Paul, said to Timothy,
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God… 2 Timothy 3: 1-4
and,
Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 2 Timothy 10-14
What should our response be, according to this, as well as other scripture, when we suffer persecution for our faith in God and subsequent actions?
Below is a post from Religion Clause, which deals with religious persecution and two believer’s political response.
The Pacific Justice Institute announced last week that it had filed a federal lawsuit against the College of Alameda, part of the California state system. The lawsuit claims that two students, Kandy Kyriacou and Ojoma Omaga, received disciplinary letters threatening to suspend them for “disruptive or insulting behavior, willful disobedience . . . persistent abuse of college employees.” The suit claims that the disciplinary action stems from an incident last December in which Kyriacou visited an instructor in her office to give her a Christmas present, and found that the instructor was feeling ill. Kyriacou offered to pray for her. The instructor bowed her head, and the student began to pray when another faculty member, Derek Piazza, came in and told her she could not pray there. Kyriacou left and joined her friend, now co-plaintiff, Omaga, followed by Piazza who repeated his warnings to Kyriacou. The lawsuit asks that the disciplinary letters be rescinded.
I understand that we have certain, constitutional rights in this country, but how do these rights mesh with our faith and Paul’s statement to Timothy? These two students acted out of faith and concern for another person, and their only reward was to be insulted and disciplined as trouble makers and disobedient students. This is horribly unfair and angers me, but where does Paul speak of fairness or our rights to resist persecution when it comes our way? Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. This sounds to me like we, who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, should expect persecution, and therefore, we have no constitutional rights, according to God, to resist it.
What then should be our response, according to Paul, when we are mistreated and discriminated against, because of our beliefs and actions? But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them.
Religion Clause: Suit Claims College Students Disciplined for Praying.
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