Church crosses in Pakistan (Photo: © CMS) Courage is far more common than is usually supposed. A CMS contact in Pakistan, who needs to remain anonymous, pays tribute to Christians enduring harassment but showing grace under fire.
Once upon a time, Christians were thrown to ravening lions, crucified upside down or roasted on a griddle, but that's history now. So people could be forgiven for doubting that the persecution of followers of Christ exists in the 21st century.
Yet there are still countries in which merely to be a Christian puts you at risk of imprisonment and possible execution.
A newspaper headline (Photo: © CMS) At different times, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkey have all been actively hostile to Christian community life and witness.
Organisations such as CLAAS and the Barnabas Fund regularly document incidents and situations of serious persecution, including death threats and murders.
But there is a more insidious form of persecution — or call it harassment if you prefer — which, in the long term, proves just as damaging and debilitating to those who experience it.
In Pakistan, I have observed that many Christians endure a lifetime of petty obstructions, blocks, victimisation, verbal abuse and discrimination, which adds up to treatment as second-class citizens or even as non-citizens.
I can cite some examples from my own acquaintance – I’ve changed the names of the individuals concerned for their own protection.
Aneela and her family were evicted from their flat when their landlord found out that they were Christians.
Amir was forced out of his job when a new manager made it clear that Christians were not wanted in the company that employed him at the time.
Yakub was repeatedly offered lucrative contracts by his business contacts if he would embrace Islam.
Laila was bullied at school and taunted with misinformation about the Christian faith.
Asif was repeatedly blocked from promotion in his school, despite being the most highly qualified and most experienced teacher on its staff.
A view of the skyline in Lahore (Photo: © CMS) And always, lurking at the back of Christians’ minds, is the fear that a false accusation of blasphemy against Islam may drop on them out of a clear blue sky, often accompanied by rioting, violence and looting, bringing catastrophe to their lives.
How do my friends live with these tensions?
Some try desperately to leave the country, spending huge sums on visa applications for developed countries which are then usually rejected — leading to further depression.
Some locate themselves in Christian colonies, work in Christian institutions and try as far as possible to insulate themselves from hostility.
Some endure in silence and pray for a better time.
Yet many give time to the church and draw support from the Christian community, but also work actively in the wider society, in the areas of human rights or social development. They are proclaiming the Gospel by what they do and who they are, and working for God’s Kingdom on earth as we hope for it in heaven.
In his commentary in The Letters to the Corinthians, William Barclay addresses this: “Life makes many an attempt to take away our faith. Things happen to us and to others that baffle our understanding; life has its problems to which there seems no solution; life has its dark places where there seems to be nothing to do but hold on. Faith is always a victory, the victory of the soul which tenaciously maintains its clutch on God.”