[Book Review] Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand

Warning: Reading this book may cause a sudden increase in your desire to serve God.

As a Christian living in the United States I have grown accustomed to have certain things, namely freedom to say and do what I want in regards to religion. Tortured for Christ tells of a time and place where such a thing was a faint memory.

Originally published in 1967, Wurmbrand tells of his experience being a Christian pastor in both Nazi, and later Soviet-controlled Romania. (The last half of that sentence should be an indication that the word "tortured" was not put in the title simply to pique one's interest.) He wrote mainly of his experience under Communism, referencing the Nazis only briefly, stating that the blessing of the Nazi occupation was that it taught the believers that physical beatings can be endured. Knowledge that would sadly become useful when the Communists came into power. However, the Communists did not come into power as you might think.

Seduction and Standing Up

 

Wurmbrand stated that the Communists did not come the Romanian church with guns blazing, but rather as a man who seduces a female for a one night stand. Sadly, for the most part, it worked. He wrote of a congress that was convened in the Romanian Parliament building where four thousand ministers of all denomination were gathered. They then voted Joseph Stalin, who was at the time president of the World Movement of the Godless and mass murderer of Christians, honorary president of this gathering of religious leaders. One by one these so called men of God stated how that Communism and Christianity were basically the same and then pledged allegiance to the Communist government. He then wrote,

"My wife and I were present at this congress. Sabrina told me, 'Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ! They are spitting in His face.' I said to her, 'If I do so, you lose your husband,' She replied, 'I don't wish to have a coward as a husband.'"

That last sentence pretty much sums up the attitude of the Underground Church that sprung up around that time. Christians fearlessly spread the gospel, and joyfully went to prison and certain torture and death. He told many stories of the believers, but the one that touched me the most was the arrest of a young girl by the secret police. They followed her for some time and waited to arrest her on her wedding day in an attempt to cause the greatest amount of suffering possible. She went peacefully, and left the church kissing her shackles all the while rejoicing that she was the bride of Christ. How many of us would have had the same reaction?

Surprisingly, despite suffering unspeakable tortures at the hands of the Russians they bore no ill will to their captors, rather witnessing to them, winning many to Christ. Wurmbrand put it this way, when a crocodile kills a man, its tragic, but we do not blame the crocodile because it was simply following its nature. He stated that many of these soldiers were so brainwashed that they were little more than animals and should be treated with pity rather than contempt.

The Bottom Line

 

Wurmbrand's main purpose in writing this book was to highlight the suffering, as well as the fervor, of the Underground Church. He wanted to wake up Christians in free countries to the need of helping their persecuted brothers and sisters. I know it accomplished that goal with me, and I hope that it will do the same for you. The book is offered free of charge from the organization "The Voice of the Martyrs" so what are you waiting for? Go to their website and order it today.

[Video] Worse Than War

In this documentary Daniel Jonah Goldhagen probes the how and why of genocide, and more importantly what should be done to stop it.

I logged into my youtube account a couple days ago and someone I forgot that I was connected with had recommended this documentary therefore making a link to it appear on my home page.  The timing of this was quite interesting because recently I have been thinking a lot about genocide, discrimination, etc.  I found this video to be both fascinating yet difficult to watch.  Before watching be prepared to go through a wide spectrum of emotions.  Here it is.  Feel free to share your responses in the comment section.

[SAHD] Parenting Lessons From Eden

Courtesy fanpop.com

Who better to learn parenting lessons from than humanity's Ultimate Parent?

As a new parent I have discovered that people often give you tips, books, etc. on how to be a better parent.  Naturally some advice is better than others, but the best guidance I have found comes from our Ultimate Parent, God Himself.  Here are some lessons I discovered from where it all began, the Garden of Eden.

Create the Best Possible Environment

This one falls in the "too obvious to be seen" category.  I didn't see it at first either, but it makes a lot of sense.  God wanted the best for His kids so he made them the best home possible.  Now many of us may not have a lot of options regarding where we live, but that doesn't mean we can't be creative in our current situation.  A great way to get creative is to get your kids involved in the process.  You may not get a lot of feasible ideas, but at least you're spending time with them.  While you're spending time with them, be sure to . . .

Maintain Their Innocence

This point may be a bit controversial for some.  So much is said how we should not shelter our children and how we should prepare them for the the "real world".  However, look at what God did with His kids.  God purposely told Adam and Eve to avoid the tree that would give them the knowledge of evil, which brings us to our next point.

Give Simple Rules to Follow

God gave three basic commands to His kids: Be fruitful and increase in number, Fill and subdue the earth, and especially Don't eat from this one tree.  A possible application of this principle is instead of getting our kids to follow a litany of rules, get them to follow one simple rule, Do what your parents tell you to do (I know, I know, easier said than done, but one dream, can't he?).  Ultimately God's kids didn't listen to Him, but there is a silver lining for us even in that situation.

Don't Treat Yourself Too Harshly

Hey, if even God's kids didn't listen to Him, if for some strange reason our kids don't listen to us, we shouldn't take that as an indictment against our parenting skills. Children ultimately make their own choices that are beyond their parents control.  However, there is one part where parents have a lot of control.

Don't Avoid Punishment

Now no good parent wants their children to suffer, but when God's kids disobeyed Him, He simply had no other choice. He could have simply excused them because He is God, and can do whatever He wants, but that didn't happen.  Without some punishment, from that point forward, nobody (esp. Satan) would have taken God seriously.  When for whatever reasons parents avoid punishment that only erodes their authority and emboldens their children to try something worse.  Notice also that the punishment was simply allowing them to experience the consequences of their actions.  Something to think about, and while you're thinking . . .

Think More About God
 
While you may not agree with all of my applications, I hope that I have gotten you to think more about what lessons we can learn from the Bible, and I also hope that you take more time to read it for yourself.

What lessons regarding parenting (or anything else for that matter) have you learned from the Bible?  Share your discoveries in the comments section below.

Taking the Hard Road

Courtesy jerichoschools.org

Many times we equate difficulty with value.  The more effort we put into accomplishing a task, the more value we give to it.  However, that value system doesn't always apply to our spiritual life.

I recently have been experimenting with a different version of the Bible.  I decided to try a more easy-reading version than the one I have currently been using.  As I read the newer version, I found myself thinking that something must be wrong because of how easy it was to read it.  That got me thinking.  Can believing that harder is better take us down the wrong path regarding our spirituality?

Struggle a Part of Life

The Bible often speaks about struggles.  When Adam and Eve made their dreadful choice to eat the forbidden fruit, God said that their (and therefore our) lives were going to be filled with pain and struggles.  Later in history, God commended the patriarch Jacob for struggling with Him, and finally the writer of the book of Hebrews scolded the believers for not struggling enough.  It appears that struggle is simply a part of life, but what happens when we misapply this call to struggle?

Sisyphean Spirituality

Sisyphus, a character found in Greek and Roman mythology, committed a crime.  His punishment  was to roll a large boulder up a hill, watch it roll back down the hill, then roll it back up again, for eternity.  A "sisyphean" task therefore is one that goes on and on and accomplishes nothing.  Many believers throughout history have been practicing a sisyphean spirituality.  They try and try to be a better person, yet they don't get anywhere.  What is the solution to such a fruitless endeavor?

The Grace Solution

The words of a song sung by Larnelle Harris entitled "Were It Not for Grace" puts it well.

Were it not for grace
I can tell you where I'd be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
I know how that would go
The battles I would face
Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace

So if you find yourself "forever running but losing the race", take the time to learn more about God's grace.  More importantly, take the time to experience it for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

What has experiencing grace done for you?  Share your story in the comment section.

Looking for You

"Seeking the Lost Sheep in the Mountains"
courtesy La Vista Church of Christ

God is looking for you, even if we don't think we are worth the effort.

There is one fact that I want you to be perfectly clear about, and that is that God loves you.  We have heard people say a lot about God loving the world (if we hear even that much), and often lose sight of the fact that He loves us as  individuals.  It doesn't matter what we have done, or even what we are doing right now, He still loves us; loves me; loves you.

Many stories exist that, in one way or another, try to illustrate that love.  The one I read most recently involves a man who owned some sheep, a hundred of them to be exact.  Now at the end of the day when he brought all the sheep in from grazing, it seems as though one was missing.  He counts again, and sure enough, only ninety-nine sheep.  He could have thought that it was too much trouble to go out into the darkness to find this one sheep.  He could have thought that the lost sheep will get what it deserves for wandering away.  He could have thought up so many excuses not to go out, but instead he chose to look for that one lost sheep.

A storm started to brew, but that did not deter him.  It only served to increase the earnestness of his search.  Despite the darkness of the night and the danger of the path, he searches until at long last he hears the faint sound of his lost sheep.  He can tell that if he doesn't get to it soon it will be too late, and with great joy he at last finds it.  He doesn't scold or punish the sheep, but rather takes it in his arms and brings it to the place of safety.  It didn't matter what the sheep had done, he was simply glad to bring it home.

One writer put it this way

"Desponding soul, take courage, even though you have done wickedly. Do not think that perhaps God will pardon your transgressions and permit you to come into His presence. God has made the first advance. While you were in rebellion against Him, He went forth to seek you. With the tender heart of the shepherd He left the ninety and nine and went out into the wilderness to find that which was lost."  Christ's Object Lessons pgs. 188-189

One of the greatest lies going around is the one that states that we have gone too far, committed too many sins to be loved by a holy God, but that could not be further from the truth.  However far we have gone, He will go even farther to bring us to Him.  Don't worry about trying to fix yourself ahead of time, simply allow yourself to be found, and He will find you because He is looking for you.

The Divine Hitman

The Death of Jezebel
Courtesy Orientalism in Art

Truth may not always be stranger than fiction, but it can be as dramatic.

The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”
   “What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
   The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”  2 Kings 9:18

As I am reading through the Bible, I am constantly amazed at how many great stories exist in the Old Testament.  Those who neglect that portion of the Scriptures miss out on many stories involving colorful characters.  Jehu is one such character.  There are two Jehus in the Bible, the first one, Jehu son of Hanani, was a prophet, and while I'm sure that he had an interesting life, the one I'm talking about is Jehu the son of Nimshi, who was a military leader who became king of Israel.

Jehu son of Nimshi comes onto the scene during the time when Elijah was the main prophet in Israel.  Shortly after the Mount Carmel experience, God gives Elijah a "to do" list which involves anointing two kings and his prophetic successor.  Apparently, Elijah didn't complete the list before being taken to heaven, so we find Elisha being the one to set Jehu's reign in motion.

I'm not going to retell Jehu's entire story (which you can read in 2 Kings 9-10), but I will say that his story reads like some sort of action movie (hence the provocative title for this post).  After being anointed king by an anonymous young prophet described as a "maniac", Jehu, formerly a military commander, becomes the leader of what amounts to a death squad hunting down and eliminating all those connected with the now-deceased evil king Ahab and the worshipers of the false god Baal.

One of my favorite parts of this story shows that there was something special about Jehu (if I was making a movie, this clip would be in the trailer).  As he was approaching the hideout for number one on his hit list, Ahab's son Joram, Joram sends out a messenger to see if Jehu has come in peace, and as all good action-movie stars go, he has definitely not come in peace.  Jehu had such a way about him (I would compare him to Leonidas of Spartan fame), that with two short sentences (see text above), he convinces not one, but two of Joram's messengers to switch sides and fight against their former leader.

After eliminating Joram and Ahaziah, Jehu goes after the prophet-killer Jezebel, Ahab's widow.  What happens next says something about both Jehu and Jezebel.  When Jezebel heard that Jehu was on his way, she did her hair and put on makeup, and stood by a window waiting for him.  When he arrived she asked him if he came in peace (you know the answer to that question), and once again, with a few words, Jehu was able to convince some on the other side to do his bidding.

The remainder of the story involves more action as Jehu makes his way through his divine hit list (incidentally, nobody after this point asks if he came in peace), and God commends him of his services even though Jehu didn't get everything right.  While I am not advocating the glorification of bloodshed, I'm writing about Jehu's story for the purpose of getting people to pay more attention to the entire Bible.

So if you take the time and read some of the great stories of the Old Testament, you will find that the truth in the Bible can be as interesting as the fiction you'd find elsewhere.

Enforcing God's Law

Wow, it has been quite awhile since I've posted anything here, but as someone once said "Life is what happens when you make other plans." In any case, here is something I would like to share with you.

Every once in a while I read or hear something that makes so much sense that I'm surprised I hadn't read, heard, or thought of it sooner. In this case it was something I just read recently in a book written a long time ago, but first a little background.

A little while ago I was at a Christian book store thinking about buying a book. I was looking for a religious book to complement a non-religious one I was already reading. There are, of course, many good books out there, but I found one that especially caught my eye. It was a red, white, and blue paperback entitled "Rights of the People" and was written sometime in the late nineteenth century by A. T. Jones and reprinted in 1998 by TEACH Services, Inc. I just started reading the book and the thought that really struck me has to do with the role of the government in regards to morality.

Early on in the book Jones establishes the thought that the church, acting as the voice of God, and the government, acting as the voice of the state, have distinct and separate roles in society. He states that God is the sole promoter of morality, and that the state can only promote civility. To put it in other terms, the government can only judge one's actions, they cannot judge one's thoughts, and therefore cannot enforce God's law because it is based on one's thoughts and beliefs. He then poses the question that I have had in my mind for some time and that is "Doesn't the civil power enforce the parts of God's law that say that you should not steal, kill, commit adultery, etc.?" He states that it doesn't enforce them as commandments of God, then explains it in two main points.

1. If a government were to enforce those standards as God's law, then it would have to charge a man for murder if he hates someone else, for perjury one who simply tells a lie, and for adultery if one were to have lustful thoughts.
2. Punishment for crimes would be nearly impossible to carry out because if one breaks God's law and repents, he is forgiven and is no longer guilty of that offense. The government would have to release offenders on the sole basis of them asking forgiveness regardless of how many times they were to commit the offense.

These thoughts definitely shed some light for me on the concept of legislating morality, and I hope it helped you as well. Stay tuned as I'm sure this will not be the last post I make regarding thoughts from this book.

Balanced Forgiveness

Psalm 99:8  O LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. 

There's more to God, and more to the Christian life, than just being forgiving.

In this psalm I find similar language to the previous one with the author exalting God for His positive traits. He also mentions great men of Israel's history such as Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. It is these people that are most likely referred to in verse eight as "them". However, the part that stood out to me was the second part of the verse. Here it describes how God was forgiving to the people of Israel, though He punished them for what they did wrong.

It's interesting that forgiveness and punishment are mentioned in the same thought. God could punish them while at the same time being a forgiving God. I think a lot of times we do God a disservice when we only focus on one aspect of His character, and I think we do ourselves a disservice when we only focus on one aspect of the Christian walk. We are taught so much the concept of turning the other cheek, and "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" that we have a tendency to be wimpy Christians. We can also be strong and be forgiving at the same time.

I talked about being strong first simply because I currently see more of an imbalance in that direction, but don't get me wrong, there are plenty of professed Christians who are imbalanced in the other direction. They focus more on the punishment/strength aspect than on the forgiveness aspect. What those in that camp don't understand is that it takes a lot of strength, perhaps even more strength, to forgive than to punish. It's easy to hurt someone for some wrong deed, but not always so easy to truly forgive them for that deed.

Help me Lord to exhibit all traits of your character, and not just the ones that I like best.