The Whole Shebang

“This much I'm sure of: We need the whole body of Christ to properly form the body of Christ. This much I’m sure of: Orthodox mystery, Catholic beauty, Anglican liturgy, Protestant audacity, Evangelical energy, Charismatic reality — I need it all!”

                                                - Brian Zahnd

HT: Church In A Circle

Persecution in 2013

From Joe Cater - 9 Things You Should Know About the Persecutions of Christians in 2013:

1. Christian churches around the world have set apart the month of November to remember and pray for the persecuted church, through the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).

2. According to the U.S. Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Christ.

3. With the exception of four official state-controlled churches in Pyongyang, Christians in North Korea face the risk of detention in the prison camps, severe torture and, in some cases, execution for practicing their religious beliefs. North Koreans suspected of having contact with South Korean or other foreign missionaries in China, and those caught in possession of a Bible, have been known to be executed.

4. In Syria, Christians are increasingly becoming the target of violent attacks. Catholic and Orthodox groups in Syria say the anti-government rebels have committed "awful acts" against Christians, including beheadings, rapes and murders of pregnant women. A special 'Vulnerability Assessment of Syria's Christians' conducted by the World Watch unit of Open Doors International from June 2013 warned that Syrian Christians are the victims of "disproportionate violence and abuse." They warned further that Christian women in Syria are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse.

5. In August 2013, Egypt faced what has been called the the worst anti-Christian violence in seven centuries: 38 churches were destroyed, 23 vandalized; 58 homes were burned and looted and 85 shops, 16 pharmacies and 3 hotels were demolished; 6 Christians were killed in the violence and 7 were kidnapped.

6. The bloodiest attack on Christians in Pakistan's history occurred in September 2013. Two suicide bombers exploded shrapnel laden vests outside All Saints' Church in the old city of Peshawar. Choir members and children attending Sunday school were among 81 people killed. The attack left 120 people wounded, with 10 of them in critical condition.

7. During an attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi in September, Islamic terrorists asked people for the name of Muhammad's mother or to recite a verse from the Quran in order to identify non-Muslims. One of the terrorists announced, "We have come to kill you Christians and Kenyans because you have been killing our women and children in Somalia. Any Muslims can go."

8. Four Christians in Iran will get 80 lashes each this month for drinking wine during a communion service. Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said that it is common practice for Christians to be punished for violating theocratic laws. In the UN report Shaheed wrote: 'At least 20 Christians were in custody in July 2013. In addition, violations of the rights of Christians, particularly those belonging to evangelical Protestant groups, many of whom are converts, who proselytize to and serve Iranian Christians of Muslim background, continue to be reported.'

9. An average of 100 Christians around the world are killed each month for their faith. (Note: There are several sources that claim the numbers are as high as 100,000+ a year. In the absence of solid evidence for those numbers, though, I chose to go with the more empirically verifiable estimate.)

Radical Implications

"The gospel has radical social implications. It means I am a Christian before I am anyone or anything else.It means that all barriers that separate people in the world into warring factions come down in Christ."

         - Timothy Keller, Galatians For You, page 92

Cross-Cultural Unity

"An American Christian has far more in common with a gospel-believer who lives a nomadic life on the Mongolian plains than they do with a non-believer who lives on their street, drives a similar car, and whose children go to the same school as theirs.Christian unity takes no account of cultural distinctives and is never contingent on cultural similarity" (page 44)

"Fellowship with Christ is sufficient basis for fellowship with one another. We must never exclude someone whom God has included in His people. But equally, fellowship with Christ is the only basis for fellowship with  one another. Churches must not maintain unity at the expense of the gospel." (page 48)

        - Timothy Keller, Galatians For You

Deeply United

"The gospel is the deepest foundation for community. What connects believers is the reality that we were all very messed-up people, broken before a holy God, yet rescued and given new life in Christ  What unites believers is deeper than anything that can divide."

       -Matt Chandler, Creature of the Word: The Jesus Centered Church,  page 50
    

I Need All Saints

Love these "All Saints Day" Tweets from Brian Zahnd! (Twitter @BrianZahnd)

I need the whole church—the whole church in historical length and ecumenical width. #AllSaintsDay

I need my Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal brothers and sisters. #AllSaintsDay

I need the accumulated wisdom of the church from every age. My congregation is 31 years old. My church is 2,000 years old. #AllSaintsDay

I believe in Jesus—the Hope, the Light, the Savior of the world. I trust in no other plan, program, or politician. Here I stand. Amen. 

Remember The Persecuted Church

Sunday, November 13, 2011, is the  International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, a global day of remembrance and intercession for persecuted Christians worldwide. This is a day to remember and pray for the hundreds of men, women, and children suffering for (and even dying for) Jesus Christ each day, fellow saints who are ignored by the world but watched by the eyes of heaven. You can learn more about this here and here and here and here,