When we look around the world in 2020 we are able to see some enemies or opponents of the Church and Christianity emerging. One of these places is the thinking or ideology that says the religion of Christianity is bigoted, prejudicial, and judgmental. That Christianity is not compatible with today’s meaning of what equity and justice is. Proponents of this ideology say that the Church needs to rewrite their book of religion and change their thinking to line up with modern ideas. The consequences of not doing this, they say, is that Christianity should be removed from society because it is a threat to world justice, peace, and governance. The Church is being portrayed in increasingly negative ways in the media because of this ideology.

Some in the church believe that if they bend and make some accommodations for this thinking they can avoid being targeted. That those who hate them will leave them alone. I think what we are seeing right now in our society is the buildup of open and overt hate toward the Church. The church will need to come to grips with this reality. Things will not be getting better in the long term and it need to decide where the red line is. At what point is the Church going to stand its’ ground and set the boundaries for what is acceptable and tolerable. This needs to be discussed and worked out soon.

One thing we know is that the Church will risk it all if it ignores what the Word of God says. The Bible scriptures cannot be compromised and rewritten to avoid present day persecution. The early Church in Acts suffered persecution because their writings and practices did not conform to Judaism or the gods of the nations around them. God judged those who compromised him as is recorded in the OT and the NT.

The Church may be facing persecution in the near future. It needs to be preparing its’ people for this occurrence and encouraging believers to trust God with their future no matter the outcome. This lifespan on earth is short and I think Churches need to emphasize the eternal glory that is ahead for those who will lean on God’s courage and stand with Him. We have a serious decision to make.

Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. “