Revisiting persecution

I never did write part 2 of this post. I finished reading the book, although I skimmed parts of it. It was well-researched, yet I had the sense of not knowing what to do with the information. That is why I never wrote the review.

Maybe Christians in America are persecuted. So what? Does this mean I should live any differently? My general reaction is that sometimes when facing adversity we should turn the other cheek, and other times we need to "shout from the rooftops" when we think something is unjust (Matt. 10:27).

Then this little statement caught my eye while reading the news today. It's towards the end of a small write-up. You could easily miss it.

full post/-

Earlier this year, [Ben] Stein withdrew as the University of Vermont's commencement speaker over complaints about his critical views of evolution in favor of intelligent design.*

I found the wording confusing, and it took a few readings to understand. A person had been invited to speak at commencement. This person believes in intelligent design, and not evolution. This particular view caused a conflict, and made him decide not to go through with the speaking engagement.

Maybe you all know about Ben Stein. I didn't really know much about him other than remembering his face from various films. I don't think he's someone whose views I would universally endorse. But about intelligent design I would agree.

Since intelligent design is a Christian view, I see this as a form of censorship against Christianity.

Again, I'm not sure what to do this information. It seems like it is becoming commonplace to condemn certain public displays of Christian beliefs, since they might "offend someone." This is true of Christmas programs, forms of self-expression, etc.

I think it will be interesting to look back on these notes in a few years and see what has changed, if anything.

*(Associated Press, August 8, 2009 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090808/ap_en_ot/us_people_ben_stein)