Pray for those who have gone "underground" and our own debate on freedom of religion in the UK.

 Following on from yesterday's post about believers facing persecution because of their faithfulness, I received another friend's prayer request this morning. In their situation, the church has been prohibited from meeting and those connected have been interrogated. The tactic of imposing fear, opponents pouring abuse and anger on the church, is often followed by  a season of growth within the church. The issue is not whether the church meets in public or underground, the issue is the authentic presence of God proven to be in operation keeping His people in resurection power. The reasons for persecution in such instances are so illogical. If authorities were honest they would say they want to control society, to keep people from free thought, and control social and fianncial influence for themselves or the religious/ social structure they defend which is inherently abusive. In reality, many folks see through this. This is especially so in women who are often the most abused in such a structural system. 

 The clarity this brings, that God lives amongst his people, that women and any downtrodden are treasured by God,  and that human governance leads to hopelessness and selfishness, is doing the church's work for them as the ground is prepared for the good news of Christ and God's word. I have seen this pattern countless times. However, the immediate cost is paid by those who have laid aside their lives, reputation and comfort for the gospel to go forward. Pray particularly for women in this situation who are not only abused culturally, regardless of religion, but especially intimidated if they belong to Christ. They are the ones who often to pay the highest price for the growth of the church. 

Pray for those women who lead such women and are showing great faithfulness, particularly in this specific situation. In this context, the church is relatively young in an unreached / frontier region. However, the maturity being shown is nothing other than superaturally inconquerable. Leadership is influence. Many of these women have never had social status, but their influence for the kingdom is parabolic. 

As an aside in the light of this, let me say a word about the UK context and all that is going on regarding our debate of appropraite access for imigrants to make their home here. 

 It is a feature of Christianity that we welcome the immigrant. Racism has no place in the church; Jesus welcomes the marginalised and outcast, and so should those who bear his name. This is such a helpful summary on Christian foundations for this. 

One thing that really hits me as I stand back to bigger perspectives in these two contexts however, is the critical issue of prevailing culture. In the other country (mentioned above) where the church is being mistreated there is a two-tier legal system. Those who kill or persecute Christians do so in the name of the prevailing religion, which in fact is not religion but a socially dominant structure adminstered through religious centres. Those who impose dominance through abuse are therefore let free from any legal consequences, because anything they do is seen as legitimate based on the book they follow. Those who act out of conscience to own the name of Jesus Christ are not only the recipients of constant social abuse and crimes, but will then face the full anger of a legal system set up to defend the existing social structure. They will be mistreated if they defend themselves and killed if they leave the dominant culture/ religion because it is outlined in that book that this must be the case.

 In the UK, the attempts to reintroduce blasphemy laws would do the same. This would be the system we would adopt. This system would defend those who come from other countries with their own legal systems (Sharia law for example) and social structures continuing above that of the existing/historic UK structure (free speech and equality to practice religion). Politicians who promote Islam and endeavor to introduce Sharia law into mainstream UK governance / job vacancies, do so saying the two are never in conflict and can happily coexist. Countless cases show us that this is simply not true. 

One of the things fundamentally missed in our present debate is that existing deeply held core beliefs (life practices and systems - religious, social, and legal) do not simply disappear when a person turns up on our shores or their geography changes. The line between religion and social structure is very blurred in many parts of the world, especially in those who have an explicit ambition to advance their cause into political governance and the dominance of other countries. Those who come to the UK from other systems can impose those systems on the UK because it is explicitly instructed to be the reason for moving, and this is where cultures and people will inevitably collide. The present government in the UK seems to be blind to this reality. 

I have absolutely no issue with many friends who would be from another social system. I love diversity, which is a feature of creation. I defend friends and foreigners rights to free speech and practice of religious conviction. I do have a problem with injustice that relegates UK citizens to a second-class legal position, a position of persecution if they own the name of Jesus Christ. I cannot see this as equality in the way it is presented. I fear this present government will not be honest enough to admit that this is the direction they have chosen for the future of the UK. 

Pray that we will wisely put into practice Romans 15:7 for the good of all and the glory of our gracious God, whatever the future holds for our country and churches. 

"Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."