Persecution: It is Here, and it will continue

For those who follow my ministry, you know I am active on Twitter. The platform provides me with a quick reference point to what is going on worldwide so that I can dig deeper into certain matters if I so choose. Over the last several years, on Christian Twitter, there have been many larger evangelical voices sharing that what has been going on in Canada is not Christian persecution. Many, not all, relay the experience of the early Christian church, churches under great pressure or situations resembling a Hal Lindsey novel as true persecution. So the question needs to be asked, “Is the Canadian church under persecution?” The answer is evident, and those willing to look beyond their small sphere of influence will realize it most certainly is.

The first thing we need to do is come to a place of historical understanding. Thanks to much flawed Christian cinema or through the many believers who have not thoroughly studied church history believe the church today is seeing great peace compared to the early church under the pressure of the Roman Empire. There is an image that the church was always hiding in the catacombs. Simply walking outside brought the possibility of being thrown into the lion's den and so forth. However, there were only small pockets of persecution among the Christians at various times to various degrees. In fact, most rulers paid no attention to the Christians. As long as they were following the laws in place and they were not attempting to overthrow the government as some zealots have tried, things went rather smoothly.

For many, it may be hard to believe, but for the most part, persecution came about from the populace demanding that the government act against those who did not seem to fit the common mold of society. The voices of the people brought about action from the governors. Tertullian captured this mindset correctly when he said, “If the Tiber rises too high, or the Nile too low, the remedy is always feeding Christians to the lions.” Without getting too exhaustive, let us look at a few Emperors when persecution occurred. It is important to note that between A.D. 30 to about A.D. 331, there were 54 rulers of the Roman Empire. Roughly a dozen of them harassed Christians to some degree or another. Furthermore, it needs to be understood that the Romans took a specific approach to troublemakers. It was not just an individual who would be rounded up or dealt with if there were problems, they would go after the group of those with associated views. The connection to this is when persecution did arise, sometimes (not always), it started with one or two individuals going against the grain. Please take time to read The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, the Early Church to the Darn of the Reformation by Justo L Gonzalez, and Church History and From Christ to the Pre-Reformation by Everette Ferguson for a more detailed understanding of the details of timelines in regards to the early church.

Now Emperor Claudius (A.D. 41-54) worked to expel Jews from Rome. Back then, Christians with Jews were considered the same, as they followed the Jewish Messiah -not the polytheism of Rome or the imperial cult. Common with most believers, Nero was a shrewd man, and history records that he was responsible for having his mother killed for treason and his wife Octavia killed for her adultery by a beheading. History also reports that Nero wanted to do some redevelopment in Rome. Annoyed by all the red tape, he set fire to the city and blamed the fire on a small sect of Christians. Many of the Christians residing in Rome were targeted, and some were burned. This persecution was not widespread.

Another Emperor by the name of Domitian ruled from A.D. 81-96. This man was not a nice fellow. In fact, when reading the book of Revelation, some theologians have associated Domitian with the great beast who rose from the abyss - as he had the reputation of licking blood off the sword of those he killed. He enjoyed watching fights between women and gladiators. He declared he was “God the Lord.” Naturally, he demanded homage, and if individuals did not bow to him or refer to him as Lord, they would come to an end in various ways. Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 161-180) is the last Emperor in our small example. He believed Christians to be dangerous and preachers of gross immoralities. So under this man’s reign, Aurelius, through printed propaganda, allowed an anti-Christian mindset to flourish. It grew, and the people disliked Christians. Persecutions then broke out in various places, eventually leading to the death of Irenaeus.

Now putting aside the church tradition of how the Apostles all died through martyrdom outside John the beloved, let us look at another man - Polycarp. It must be stressed Polycarp was not simply killed by the rulers of the day because he was a pesky believer. No, as stated, there was a hatred for Christians in society for their beliefs. The empire was demanding that Christians make sacrifices to their idols. Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna - and was reported to be 86 years of age at the time of his death. He is recorded to say, “86 years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” What is interesting the authorities - let’s call them the police, came on a Friday with their swords as if Polycarp was a high-profile criminal. Sound familiar? They arrested Polycarp, and because he refused to deny Christ, he was killed.

It must be understood governors were required to keep public order. In doing so, they would quickly deal with those who were troublemakers or those that society despised greatly, which would also cause a disruption to public order. The people play a massive role. The message of Christianity was considered illegal. The monotheistic belief of Judaism was also frowned upon. Though there was an understanding by A.D. 64 (or around there) these two groups were different, the persecution was often extended to both sides regardless. So, there was persecution because BOTH society and the government had issues with the message and actions of the Christian church.

Fast forward thousands of years, during the days of the Reformation. We see the same attitudes at play. Men and women were arrested because what they believed and what they taught went against the laws of the land or the Roman Catholic Church. Reformers were arrested for translating the Word of God, preaching the doctrine of Justification by Faith alone, and going against the bishop of Rome or his Cardinal. Fast forward a few hundred years, and Christians were arrested under Soviet regimes, they were targets of Nazi German policies for hiding Jews because of the Haulocost. Look around the world today, and we see Christians being rounded up, thrown into prison and sometimes killed for their profession of faith. Why? Not just the government but society. Look at Islamic nations. Christians are spat upon, unjustly targeted, and forced to comply with discriminatory laws - all normal parts of the Christian experience.

Now take all this, and bring it back here in Canada. As stated earlier, many Christian voices in larger Evangelical circles (like that of the TGC, or associated ministries) say Canada is not facing persecution because we do not have it as bad as our Roman believers of past days or as bad as those in closed countries. Let’s for a moment look at some of the events that transpired since 2020 and laws passed under the current Prime Minister (at the time of writing) Justin Trudeau.

* Pastor Aaron Rock, of Harvest Bible Chapel, Windsor Ontario. Operating as clergy, bound by the doctrine of Holy Scripture, was charged under the Ontario Reopening Act for keeping his church open and fulfilling his God-assigned responsibility. His church was locked down by the governing authorities. Under what sphere of authority does the government have to do this? Zero. However, since there was a public outcry and those choosing to demand justice, the government, with a heavy hand, went after the church. Not persecution? Well, in China or Cuba, you cannot have a church or attend church unless the church obeys state laws. Churches will be locked down or torn down if they do not comply. This church was not allowed to operate at all because of ---state laws.

* Trinity Bible Chapel in Waterloo, pastored by Jacob Reaume was locked out for the same reasons. Hit with heavy fines, and because the courts are also compromised, they have lost several battles. If the state wants to shut down this church through bankruptcy, it will not happen, but again, it shows the pressure. Many of the judges overseeing such cases as Trinity's are what Bunyan highlights in his allegory, Pilgrims Progress. They are, in some form or another, Lord Hategood overseeing the charges of Christian and Faithful. These men in Bunyan's allegory were charged with causing disturbance and divisions in the land spouting off their own opinions that were against the law of the prince of the land (Beelzebub).

* Grace Life Church outside Edmonton locked down for the same reasons, and another Albertan pastor Tim Stephens jailed longer without bail than some violent sex offenders get - why? Society and corrupt government.

*Though I do not endorse his church or ministry, Artur Pawlowski was charged several times and jailed.

Pastors from across Canada, Alex Kloosterman charged for performing his duties as a Christian. Pastor Steve Richardson was charged and a professed Christian ratted pastor Richardson out to the authorities leading to his removal from his church. We here at this church were harassed by public health officers threatening we may be charged. We had an Occupational Health and Safety officer attempt to intimidate members of the congregation during the funeral of one of its members. Pastor Michael Thiessen, Nate Wright, and many others, all here in Canada, are the government's targets.

Now for those who say, “well, that was COVID, and Romans 13 tells us to obey the laws and magistrates!” Should these faithful pastors, or those throughout history, follow that logic? I am glad they did not. It is not just pastors but faithful Christians. Many lost their jobs and homes; they were separated from their loved ones because they were exercising Christian ethics, with strong Christian convictions and believed that the protections under the Charter actually meant something. What did most "church" and "pastors" do? They all watched as their brethren were targeted.

In Canada, laws have been passed that declare all people must identify people according to their preferred gender. Canadians must use terms like LGBTQ, which has now morphed into LGBTQIA+. If you use the word pervert, transvestite, lesbian, pedophile, or mentally ill - it all can come back and cause charges or imprisonment. Who demanded these laws? It was not the government; it was the people. The government either forced these laws through for vote, public poll ratings, public outcry, or they themselves are bent sexually. In Canada, it is legal for a transvestite to read books to children, and it is legal for them to dance and perform in front of minors with their chemically or surgically existing breasts almost showing completely or their gentiles evident. However, it is illegal to protest this and fight for the protection of children, as pastor Derek Reimer of Calgary found out. He went to a so-called Reading with Royalty event, was assaulted by those in attendance, and was later charged. The Calgary police (who also arrested Stephens and Pawlowski ) claimed that what Pastor Reimer did was “hate-motivated” and, therefore, charges of causing a disturbance and mischief were warranted. No charges were laid under section 176 of the Criminal Code of Canada for the harassment and interruption of clergy duties since 2020, but the media still utilized this one. There were no charges for sexually immoral men and women performing lude acts in front of children during their sexually charged parades in June. Just Christians.

Under Justin Trudeau, Christianity is a threat to the public order and society he is trying to build. Just as it was in Rome, just as it was during the Reformation, as it is now, those who do not conform to the narrative and go against society - are the ones who are being targeted. This is, in fact persecution. The very word, according to Google, is “hostility and ill-treatment, especially based on ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation or political beliefs" (bold added). In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul states, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Persecuted here means to be or become subject to systematic harassment and attack due to one’s religious beliefs.

The conclusion is this. Throughout history, there have been pockets of persecution among the followers of Christ with various degrees of severity. What we see across Canada is most certainly persecution of Christians by both the society, with all the printed propaganda against them, the entertainment media that blasphemously addresses Christ, and by the politicians who pass laws and step outside their sphere of authority. It is here and will continue, and we, as believers, must be prepared. Christianity is not picking up your lawn chair and following with ease - it is picking up your cross and following Christ (Matthew 16:24-26). Here is my request (or plea) to those Christian writers from the various larger evangelicalism - stop talking! Stop writing your fancy little articles about why Canadians are not being persecuted. During the COVID crisis, you nursed off the government's breast and did whatever they wanted you to. You sat by quietly, like cowards when your brothers were charged and imprisoned. In your failure to be true men of God, you catalyzed many problems we now face in this country. So instead of convincing the Christian community that your actions were Biblical, maybe write a fiction book or something. In a day and age, we need to prepare believers in this country to face current or possibly greater persecution; we do not need the fancy, theological triage; either get off breast milk and start eating meat - or go sell cars. The days are too short - let us prepare our minds for action, keeping sober is spirit, fixing our hope completely in the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus (1 Peter 1:13)

Onward Christian Soldier,

Pastor Steve