and political action by Christians should be a normal part of life. That being said, I stand my my conclusion that the American church remains very privileged.

However, I am most concerned about my own propensity for safety and comfort, particularly in light of Jesus' command to daily take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The first century people to which he was originally speaking understood that "taking up one's cross" meant dying. I am concerned about this from a personal point of view - am I willing to follow Jesus even to the point of death? Our cultures values of "personal peace" and "affluence" (per Dr. Schaeffer) are in direct contradiction to the commands of Christ.

So, my conclusion is that this is an area of my life that needs some work. I need to daily strengthen my walk with the Lord so that I am willing and ready to do whatever He calls me to do - from the simple stuff like being more available for my kids to the harder stuff like reaching out to my neighbors to the even harder stuff like giving up my own dreams and plans and comfort to be where God wants me to be.