Saturday Night Live has been mocking Christians for years. A 2013 skit likened Jesus to a movie character who murders his
enemies. Another skit mocked Tim Tebow with a sweat-sock-wearing Jesus in the Denver
Broncos' locker room.
Last Saturday, however, the show's parody of
God's Not Dead 2 was especially horrific. (For more, see Nick Pitts's Did a SNL Spoof Go Too Far and Mock God?) In a
culture where "pro-life" is "anti-women" and "biblical marriage" is "bigoted,"
it's no surprise that believers feel themselves marginalized and worse.
The
number of Christians who believe we are facing growing intolerance in the U.S.
has drastically increased in the last two years. Sixty-three
percent now believe we are increasingly being persecuted; sixty percent also
believe religious liberty is on the decline.
As our culture continues its
moral trajectory, how should followers of Jesus respond? Here are five principles that I believe will serve us well as we engage our society:
One: Expect
opposition.
In Acts 20 we read that Paul spent three months in Greece,
where he wrote the book of Romans. In the midst of such important ministry,
however, "a plot was made against him by the Jews" (v. 3). Persecution will not
cease so long as we are a threat to the persecutor. Biblical values will always be an affront to a world that is estranged from God, so we will inevitably encounter opposition. We would be egotistical if
we think what happened to Paul cannot happen to us.
Two:
Respond with reason and integrity.
Moses warns, "You shall reason frankly
with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him" (Leviticus 19:17). If we
step out of God's will, even in the process of defending his word, we commit a sin. It is never right to respond to hatred with hatred. The spirit in which
we respond to critics can be more important than what we say to them. God wants
us to "be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (v. 2). The world sees God as
it sees the people of God.
Three: Seek the leading of
the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit knows each human heart. He therefore knows when we need to
challenge critics and when we need to be gracious to them. John the Baptist
rebuked religious hypocrites, but he encouraged sincere seekers. The Spirit will
give us the insight and courage to do both.
Four: Look
for divine redemption.
We often observe that God redeems all that he allows. One
way he redeems persecution is by using it to bless his people. Jesus promised:
"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on my account" (Matthew 5:11). Those who pay a price to
follow Jesus find his presence especially close and comforting. The more we
serve others, the more we grow in our own faith. And, as you
grow in unity with other followers of Jesus, you will experience a deeper understanding of God's
unconditional love and affection for you.
Five: Stay
committed to the call of Christ.
When opposition rose against Paul, the
apostle did not stop doing what led to persecution. He interpreted Satan's
attack as endorsement of his ministry and its importance for the spread of the Gospel. When our service for God causes us to experience opposition, we need to remain assured of God's call on our lives and remain faithful to what he calls us to do. Jesus said, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).
