Is the Number One Source of Persecution Other Christians?

In the small, unscientific sample which is my small group, the number one source of persecution is other Christians.

It seems odd doesn’t it?  We read in our Scriptures and Church History about the persecution of Christians, then somewhere in the Middle Ages, as the Church becomes more powerful, the Church becomes it’s own source of persecution.

I have a lot of respect for Sir Thomas More, but he burned "heretics," or Protestants, at the stake.  Protestants then burned Catholics.  Then Queen Mary burned some Protestants to even things out. And there was that whole Spanish Inquisition bit, and the shocking scene of the Christmas Armistice during World War I when fellow believers celebrated Christmas together then went back to blowing each other to bits and burning each others lungs with mustard gas.

Today there is not a whole lot of Christian on Christian physical violence, but there is a lot of verbal violence.  We have all experienced the gossip, the heretic calling, the witch hunt.  I think we start to develop a keen sense for the stuff in youth group and then carry it right along into leadership and elderships.  We spend our time committing acts of verbal violence and persecution on each other, especially in the blogosphere.

There is always time for disagreement.  We are unified as a body through Christ, not through our doctrine, and though we never disagree about our center we may indeed disagree about the other things.  And that’s okay.

We just can’t continue to persecute one another for it.  We can’t continue the op-eds, screeds, news alerts, declarations, manifestos, or attacks on character on those who we call our brothers and sisters.

One of the most important things I have been learning is to listen deeply and intently to all voices, even those I disagree with, and come to appreciate the unity within our diverse body of Christ.  Where I used to say "I don’t like Mark Driscoll," I will now say, "I don’t like Mark Driscoll’s view on sexuality."  Where I used to say, "I don’t like John Piper," I will now say, "I don’t agree with some of Piper’s theology but I really appreciate his view on the duty to delight."  Where I would say, "I don’t agree with North Point," I will now say, "I don’t agree with church franchising and building five million dollar bridges" (THERE IT IS!).  Because in reality I do agree with them, they are my brothers and sisters in Christ.  I just don’t agree with their views on certain things, and I will continue to disagree with them.  But I will no longer persecute their name by bad mouthing them with a wide brush.

There are several more devious and dark ways Christians persecute other Christians.  They happen all the time, unfortunately.  I think though, that if we begin to taper down our verbal violence and attacks on persons or churches and begin to learn how to disagree in unity as a people we will become a richer, happier, and more powerful community of Christ than before.