WHAT WILL YOU DO IF PERSECUTION COMES?

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."  (Matthew 10:32-33)

About a week ago, I read a short but powerful article about Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a recent issue of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's "Decision" magazine.  It would take paragraphs and paragraphs to write adequately about Dietrich  Bonhoeffer and who he was, but in a nutshell, he was a very dedicated evangelical Christian theologian and professor who lived during the time of Hitler's Third Reich in Germany.  For a time, he was safe- teaching at a seminary in New York.  He felt, however, that it was so important for him to take a stand against the evils of the Nazis, that he went back to Germany at a time that would be very dangerous for him.  Ultimately, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested and later executed.  He was a true martyr for the faith!  I had read a very powerful biography about Bonhoeffer a couple of years ago, so I knew the story.  But a quote in that article shook me to the core of my being.  It's a quote attributed to Adolph Hitler, from the 1930s.  Honestly, I have checked the quote on-line and its authenticity is disputed.  Some believe Hitler said it and some believe Hitler absolutely did not say it.   I will add that if you have done any serious reading about the philosophical and religious views of Adolph Hitler, the quote does accurately reflect what he believed, whether he actually said it or not.  Here is the quote that (frankly) shook me:

"The Protestants haven't the faintest conception of a church . . . You can do anything you like to them—they will submit. . . . They are insignificant little people, submissive as dogs, and they sweat with embarrassment when you talk to them. They have neither a religion that they can take seriously nor a great position to defend like Rome."

You may not know that Adolph Hitler was (in name) a lifelong Roman Catholic.  He was originally from Austria, a very heavily Catholic country.  In fact, he was certainly not a "religious" nor "orthodox" Catholic!  Hitler believed Jesus Christ was a true Aryan murdered by what he considered the evil Jews.  Hitler found the whole Christian doctrine of Jesus dying for the sins of humanity at best very uncomfortable and at worst weak and totally ridiculous. 

I recently posted something on Facebook stating I am tired of the incivility of people of all political persuasions who speak and write disdainfully about George W. Bush or Barack Obama- depending on which side of the aisle they represent.  Both are decried as totally stupid and incompetent and worthy of no respect.  I don't agree with that sort of disrespectful behavior.  I do believe the President and the leaders of the country should be treated with respect and honor.   The New Testament (Romans chapter thirteen among other places) teaches the governmental authorities should be honored and respected and the Apostle Paul was including the Roman Emperor here!   We should be respectful, yes, but there are times we must disobey!  Was Martin Luther King, Jr. (for instance) correct in holding all those freedom marches, sit-ins, etc.?  Absolutely, yes!

It's something to think about.  Hitler saw Protestant Christians as "submissive as dogs"..."sweating with embarrassment".   Many times pastors are mild-mannered people- trying to comfort the sick and needy- trying to live for God- trying to be quiet and decent and respectable.  They want their churches to be free of harassment and major problems.  Is it surprising that a Godly pastor, confronted by the Nazi SS would be "submissive as a dog" or "sweating with embarrassment"?  No.  Remember that the Apostle Peter boasted that he was ready to die for Jesus and just a short time later was cursing and swearing that he didn't even know Jesus.

I wonder- if I had pastored in Germany in 1939- how would I have behaved toward the Nazis?  What would I have said?  What would I have done?  Would I have capitulated? 

We evangelical Christians in the United States of America have had things so easy, although the heat is starting to be turned up now.  It's not quite as easy to be a committed evangelical Christian today as it was thirty years ago, but it's still a "cakewalk" compared to Nazi Germany in 1939!   If we were suddenly not allowed to assemble for worship services or classes, what would we do?  If we suddenly had to officially change our beliefs to conform to the government, what would we do?

Interestingly enough, my friend Mary Agrusa writes about the theme of how much God dislikes cowardice in her "The Thought Just Occurred to Me" blog this week.  It makes me wonder if the Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention about this.

Think about it:  If real persecution comes- the kind of persecution that Dietrich Bonhoeffer faced- what will you do?