Week 14: Persecution Paradigm
Christians in the United States often function from what we will call a “Persecution Paradigm.” Whenever society shifts or the government scales back on the amount of privilege that Christianity has in the culture, many in the church project a narrative of persecution. This image of persecution we project allows us to feel like we are really following Jesus’ teachings about being “hated by the world.” But is this the proper lens through which to see and then engage culture? Are Christians in the West actually being persecuted? We consider how this “Persecution Paradigm” might hinder our witness to the world and how our loss of privilege might be a blessing in disguise.
© The Dwelling Place 2015