As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
In my previous post I introduced the subject of persecution and how the early church responded to it. As explained there, I’d like to take this post to summarize and extend an excellent discussion of Paul’s teaching on the subject in 1 Thessalonians by Michael Martin in the New American Commentary volume on Thessalonians.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about persecution of Christians in America. I suppose it’s true that there’s more than there used to be—there’s been some name-calling and a lawsuit about wedding cakes, though the defendant won that one.
“They accurately cited that I did not find anti-Christian sentiment increasing but did not cite that I also found that those with anti-Christian sentiment have grown more powerful in society over the past few decades” - George Yancey
“New research nuances the American church’s ‘persecution complex.’” - C. Today
“The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 1500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in matters of public policy, today condemned criticism of Amy Coney Barrett… based upon her religious views, membership in religious associations, or family. The rabbis deplored these attacks upon the nominee as ‘based in bigotry and bias.’” - RNS
“Instead of wading into the legal minefield of anti-discrimination law and attendant religious exemptions … the hearing was an exercise in low-grade biblical exegesis.
“The Oregon Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on Thursday in a case you may recognize, Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. I originally reported on this case in 2018, when Aaron and Melissa Klein asked the Supreme Court to hear the lawsuit that caused them to lose their business and incur a wrongful, hefty fine based on their religion.” - W.
“According to the court, Dr. Mackereth’s genuinely held beliefs as well as lack of beliefs are ‘incompatible with human dignity and conflict with the fundamental rights of others, specifically here, transgender individuals.’” - CBMW
“According to Faithwire, ‘hate groups’ identified were mainly socially conservative organizations, such as the Family Research Council, the Federation for American Immigration Reform and the American Family Association.” - Christian Headlines
“If a Catholic school’s disapproval of sex-change surgeries for elementary-school students is ‘anti-trans,’ what is the alternative that CNN, CBS News, and NBC News have in mind?” - National Review
Discussion