Category Archives: Persecution

Christian Persecution

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Our spirits, under God, live by passing through the sorrows of the present; for first, let me remind you, that by these trials and afflictions we live, because they are medicinal. There are spiritual diseases which would corrupt our spirit if not checked, kept down, and destroyed as to their reigning power by the daily cross which the Lord lays upon our shoulders. Just as the fever must be held in check by the bitter draught of quinine, so must the bitter cup of affliction rebuke our rising pride and worldliness. We should exalt ourselves above measure, and provoke the Lord to jealousy against us, were it not that trouble lays us low.

None of us shall know until we read our biography in the light of heaven, from what inbred sins, foul corruptions, damnable uncleanliness, and detestable lusts we have been delivered, by being driven again and again along the fiery road of affliction. Adversities are the sharp knives with which God doth cut from us the deadly ulcers of our sins; these are the two-edged swords with which he slays our enemies and his own which lurk within us. He must prune us and trim us as the gardener his trees, otherwise we shall bring forth no fruit.

From a sermon entitled “All These Things – A Sermon with Three Texts,” delivered October 18, 1868.

Resource: The Daily Spurgeon – How God Uses Affliction 

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Attack on Friends of Israel

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Attack on Friends of Israel

Note from Jan at Olive Tree Ministries: Jim Fletcher is right. Friends of Israel today are treated like we have a mental disease. Even within evangelicalism, we are scorned and marginalized. What is our crime? I guess it’s our interpretation of the Bible for we see Israel’s land as God-given, not a piece of property that can be divided up and handed over to terrorists. I have written and spoken on Emergent Church issues for years and have aimed often at one of its leaders, Brian McLaren. Most of those in this stream consider Israel to be an inconvenience at best and dangerous at worst. Sister ministry leader Jim Fletcher expresses my sentiments about McLaren and his followers who claim that friends of Israel are worse than Muslim terrorists. Thanks, Jim. To visit his website: http://www.prophecymatters.com

An Open Letter to Brian McLaren
By Jim Fletcher August 19, 2011

RE: Attack on Friends of Israel

Mr. McLaren:

For a long time, I have noticed the disconnect between your seemingly serene, peace/love/justice/mercy persona, and the vitriol with which you discuss Christian Zionists, and what I’d call Bible-believers in general.

From your publicity photos, to your blogs and video links, you project an air of compassion and spiritual healing. Your eminently marketable brand fairly screams Frank Costanza’s famous mantra, “Serenity now!”

Your English degree has served you well as a best-selling author and popular conference speaker. Your provocative book titles, like The Secret Message of Jesus, and A New Kind of Christianity, seem inspired by your friend, Marcus Borg, and reveal your considerable marketing skills. You are skilled at presenting your liberal views to mainstream evangelical audiences.

So it is with dismay that I read a recent blog posting on your Web site that references a letter from Naim Ateek to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Ateek makes the following statement, which you indicated that you felt was so important that it needs to be in bold print:

“With candor, the last two groups of extremists, i.e. Jewish and Western Christian Zionists, are a greater threat to us than the extremist Islamists. In fact, these extremists have more military power and clout to uproot all Palestinian presence both Christian and Muslim from our homeland.”

Extremists? Do you seriously believe that Bible-believing Christians (I think you’d call us fundamentalists) are extremists? And to imply that Christian Zionists are more violent than Muslim terrorists is not only an infinite stretch, but it is outright hate-speech–incendiary and violently provocative. It is unacceptable.

Elsewhere in your writings you have referred quite often to Christian Zionists, as in this call to understand:

“The need to confront the terrible, deadly, distorted, yet popular theologies associated with Christian Zionism and deterministic dispensationalism.”

Terrible? Deadly?

You don’t know us, yet you seem very comfortable in your slanders, which tells me a great deal about the state of modern evangelicalism–which you and your friends have successfully infiltrated.

To date, you seem to insulate yourself effectively from those of us you view with such disdain. Since you would (I am assuming here) frown on the word “debate,” I wonder if you’d care to have a public conversation about Christian Zionists, with a Christian Zionist? Please name a date and place convenient for you, or allow us to host you with real hospitality, which you do not, evidently, return in kind.

Mr. McLaren, your tolerance has very visible limits, and I wonder if your followers understand this reality. Your public dislike of Dispensationalists and Christian Zionists is outrageous. It is simply wrong and quite unjust.

It’s time to practice the love and compassion you preach.

As of right now, sir, I view you as the most intolerant Christian leader active in America. Will you repent of your hate-language directed at friends of Israel?

Sincerely and eagerly awaiting your reply,

Jim Fletcher

Source: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101818841456/archive/1107190606422.html

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Britain’s War on Christianity

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“The war being waged by the quasi-establishment and quasi-government Left in Britain against the nation’s own traditions, values, identity and, perhaps most of all, religion, has been escalated and its battle-lines redefined with a report by a leading Labour Party-aligned think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, recommending that Christmas, which cannot be obliterated, should be down-graded to promote multiculturalism.”

“The report says that because it would be hard to “expunge” Christmas from the national calendar (although this would apparently be desirable), public organizations must be made to give non-Christian religious festivals equal footing.”

Excerpt Source – Read More:   
http://spectator.org/articles/44542/britains-escalating-war-christianity

Video: Britain’s War on Christianity – America’s Future Fight?  

“Britain today is at odds with the gospel and with itself. Dale Hurd reports on how England’s today maybe America’s tomorrow… The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN http://www.cbn.com” ~ Source: The about tab under video. ~

CBNnewsonline YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CBNnewsonline