As one who gets a regular – even daily – share of abuse and hatred, I can certainly relate to what we are told in Scripture and what we read about in church history. Whenever the gospel of Jesus Christ is boldly proclaimed, there will always be violent opposition and persecution. Yet many believers seem to deny this altogether.
One of the more annoying things of living in these PC days is how many believers who should know better have simply drunk deep from the surrounding ungodly culture. They have imbibed big time of all the completely non-Christian foolishness around them. They have soaked in all the silly notions of tolerance and acceptance which are rampant in a morally relativistic culture, and embraced them wholeheartedly.
The worldlings say we should never judge, or be too sure of anything, or claim that there are absolutes. These gullible and lukewarm Christians simply buy all this without thinking, without lining it up with the word of God. Thus I get Christians attacking me on a regular basis, saying I am being too forthright, too assured, too black and white with my faith.
They think I am unnecessarily offending people and alienating people because I speak truth unflinchingly. They want me to tone down, to ease up, to back-pedal, and to lighten up. They think I should never be causing any offence, and that if I am getting all this angry opposition, I must be doing something wrong.
Sorry, but I am just not buying it – not for one moment. It is impossible to read the New Testament without seeing warnings and examples of how the world will hate a true follower of Jesus Christ. It is guaranteed to happen, no matter how nice or loving or gracious we seek to be. Consider just a few such passages – without any commentary – about the warnings and promises made by Jesus about this:
-Matt 10:22-23 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.
-Mark 13:12-13 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
-Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
-Luke 21:16-17 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.
-John 15:18-20 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
The disciples also made such warnings. Here are just two of them:
-2 Corinthians 4:8-10 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
-2 Timothy 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
And the early church knew full well about the world’s hatred and opposition. The book of Acts tells one story after another of persecution, hatred and worldly rage as the disciples preached the gospel. Indeed, in my daily reading in Acts I have come upon many such examples. Consider just one, found in Acts 23:12-15:
“The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, ‘We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here’.”
Wow, that is real hatred and opposition. And the book of Acts is full of such satanic persecution and enmity. No matter how Christlike or loving or gracious you may be, Satan hates the gospel and he will inspire his own to attack with demonic rage anyone who dares to preach it.
And of course church history is replete with examples of this same truth. Whenever the gospel has been proclaimed in power and with authority, the world has hated it, and sought to stop it. There are countless examples of this happening during the past 2000 years.
Let me offer just one. I am just now reading a bunch of biographies on William and Catherine Booth, the founders of the Salvation Army. Boy, talk about persecution, talk about the world hating you. They got it big time. Because they bravely proclaimed an undiluted gospel with Holy Ghost boldness, they were met with real hatred and opposition.
They experienced persecution as a regular part of their work, yet kept on going. Indeed, just as always has been the case, they experienced demonic rage and bloody persecution coming straight out of the pit of hell. How else does one explain such horrible vitriol, scurrilous abuse, and ugly hatred?
Consider a few snippets from one such volume (Trevor Yaxley, William & Catherine. Bethany House, 2003):
“The Booths’ message of total surrender and radical obedience to God attracted great criticism, especially in the early days. To many in the established churches, the call for no compromise, no holding anything back, no denying God in the small things, was too serious and too difficult to obtain.” (p. 121)
“William and his helpers soon got used to the disruptions caused by drunken roughs during their open-air meetings…. They did not always come away from their open-air work unharmed. Anything opponents could find was thrown their way, and often they hit the mark. On many evenings, William would trudge the eight miles to his Hammersmith home, arriving weary and battle-scarred, his clothes stained with blood or rotten fruit and his body bruised. This was the price they had to pay as they sought to save the worst of sinners – a price they never considered too high.” (p. 125)
“‘Make your will, pack your box, kiss your girl, be ready in a week.’ The general’s orders were clear. The level of commitment required of his workers was unmistakable – radical obedience was essential. Nothing more and certainly nothing less. Only godly go-ahead daredevils were equal to the call.” (p. 150)
Of course they got just as much flak from the comfortable, carnal and compromised church of the day as they did from the non-Christians. Both were hard to take:
“Just as they were willing to weather the storms of unfavorable public opinion, the early Salvationists were prepared to bear any cost to see salvation come to ordinary men and women like themselves. However, as the work of the Army expanded, the disruptions and attacks against them began to take on a more serious and sinister form. Their willingness to pay the price was regularly tested to the limit….
“Preaching on the streets was at times like preaching in hell. Teams of Salvationists faced ridicule, scorn, and hatred as they proclaimed the gospel in the degraded slums. Many of the poor and destitute were strongly atheistic, hating the name of God and fiercely opposing those who spoke of any form of religion.”
And just as in the book of Acts, whenever the preaching of the gospel affected any money-making schemes (see for example Acts 16:16-40; 19:23-41), all hell broke loose:
“By 1880 this holy Army was attracting severe opposition. Those who stood to lose the most from their success became their greatest enemies. Hotel and brothel owners faced falling profits as their previously thriving businesses began to suffer. The escalating conversion rate of many of their most loyal customers was plainly evident.” (pp. 177-178)
So these pub and brothel owners regularly recruited and organised violent gangs to assault and stop the Salvos from marching in the streets or holding their meetings. It was an all-out war, and there were many real casualties.
“Tragically greater injuries were also to follow. In Guildford that same year the wife of the corps officer was kicked to death. A fellow woman soldier was so severely beaten during the same parade that she also died some days later from the wounds she sustained. It is difficult to imagine this degree of persecution of Christians occurring in a ‘Christian’ nation such as Britain in the nineteenth century.
“In Whitechapel, East London, Salvation Army lasses were tied together with rope and pelted with live coals. It was not uncommon for parades heading for the evening meetings to be showered with tar and burning sulphur. ‘Blood and Fire’ became a reality for this army of God, unfortunately not only in the way originally foreseen.” (p. 183)
A couple of things clearly stand out here. One, just what sort of Christian life are we living? Are we friends with everybody and does everyone just love us to pieces? If we are not getting any opposition or rebukes, then we just might need to ask ourselves if we are really living the genuine Christian life.
Two, no matter how loving and gracious one might be as a believer, the world will always hate us. Jesus promised it and experienced it, as did the early church and all true believers throughout the ages. It is simply part of our job description.
Three, modern-day believers need to repent of their cowardice, apathy and worldliness. They especially need to repent for their armchair criticisms and unbiblical attacks on those who are daring to stand up and be counted for Christ and the Kingdom.
The religious establishment attacked Jesus and the early believers. The worldly, compromised church attacked the Booths and the Salvos. And they still attack anyone who stands up boldly proclaiming Christian truth today. They will one day stand before their Judge to give an account for this.
In the meantime we must press on and be willing to suffer gladly for Christ’s sake. As Catherine Booth said in Aggressive Christianity: “Opposition! It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. If there were no other evidence of it being wrong, I should know from that. When the Church and the world can jog along together comfortably, you may be sure there is something wrong. The world has not altered. Its spirit is exactly the same as it ever was, and if Christians were equally faithful and devoted to the Lord, and separated from the world, living so that their lives were a reproof to all ungodliness, the world would hate them as much as it ever did. It is the Church that has altered, not the world.”
Dear Bill, One of my great-grandmothers was a Salvation Army member from Bethnal Green in eastern London. My great-grandfather had deep Christian faith. Half the people in that part of London are now Muslims, partly due to immigration. This is for your information.
Regards, Franklin Wood
Thanks for that Franklin
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thanks Bill. Another challenging article.
Sounds like interesting reading about the Booths’. So sad that Salvation Army is changed the way it has. It’s foundation was laid with blood, tears and prayer and look at what it has become today.
Beck McDonald
Yes sadly quite so Beck. While there would undoubtedly be individual Salvos today with the same passion, zeal, dedication and Holy Ghost boldness of the early Salvos, and with the same commitment to both gospel proclamation as well as social transformation, they would likely be in the minority today. Indeed, someone just told me elsewhere of some gung-ho pro-abortion Salvos they know of! The Booths would be rolling in their graves!
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Indeed the strategy of much modern evangelism is just to be nice people. And who doesn’t like nice people? But were the nice Christians to open their mouths and tell the truth about the serious and perilous condition that people are in and what they have to do avoid the wrath to come, the situation would change dramatically. We would find ourselves, for starters, being ostracised by family, neighbours, friends and work colleagues, and, dare I say, by our church – just for starters.
David Skinner, UK
Hi Bill,
I find it interesting that this sort of behaviour is described in 19th century England. Would you consider it fair to say that the widely held belief that Western civilisation was essentially Christian civilisation is actually a bit of a myth (or perhaps just simplistic)?
Nick Davies
Thanks Nick
A big issue not easily answered properly in a brief comment. A case can certainly be made that for much of its duration, Western civilisation was more or less one with Christian civilisation. But having said that, there is always nominal Christianity to contend with. For example, while many believers and churches supported the Booths back then, many did not. There was always a blend of good and bad in the West over the centuries. So the West has always been a mixed bag in this regard. But I still basically prefer the Christian West with all its faults over its competitors. But the church is always in need of revival.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Given human nature the Church has been, is, and always will be, a collection of saints and sinners. However, there have been periods in which sin has been recognised for what it is. Sadly that is not the case at the present time.
Dunstan Hartley
Good work in encouraging me Bill, thanks. I`ve been reminded also latley to remember I`m with a cause, the cause is to not only shine light, but to pronounce The Good News.
Johannes Archer
Another thought provoking and challenging article from a brave follower of Jesus Chris.
Warwick Marsh
This is an excellent article, Bill. Thank you for enduring such criticism, as your work is a great source of encouragement.
Will Taylor
When Christians look backward longingly to the past and bemoan the passing our western Christian traditions, they are right to do so for the freedoms of conscience, freedoms of thought and speech, freedom of religion even, were the fruits of the Christian faith, though this is hotly denied by secularists.In comparison to the rest of the world, we were indeed Christendom. However we must not forget that these freedoms were not handed to us on a plate but cost the lives of countless martyrs and reformers who in their own day had to fight a godless generation around them. Our generation is now trampling underfoot a priceless heritage that hast taken generations to create, but which will take a day to destroy, maybe never to be restored until Christ returns.
We have never quite been at this point in our history before.
Indeed there is something unique about our times, which makes this more likely. Francis Schaeffer describes this in his book. “The God Who is there”, Chapter 2, “The First Step in the line of Despair: Philosophy”, in which he says,
‘Imagine that (the 18th century German philosopher) Hegel was sitting one day in the local tavern, surrounded by his friends, conversing on the philosophical issues of the day. Suddenly he put down his mug of beer on the table and said, I have a new idea. From now on let us think in this way: instead of thinking in terms of cause and effect, what we really have is a thesis, and opposite an antithesis, with the answer to their relationship not a horizontal movement of cause and effect, but a synthesis.” Now suppose also that a hard-headed German businessman has been standing by and had overheard his remark. He might have thought, “How abstruse and impractical!” But he could not have been further from the truth. Because whether Hegel himself or those listening understood it to be the case, when Hegel pronounced this idea he changed the world.’
John Piper also remarks on the uniqueness of our times.
We judge according to Gods righteousness. What does the Bible say? That is our guide line for daily living.
Bill, spot on!
Judith Bond
What a contrast to today’s attitudes toward the Salvation Army! Today most secular people only have good things to say about the Salvos. I guess this is indicative of the message being preached (or not preached).
Bill, which topic motivates the majority of your hate mail? Is it homosexuality, Islam, abortion, or something else? The answer should tell us where the greatest threat to the church and nation is coming from.
Ewan McDonald, Victoria.
Why do folks refuse to see that intolerance of error is quite distinct from, and not linked to, intolerance of persons. It is very dangerous to tolerate error in a neurosurgeon’s technique or a pilot’s capability. It is infinitely more dangerous to trust our souls to those who don’t understand scripture.
We are still free to love, befriend, respect and pray for all three and we should !
Anna Cook
I think Ewan that homosexuality and abortion are one and the same subject. Homosexuals urge people to have abortions because it destroys their maternal and paternal instincts; it is also separates sex from the person. In other words homosexuals are out to destroy mothers and fathers as the French are about to do.
David Skinner, UK
Thanks Ewan
In terms of my own experience, the greatest amount of abuse and hate mail comes from the atheists and militant homosexuals – and of course they are so often one and the same.
The other groups you mention also have a fair amount of hate to spread around, but not quite as much as those first two groups. But that may simply reflect the fact that I have probably written more about protecting marriage and family, and defending theism. Of course I write a lot about the other issues as well however.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thank you for your opinion, it is challenging to my life of my faith. I have been deeply stirred in my heart by your article. Your writing makes me think and prepare myself to face the reality of the persecutions as a follower of Jesus.
Thank you for your perseverance for God!
Joanna Chan
The poor of London being atheist, that surprised me. i think of atheists being educated and gainfully employed. But of course, there’s a big difference between high-church and low-church atheists. But both are outside of the Lord’s will.
Sue Botchie
Yet another ‘spot on’ article, Bill. Most Christians just don’t want to hear any of this!!
As relevant today as it was 4 1/2 years ago.
Amazing read, Bill!
Loving it!
Signed – Aggressive Christian Warrior!
Thanks Mel.
Attacks from outside Christianity, while they can be damaging, are to be expected. But I’ve always found those attacks from my fellow prolife Christians to be the most difficult to deal with. In fact, I think the spiritual attack associated with ill-will from Christians is harder to identify and pray against. God bless you Bill.
Have you heard of the Southern Poverty Law Center that stereotypes anybody who stands strong against the things that God hates like sin as manifested in homosexuality, against terrorism as a way of life, as the shedding of innocent blood as in abortion, as hate groups? Who made them the guardians of good and evil?
Thank you Bill for such a thought provoking and challenging article… also for shedding light on William and Catherine Booth and the way they were treated and responded e.g. William went home at times with blood or fruit stains on his clothes as he walked the 8 km journey…What righteous challenges they presented to a world which often was hostile, yet they were counted worthy by the Lord
Thank you for your own walk of courage and the way you have faced your own own battles as ‘fruit’ and enmity have been ‘thrown your way’ like bad fruit through the pages of Facebook or the internet ..from all sources and some attacks coming in as ‘friendly fire.’
Like those in Hebrews Chapter 11 you are looking upward and to the Lord- having counted the cost and moving forward b faith to show the traps and snares in our culture. It certainly helps us think through and respond to the gospel and the cost and to be more aware. Thank you and God bless you
And of course church history is replete with examples of this same truth. Whenever the gospel has been proclaimed in power and with authority, the world has hated it, and sought to stop it. There are countless examples of this happening during the past 2000 years.
Dear Bill, One of my great-grandmothers was a Salvation Army member from Bethnal Green in eastern London. My great-grandfather had deep Christian faith. Half the people in that part of London are now Muslims, partly due to immigration. This is for your information.
Regards, Franklin Wood
Thanks for that Franklin
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thanks Bill. Another challenging article.
Sounds like interesting reading about the Booths’. So sad that Salvation Army is changed the way it has. It’s foundation was laid with blood, tears and prayer and look at what it has become today.
Beck McDonald
Yes sadly quite so Beck. While there would undoubtedly be individual Salvos today with the same passion, zeal, dedication and Holy Ghost boldness of the early Salvos, and with the same commitment to both gospel proclamation as well as social transformation, they would likely be in the minority today. Indeed, someone just told me elsewhere of some gung-ho pro-abortion Salvos they know of! The Booths would be rolling in their graves!
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Indeed the strategy of much modern evangelism is just to be nice people. And who doesn’t like nice people? But were the nice Christians to open their mouths and tell the truth about the serious and perilous condition that people are in and what they have to do avoid the wrath to come, the situation would change dramatically. We would find ourselves, for starters, being ostracised by family, neighbours, friends and work colleagues, and, dare I say, by our church – just for starters.
David Skinner, UK
Hi Bill,
I find it interesting that this sort of behaviour is described in 19th century England. Would you consider it fair to say that the widely held belief that Western civilisation was essentially Christian civilisation is actually a bit of a myth (or perhaps just simplistic)?
Nick Davies
Thanks Nick
A big issue not easily answered properly in a brief comment. A case can certainly be made that for much of its duration, Western civilisation was more or less one with Christian civilisation. But having said that, there is always nominal Christianity to contend with. For example, while many believers and churches supported the Booths back then, many did not. There was always a blend of good and bad in the West over the centuries. So the West has always been a mixed bag in this regard. But I still basically prefer the Christian West with all its faults over its competitors. But the church is always in need of revival.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Given human nature the Church has been, is, and always will be, a collection of saints and sinners. However, there have been periods in which sin has been recognised for what it is. Sadly that is not the case at the present time.
Dunstan Hartley
Good work in encouraging me Bill, thanks. I`ve been reminded also latley to remember I`m with a cause, the cause is to not only shine light, but to pronounce The Good News.
Johannes Archer
Another thought provoking and challenging article from a brave follower of Jesus Chris.
Warwick Marsh
This is an excellent article, Bill. Thank you for enduring such criticism, as your work is a great source of encouragement.
Will Taylor
When Christians look backward longingly to the past and bemoan the passing our western Christian traditions, they are right to do so for the freedoms of conscience, freedoms of thought and speech, freedom of religion even, were the fruits of the Christian faith, though this is hotly denied by secularists.In comparison to the rest of the world, we were indeed Christendom. However we must not forget that these freedoms were not handed to us on a plate but cost the lives of countless martyrs and reformers who in their own day had to fight a godless generation around them. Our generation is now trampling underfoot a priceless heritage that hast taken generations to create, but which will take a day to destroy, maybe never to be restored until Christ returns.
We have never quite been at this point in our history before.
Indeed there is something unique about our times, which makes this more likely. Francis Schaeffer describes this in his book. “The God Who is there”, Chapter 2, “The First Step in the line of Despair: Philosophy”, in which he says,
‘Imagine that (the 18th century German philosopher) Hegel was sitting one day in the local tavern, surrounded by his friends, conversing on the philosophical issues of the day. Suddenly he put down his mug of beer on the table and said, I have a new idea. From now on let us think in this way: instead of thinking in terms of cause and effect, what we really have is a thesis, and opposite an antithesis, with the answer to their relationship not a horizontal movement of cause and effect, but a synthesis.” Now suppose also that a hard-headed German businessman has been standing by and had overheard his remark. He might have thought, “How abstruse and impractical!” But he could not have been further from the truth. Because whether Hegel himself or those listening understood it to be the case, when Hegel pronounced this idea he changed the world.’
John Piper also remarks on the uniqueness of our times.
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/my-eyes-shed-streams-of-tears-thoughts-on-the-new-calamity
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2011/07/normalization-of-homosexuality.php
David Skinner, UK
We judge according to Gods righteousness. What does the Bible say? That is our guide line for daily living.
Bill, spot on!
Judith Bond
What a contrast to today’s attitudes toward the Salvation Army! Today most secular people only have good things to say about the Salvos. I guess this is indicative of the message being preached (or not preached).
Bill, which topic motivates the majority of your hate mail? Is it homosexuality, Islam, abortion, or something else? The answer should tell us where the greatest threat to the church and nation is coming from.
Ewan McDonald, Victoria.
Why do folks refuse to see that intolerance of error is quite distinct from, and not linked to, intolerance of persons. It is very dangerous to tolerate error in a neurosurgeon’s technique or a pilot’s capability. It is infinitely more dangerous to trust our souls to those who don’t understand scripture.
We are still free to love, befriend, respect and pray for all three and we should !
Anna Cook
I think Ewan that homosexuality and abortion are one and the same subject. Homosexuals urge people to have abortions because it destroys their maternal and paternal instincts; it is also separates sex from the person. In other words homosexuals are out to destroy mothers and fathers as the French are about to do.
David Skinner, UK
Thanks Ewan
In terms of my own experience, the greatest amount of abuse and hate mail comes from the atheists and militant homosexuals – and of course they are so often one and the same.
The other groups you mention also have a fair amount of hate to spread around, but not quite as much as those first two groups. But that may simply reflect the fact that I have probably written more about protecting marriage and family, and defending theism. Of course I write a lot about the other issues as well however.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Thank you for your opinion, it is challenging to my life of my faith. I have been deeply stirred in my heart by your article. Your writing makes me think and prepare myself to face the reality of the persecutions as a follower of Jesus.
Thank you for your perseverance for God!
Joanna Chan
The poor of London being atheist, that surprised me. i think of atheists being educated and gainfully employed. But of course, there’s a big difference between high-church and low-church atheists. But both are outside of the Lord’s will.
Sue Botchie
Yet another ‘spot on’ article, Bill. Most Christians just don’t want to hear any of this!!
As relevant today as it was 4 1/2 years ago.
Amazing read, Bill!
Loving it!
Signed – Aggressive Christian Warrior!
Thanks Mel.
Attacks from outside Christianity, while they can be damaging, are to be expected. But I’ve always found those attacks from my fellow prolife Christians to be the most difficult to deal with. In fact, I think the spiritual attack associated with ill-will from Christians is harder to identify and pray against. God bless you Bill.
Have you heard of the Southern Poverty Law Center that stereotypes anybody who stands strong against the things that God hates like sin as manifested in homosexuality, against terrorism as a way of life, as the shedding of innocent blood as in abortion, as hate groups? Who made them the guardians of good and evil?
Thanks Jennie. Yes I have written about then at various times, eg: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2010/12/14/defending-marriage-now-means-being-%E2%80%98hateful%E2%80%99/
Thank you Bill for such a thought provoking and challenging article… also for shedding light on William and Catherine Booth and the way they were treated and responded e.g. William went home at times with blood or fruit stains on his clothes as he walked the 8 km journey…What righteous challenges they presented to a world which often was hostile, yet they were counted worthy by the Lord
Thank you for your own walk of courage and the way you have faced your own own battles as ‘fruit’ and enmity have been ‘thrown your way’ like bad fruit through the pages of Facebook or the internet ..from all sources and some attacks coming in as ‘friendly fire.’
Like those in Hebrews Chapter 11 you are looking upward and to the Lord- having counted the cost and moving forward b faith to show the traps and snares in our culture. It certainly helps us think through and respond to the gospel and the cost and to be more aware. Thank you and God bless you
Many thanks Gail.