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Introduction:
Justice
Ruth Hutchinson
Comment:
Be Not Deceived...
David McMillan
From
the Director
David Porter
From
Just Us to Justice
Duncan Morrow
Right
Relationships or Justice
Brian Lennon
The
Truth, the Whole Truth
Alwyn Thomson
Walking
for Ministers
Graham Cheesman
Dealing
with the Pain
David Bolton
The
Case for Human Rights
Martin O’Brien
What’s
Wrong with Rights?
Alwyn Thomson
COMMENT:
Be not deceived, God is not mocked.
The Chinese Christians in the House Church Movement are denied both civil
and religious liberties. The State established a body to regulate and
adjudicate on their freedoms and activities, something they consider unacceptable
and consequently they are unable and unwilling to comply with its demands.
Visiting their web site I found their Official Statement towards the Government, its Religious Policy, and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. It reads, in part, as follows:
- Even though we are often misunderstood and persecuted by the government, we do not respond with a reactionary attitude, nor have we taken any reactionary action.
- When house churches (Christians) are persecuted, they do not hate the government, but accept suffering as permitted by the Lord. They endure suffering silently. They yield to the government, intercede for the government and bless it.
- When leaders and evangelists of house churches are persecuted, fined, interrogated, sent to labour instruction camps or labour reform camps, they do not complain. They still love their country and the government, waiting for God to grant them mercy.
This is the proper Christian and biblical response to persecution and the denial of liberties. It is a faithful working out of the instructions of Peter.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men, whether to the king as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. Show proper respect to everyone, love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the king. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:13, 14, 21, 22)The Chinese Christians behave biblically under a communist, unjust, unfair regime. Jesus is their pattern, himself suffering under an unfair, unjust and ungodly regime. This is the Christian way to behave.
What we have witnessed over the past few years at Drumcree is not Christian. No baptism of impromptu sermons, gospel songs or hymns in the field makes it Christian. No whipped up fears about the loss of religious liberty makes it Christian. One hundred thousand men descending on Drumcree hoping either by force of numbers, intimidation or bloody violence to force a march down Garvaghy Road would be one hundred thousand pairs of feet trampling underfoot the gospel of Christ.
The sanctifying -- whether by Protestant or Roman cleric, whether by banner or eucharistic table, whether on the ‘hill’ or on the ‘road’ -- of the ethnic and cultural hatred which lies under the thin religious veneer is a futile exercise.
Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Gal 6:7
David McMillan - pastor of Windsor Baptist Church, Belfast
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