Love still is the greatest

One of the most horrendous and under-reported happenings in our time is the persecution and martyrdom of Christians around the world. It’s even more appalling that it happens in our own nation.

Christian Solidarity International has reported that “more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than at any other time in history.”

Globally, more than 150,000 Christians were martyred last year. That’s quite incomprehensible given all the human-rights organizations and legislation we have worldwide.

Reports reveal that anti-Christian attitudes are escalating in our own country.

Recently, it was reported the Utah State Patrol is being sued to tear down crosses set up on state highways to memorialize points where their comrades lost their lives.

A few years ago, Dr. Paul Vitz of New York University and his committee discovered from a review of 60 social studies and history textbooks used in public schools that “almost every reference to the Christian influence of early America was systematically removed.” They concluded that the writers exhibited paranoia about Christianity and intentionally censored its positive role in American history.

The trend seems to lean toward “branding Christian groups as hate mongers and potential terrorists.”

The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago warned that the Southern Baptist convention to be held there next year might spark “hate crimes” against minorities.

Research by the Barna Group recently found that “Christian teenagers are taking cues from a culture that has made it unpopular to make bold assertions about faith.”

Teenagers who share their faith significantly have “dropped from 63 percent in 1997 to 45 percent.”

Being mocked and isolated from their peers is a big deal for teenagers and they worry about it.

Censorship and demeaning the people with values that historically made America great has consequences.

So, it shouldn’t surprise us now that impassioned activists boldly demand the removal of Christian Scriptures, symbols and standards from the American landscape.

The upshot of it is the Christian community whose values historically contributed so significantly to the greatness of America must now struggle against persecution because of those same values. It must resist loud demands for freedom from religion, rather than enjoy with all Americans the freedom of religion as Constitutionally mandated.

If we are to get beyond this point of infamy, there must be a recognition that the right to free speech carries with it a responsibility for respect, sensitivity and tolerance.

This is what must be taught diligently at home and school.

It’s not too much to ask that all religions and social groups be assessed by how carefully they preach and practice the general welfare of all society.

Anything less is, at its core, un-American and patently un-Christian.

Most world religions agree with Jesus when he said simply and powerfully, “Love one another.”

Bigotry and love cannot coexist.

Within a context of love, one can be respectfully tolerant of others without approving their belief system and lifestyle. But if one expects others to tolerate his lifestyle, one also must tolerate the lifestyle of others.

How far one’s activism should go was unmistakably stated by Jesus: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

Life is a two-way street, not a one-way boulevard.

The love chapter in the New Testament is a great model for social interaction.

A preacher once challenged a rather arrogant activist to read the 13th chapter of First Corinthians once a day for an entire month; and then see if he might handle things differently.

If we soak up the real stuff, we will speak-up respectfully. The barbs of hostility will die and persecution will be history.

Perhaps it’s too idealistic. But isn’t it time to stop the blame game?

Rather than camp in fields of bigotry and misinformation, wisdom dictates its best to embrace mutual respect through love for God and man.

Misinformation in individual and collective databases will need to be replaced through redemptive instruction in the classroom and home.

By daring to embrace love, peaceful coexistence is possible among Muslims, Jews and Christians, gays and straights, pro-life and pro-choice or whatever.

It’s simple, but common sense.

Love still is “the greatest!”

The Rev. Guy BonGiovanni is the director of Life Enrichment Ministries in Canfield.