Posted: 07/05/05

For This the Martyrs Died?

By Ingrid Schlueter

One of the world's best known evangelical megachurches featured the following promotion on their website this week:

Our dances have become some of the most anticipated of our social events with hundreds of people attending.  This Summer's Night dance in our Worship Center promises to be the same.  It will begin with a light buffet style dinner followed by dancing to the sounds of our DJ on a huge 3,000 square foot ballroom competition floor.  Professional lighting, effects and sound all blend together for a high-quality experience, all at an extremely reasonable price! Whether you bring a special friend, come alone or with a group, make sure you come ready to have fun! Music will consist of a wide variety providing for specific dances and freestyle.  And what's a summer night without some beach music and reggae?

On June 29, 2005, China Aid reported that the Chinese authorities had begun a brutal crackdown on house churches in a specific region in that country. Hundreds of Christian brothers and sisters in Christ have been held and some brutally beaten and tortured for their faith in the living Christ. These Chinese churches don't feature 3,000 square foot competition dance floors and dinner dances for the bored Christian singles of the congregation. If they did, the Chinese authorities would never have bothered them. All these Chinese churches have is an undying allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ and a willingness to die for the Savior of their souls. The communist Chinese leaders have never liked competing for loyalty and they view the church of Jesus Christ as a threat to their regime. Today in over 40 countries, confessing Christ as your Savior could cost you everything you have, including your life.

Here in American churches, the party goes on. In many parts of our country, particularly in the Bible belt, it has become difficult to parody the excesses of the huge churches that are everywhere. Every evangelical extreme that makes news one year, becomes the status quo the next. The first church food court made headlines many years ago. Now it's difficult to register surprise at anything done in the name of church whether it's Christian tattoo parlors on church property, hula praise dance troops, live animal shows, senior pastors in clown outfits, and so on.

The evangelical distaste for Christian history has produced generations of Christians in America who have no idea what price was paid so that they could have dancing poodle shows on Sunday morning. Names like Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer will bring a glazed look to the average Christian's eyes today. What a tragedy that men like this and so many others who paid the ultimate price for truth are virtually forgotten. The evangelical church prefers airbrushed celebrities today not martyrs.

Amidst the throbbing of the dance music at the above mentioned evangelical church, would anyone care about two 16^th century men who were burned to death next to each other for preaching the true Gospel of Jesus? Nicholas Ridley was in enormous pain as the flames began to crawl up his legs that day October 16, 1555. At the stake Hugh Latimer, his fellow martyr, comforted him with these words:

 "...we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England as I trust shall never be put out."

No, Mr. Latimer, your candle was not put out and the candle of truth came all the way to the shores of a vast wilderness known as North America. That candle was held by the spiritual heirs of Ridley and Latimer and these heirs were known as the Pilgrims. Today we are the often ungrateful heirs of the men and women who forged our nation and who fought for the freedom to worship God that we now enjoy.

The small voice of a ten-year-old girl serves as an indictment to the rest of evangelicalism in America today. Back in the 1960's a family was serving Christ in one of the most difficult parts of the world. An Irish couple, Dennis and Nora Perry went to Congo, Africa and served the Lord by bringing the Gospel to this spiritually dark place. Then the Simba uprising took place. This couple and their two children, Andrew and Grace were captured by the rebels and held in captivity for a number of months. During that time of horror, the family was kept together and their little Grace sang constantly, "Burdens are lifted at Calvary…" Her faith remained strong in the face of what must have seemed the most horrific circumstances a child could face. She was singing this when she was shot along with her brother. Their bodies were dumped in the river.

This family knew that the love of God could send them to a place where they could lose their lives. But they willingly and readily went anyway. They weren't interested in a celebrity Christian life or even a middle-class American life. Their lives and martyrdom have become a brilliant example of trusting Christ, even to death. This is something that the modern evangelical can never understand as he writhes across the dance floor at his local church. May the song of little Grace Parry be the song of those faithful to Jesus in an increasingly dark America. Burdens are lifted at Calvary because Jesus Christ gave everything he had for our souls. May we be willing to give up worldliness and sin to follow in his bleeding footsteps.

By Ingrid Schlueter Email: vcyproducer@aol.com Click here for bio and archived articles