Baptist Whipped for His Convictions

The story of Obadiah Holmes running afoul of the Church and government in Massachusetts is a well-known and oft-repeated story in Baptist history. He was publicly whipped for his religious beliefs in September of 1651. Before Obadiah Holmes, there was Thomas Painter. Painter was whipped 7 years earlier, for holding anabaptist convictions and refusing the baptism of his child.

In his July 15, 1644 journal entry, Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop wrote the following:

“A poor man of Hingham, one Painter, who had lived at New Haven and at Rowley and Charlestown, and been scandalous and burdensome by his idle and troublesome behavior to them all, was now on the sudden turned anabaptist, and having a child born, he would not suffer his wife to bring it to the ordinance of baptism, for she was a member of the church, though himself were not. Being presented for this, and enjoined to suffer the child to be baptized, he still refusing, and disturbing the church, he was again brought to the court not only for his former contempt, but also for saying that our baptism was antichristian; and in the open court he affirmed the same. Whereupon, after much patience and clear conviction of his error, etc., because he was very poor, so as no other but corporal punishment could be fastened upon him, he was ordered to be whipped, not for his opinion, but for his reproaching the Lord’s ordinance, and for his bold and evil behavior both at home and in the court. He endured his punishment with much obstinacy, and when he was loosed he said, boastingly, that God had marvelously assisted him.” Winthrop’s Journal, “History of New England” 1630-1649 Volume 2, James Kendall Hosmer, editor. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1901, p. 171.

Not even a year earlier, at the court at Boston “the 5th of the 10th month, 1643” Painter was sentenced to time in the stocks for “disturbing the Church.” This likely shows the beginnings of his anabaptist convictions, though the court record is not specific as to how he disturbed the church.

“Painter stockt. Thomas Painter for disturbing the Church of Hingham, was censured to bee sett in stock a Lecture day, at Lecture time, except hee humble himself, and give the Church satisfaction.” Records of the Court of Assistants of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay, 1630-1692, Volume II, Boston, MA: County of Suffolk, 1904, p. 135.

Thomas Painter was apparently a charter member of the Baptist Church at Newport, Rhode Island.

“The last name on the list is that of Painter, the Christian name being omitted, probably Thomas Painter, of Hingham [Massachusetts].” History of the First Baptist Church in Newport, R. I.: A Discourse Delivered on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1876, Comfort Edwin Barrows. Newport, RI: John P. Sanborn & Co., 1876, p. 15.

Thomas Painter was born in England in 1610. He was in the American colonies by 1630, when he married Katherine (Last Name Unknown) in Boston, Massachusetts. Some sources report his death occurred in 1706, looking it seems somewhat lacking in solid corroboration.

The melody of the soul

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation!” Habakkuk 3:17-18.

“See, my soul, in the prophet’s example, the blessedness of living above creature enjoyments, by living upon Creator fulness. Here is a sun, which never goes down! Here is a fountain, whose streams can never dry up! He that lives upon creature excellency, will want both food and comfort when that excellency dies, for they must die with it, when the period of its flourishing is over. But the soul that draws all from Jesus, the God of his salvation, will have Jesus and leis salvation to live upon, and to be an everlasting source, when nature, in all its varieties, ceases to supply. My soul, what are thy resources for a day of famine? Canst thou join issue with the prophet? If blasting, or mildew, or frost, shall nip the fig-tree of its blossom; both the vine and the olive fail; yea, if the staff of life, as well as the sweets of life, should all be gone; hast thou Jesus to live upon; canst thou rejoice in him, when there is nothing else left to rejoice in; and call him thine, and the God of thy salvation, when none will own thee, and thou hast none beside him to own?

“They say that music upon the waters always sounds best. Be this so or not, yet the melody of the soul is certainly sweetest when nature is out of tune, if the believer can take his harp from the willow, and sing aloud on the tribulated waters of sorrow, to the God of salvation. And this is a song never out of season, but has peculiar joy in the note, when from a new strung heart, the believer sings it of the God of his salvation, and addresses it to the God of his salvation. Blessed Lord Jesus! Give me grace, like the prophet, so to sing and so to triumph, that since, lose what I may, I cannot lose thee, while thy creature comforts remain, I may enjoy them, from enjoying thee in them: and when all are taken away, still, having thee for my portion, may I sing aloud with the prophet, though all earthly enjoyments cease, ‘I will still rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.’”

Robert Hawker (1753-1827)

A Brief Introduction to the Geneva Bible

Last Friday, I reviewed what I called “A (really bad) Introduction to the Geneva Bible.” On reflection, I thought I should try to give something positive, a (hopefully) more accurate and restrained introduction (rather than just complain about the negative, inaccurate, and unrestrained).

Introduction

The history of the Geneva Bible, in a very real sense, begins with the first translations of the Bible into English. Before it came the Anglo-Saxon Gospels (7th or 8th century), Wycliffe’s translation from the Vulgate (1382), Tyndale New Testament (1526), Coverdale (1535), Matthew (1537), Taverner (1539), and the Great Bible (1539). The work of Tyndale is a direct predecessor more than that of Wycliffe. (Wycliffe’s and earlier translations were made from the Latin, rather than Hebrew and Greek.)

Marian exiles

In a more immediate way, the Geneva Bible was born out of the persecution waged by Mary I of England (1516–1558), aka Mary Tudor or Bloody Mary. Catholic Mary came to the throne in 1553. Catholicism was briefly reinthroned in England in her battle to reverse the church reformation instituted under her father, Henry VIII. Religious dissenters were severely persecuted. Over 300 dissenters were burned at the stake during her reign, including Bible translator John Rogers.[i] Translator Miles Coverdale fled to the European continent. So did future translator William Whittingham.

The New Testament

In 1557 Whittingham published a translation of the New Testament in a small octavo volume, which Kenyon calls “the handiest form in which the English Scriptures had yet been given to the world.” What Tyndale began with making the Scriptures available to the ploughboy, Whittingham continued in making the Scriptures more accessible and affordable to the ploughboy.

Whittingham’s Genevan New Testament became the precursor of the 1560 Geneva Bible. Of it, John Eadie writes:

“The Genevan New Testament of 1557 is a revision of Tyndale’s version collated with the Great Bible. The work is carefully done, but without due leisure. The influence of Beza is perceptible…It usually follows Tyndale in the basis of the version or in form and phrase, and Tyndale is also the foundation of the New Testament of the Great Bible.”[ii]

William Whittingham (sometimes spelled Wittingham) was born circa 1524 at Chester. He was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford. In 1554 he was a leader of Marian exiles who settled at Frankfurt and organized a church there. Later that year, due to the controversy in the church (of which John Knox was a minister), a group removed to Geneva. In 1559 Whittingham succeeded John Knox as minister of the English congregation in Geneva. After Mary’s death and the restoration of the church, Whittingham did not return to England, but remained in Geneva until after the new Bible was printed in 1560. He had returned by 1563, when he was made Dean of Durham. An effort was later made for his removal – ostensibly based on his ordination not according to the ceremonies of the Church of England – but he died before this was resolved, June 10, 1579. He was buried at Durham Cathedral.

Circa 1555 (but possibly when he was in France 1550-1552), Whittingham married Catherine, a daughter of Lewis (or Louis) Jaqueman/Jaquemayne of Orleans. It is often stated that he married the sister of John Calvin, or the sister of the wife of John Calvin – neither of which are correct.

The Whole Bible

Translation and Translators

The Geneva Bible builds especially upon the earlier translations of Tyndale and Coverdale.[iii] Coverdale was in Geneva 1558-1559, possibly contributing directly to the work. The preface of the Bible does not name its translators, but certain others are generally believed to have contributed to the translation in one way or another. In addition to Whittingham and Coverdale, there are Christopher Goodman, Anthony Gilby, Thomas Sampson, William Cole, Thomas Greshop, and John Knox. John Calvin composed an “Epistle” endorsing the 1557 New Testament, contributed to the marginal notes of the 1560 Geneva Bible, and Theodore Beza was supposedly consulted during the work.

Conrad Badius printed the New Testament in 1557, and the whole Bible was printed by Rouland Hall in 1560 – both at Geneva. They dedicated the 1560 translation “To the Moste Vertuous and Noble Quene Elisabet, Quene of England, France, and Ireland…”[iv]

According to Frederic Kenyon:

“The Genevan revisers took the Great Bible as their basis in the Old Testament, and Matthew’s Bible (i.e. Tyndale) in the New Testament. For the former they had the assistance of the Latin Bible of Leo Juda (1544), in addition to Pagninus (1527), and they were in consultation with the scholars (including Calvin and Beza) who were then engaged at Geneva in a similar work of revision of the French Bible. In the New Testament their principal guide was Beza, whose reputation stood highest among all the Biblical scholars of the age. The result was a version which completely distanced its predecessors in scholarship, while in style and vocabulary it worthily carried on the great tradition established by Tyndale.”[v]

Though dependent on earlier English Bibles, the work from Geneva offered several innovations. It was the first English Bible to translate completely the Old Testament from the Hebrew, and the first English Bible divided into verse numbers. Whittingham has done this previously with the New Testament, writing in his address “To the Reader”:

“…that the Reader might be by all meanes proffited, I have divided the text into verses and sections, according to the best editions in other languages...”

The verse divisions were based on the work of Robertus Stephanus in his 1551 Greek-Latin New Testament, also printed at Geneva.

Concerning the text of the New Testament, Whittingham said that he had “diligently revised” it “by the moste approved Greke examples, and conference of translations in other tonges...”[vi] The 1557 New Testament and 1560 Bible became the first English translations to introduce italics for words added by the translators.[vii] Whittingham explains it this way in 1557:

“I…sometyme have put to that worde, which lacking made the sentence obscure, but have set it in such letters as may easely be discerned from the commun text.”[viii]

The introduction to the Geneva Bible (dated April 10, 1560) suggests that it was two and one half years in the making. (Probably that does not include the initial work on the New Testament.)

“…for God knoweth with what feare and trembling we have bene now, for the space of two yeres and more, day and night occupied herein…”[ix]

“Learned they were, and their translation reflects their scholarship.”[x]

Use, Success, Opposition, and Legacy

The Geneva Bible quickly outpaced the Great Bible. The Genevan edition was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. However, neither the Crown nor the Church of England ever authorized it. Nevertheless, it won the hearts of the people. It was not without its detractors. Despite its popularity, opposition existed.

Rather than the translation itself, the annotations primarily created the animosity against the Geneva Bible. For example, the church government that the commentary promoted (presbyterian) was distinct from the Church of England’s church government (episcopal). Archbishop of Canterbury Matthew Parker (1504-1757) instituted an alternative project. According to the Parker Library at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, “Parker tried to steer a diplomatic course, improving on the accuracy of the official Great Bible (1539) while avoiding the controversial annotations which were a feature of the reformers’ Geneva Bible (1560).”[xi] Parker served as archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 to 1575, and through a monopoly for printing Bibles awarded to Richard Jugge, kept the Geneva Bible from being printed in England. As a translation, the Bishops’ Bible did not measure up to the Geneva Bible, and did not succeed in replacing it. After Parker’s death, editions of the Geneva were printed in England.[xii]

The Geneva Bible angered the Roman Catholic Church – most especially by identifying the Pope as the antichrist in the annotations. Romanist Gregory Martin charged the Geneva Bible as “corrupt” with “foule dealings,” including many deliberately false translations made to support the Protestant teachings of heretics, sectaries, and schismatics.[xiii]

Whatever opposition it incurred in high society, most of the common people liked it.

“If we inquire into the causes which made the Genevan Bible so long a favourite one…the mere shape and size…as compared to the ponderous folios of the Great, or the Bishops’ Bible. It was printed throughout in Roman and italic, not Gothic letter. It adopted the division into verses…It retained the marginal notes…It indicated by marks of accent the pronunciation of proper names. It had woodcuts, and convenient maps and tables.”[xiv]

John Eadie points to another factor in the general success of the Geneva Bible – that books published outside of England had better paper and print, better binding, and were less expensive.[xv]

Eventually the Geneva Bible would be superseded by the Bible translation made in 1611 during the reign of King James I. It is generally conceded that King James did not like the annotations in the Geneva Bible, which proffered church government that conflicted with that of the Church of England (Presbyterian vs. Episcopal), and questioned “the Divine right of Kings.” The idea for a new translation developed in a conference convened at Hampton Court Palace in January 1604. Puritan John Reynolds / Rainolds requested a new translation of the Bible. The king accepted the request. Myles Smith, in “The Translators to the Reader” introduction to the 1611 translation, described the translators’ goal “to make a good one, better” (apparently referring to the Geneva Bible), and quoted Scripture mostly from a Geneva Bible.

As might be expected, the new translation faced early and weighty competition with the Geneva Bible. The use of the Geneva continued, though probably in decline, through the first half of the 17th century. Likely many were loathe to give up their “study Bible” more so than actually disliking the new translation – which was considerably like its predecessor. John Eadie writes:

“...the people relished them [the Geneva Bible notes, rlv] greatly, and, according to Fuller, when the version was disappearing, they complained that ‘they could not see into the sense of Scripture for lack of the spectacles of those Genevan annotators.’ The Genevan Bible having done its work at length passed away, making room for another version in so many respects its superior.”[xvi]

The Geneva Bible commended itself to the people because it was “made by earnest and scholarly men, driven by persecution out of England…”[xvii] The English people – rather than the Monarchy or the state church – confirmed the work of the translators by taking this Bible into their homes and their hearts. The Geneva translation greatly influenced the King James translators and their resulting translation. The English people once again – with the KJV – confirmed the work of the translators by taking it into their homes and their hearts. The Geneva Bible is now primarily a wonderful historical artifact.[xviii]

Quick points

• The Geneva Bible marginal annotations were strongly Puritan and Calvinistic.
• The Geneva Bible may rightly be considered the first “Study Bible.” The 1560 Bible, in addition to marginal commentary, contains tables of the names in the Old Testament, principle things (subjects) in the Bible, a supputation (calculation, reckoning) of the years from Adam to Christ, and a timeline of Paul’s ministry.
• The Geneva Bible was the first English Bible to italicize words added by the translators.
• Calvin’s Catechism was printed in the Geneva Bible of 1568-1570.[xix]
• A Geneva Bible was not printed in England until 1576.
• In 1579, the Scottish edition of the Geneva Bible became the first Bible printed in Scotland.
• The Geneva Bibles printed after 1587 often (if not always) contain the New Testament revised and annotated in 1576 by Laurence Tomson.[xx]
• The commentary of Franciscus Junius on the book of Revelation from 1599 on replaced the original notes on Revelation in the Geneva Bible.[xxi]
• The first Bible in English printed without the Apocrypha was the 1599 Geneva Bible.[xxii]
• King James’s Bibles were printed with Geneva notes in 1649, 1679, 1708, and 1715.[xxiii]
• Some Geneva Bibles were printed bound with the Sternhold and Hopkins metrical psalms.
• Some Geneva Bibles were printed bound with the Church of England Book of Common Prayer.
• Most sources state that the Geneva Bible went through some 140 to 160 editions.[xxiv]
• The last known printing of the Geneva Bible occurred in Amsterdam in 1644.[xxv]

Some Geneva Bibles available online

• 1557 Genevan New Testament, facsimile reprint
• 1560 Geneva Bible, printed by Rouland Hall, 1560
• 1560 Geneva Bible, printed by Rouland Hall, 1969 facsimile reprint
• 1560 Geneva Bible, printed by John Crispin, 1569
• 1560? Geneva Bible, printed by Christopher Barker, 1594
• 1560? Geneva Bible, printed by Christopher Barker, 1595 (printed with Psalter by Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins)
• 1599 Geneva Bible, printed by Christopher Barker, 1599 (printed with Psalter by Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins)
• 1599 Geneva Bible at Bible Gateway
• 1599 Geneva Bible, facsimile of the edition printed at London by Barker, 1599

Some Geneva Bibles available in print

• The Geneva Bible: The Bible of the Protestant Reformation, 1560 Edition, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 2007
• The Geneva Bible including the Marginal Notes of the Reformers, 1587 version, 2010 (Kindle)
• 1599 Geneva Bible, Tolle Lege Press, 2011
• The Geneva Bible, 1560, without Apocrypha or the Marginal Notes, Wisdom Books, 2016
• The 1560 Defined Geneva Bible: With Modern Spelling, New Testament, David L. Brown and James Krueger (Editors), Old Paths Publications, Inc., 2017
• 1599 Geneva Bible, Patriot’s Edition, Tolle Lege Press, 20??

---

[i] This number is based on “Foxe’s Box of Martyrs.” See Literary Aspects of Foxe’s Acts and Monuments, et al.
[ii] The English Bible: An External and Critical History of the Various English Translations of Scripture, with Remarks on the Need of Revising the English New Testament, Volume 2, John Eadie, London: Macmillan and Company, 1876, p. 16.
[iii] The Bible in English: History and Influence, David Daniell, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press 2003, p. 300. It is fair to note that at times the “Protestant” Monarchy and Church of England persecuted Catholics. And, of course, they also persecuted dissenters, Separatists, Baptists, etc. The Calvinists of Geneva and Puritans in general also used persecution and political oppression to punish dissenters.
[iv] In addition to the annotations, the extensive notes and commentary in the “margents,” the 1560 contains a dedication “To the Moste Vertuous and Noble Quene Elisabet, Quene of England, France, and Ireland,” a note “To Our Beloved in the Lord, Brethren of England, Scotland, Ireland, &tc...,” tables of the names in the Old Testament, the principle subjects in the Bible, a supputation (calculation, reckoning) of the years from Adam to Christ, and a timeline of Paul’s ministry. There are five “mappes of Cosmographie” as well. For number of maps, see “The Geneva Bible,” Carl S. Meyer, Concordia Theological Monthly, Vol. XXXII, No. 3 (March 1961), p. 142.
[v] “The Geneva Bible (1557-1560),” by Frederic George Kenyon.
[vi] He does not mention Tyndale. However, that is generally understood to be his meaning. See “The Geneva Bible,” Carl S. Meyer, Concordia Theological Monthly, (March 1961), p. 161.
[vii] The Great Bible uses a different font for some readings, but in that case for the purpose of additions from the Vulgate.
[viii] Whittingham probably got the idea directly from Theodore Beza’s Latin New Testament, which in turn built on the ideas of Sebastian Münster’s Latin Old Testament and Pierre Robert Olivétan’s French Bible. See The Use of Italics in English Versions of the New Testament, by Walter F. Specht, 1968, pp. 89-92. The 1611 translation continued in this tradition. At the seventh session on November 20, 1618, the English delegates to the Synod of Dort gave a report on the new Bible translation of 1611. Samuel Ward, a King James translator in the Second Cambridge Company, probably wrote or made the report. Re putting text “with another kind of letter” the English reported, “...that words which it was anywhere necessary to insert into the text to complete the meaning were to be distinguished by another type, small roman.” This says “small roman” rather than “italics” because that was the original distinguishing font. The 1611 Bible was printed in fancy Black Letter type, and the small roman was distinct from that. When later editions were set in Roman type, italics became the distinguishing font, as they are still today. See Report on the 1611 Translation to the Synod of Dort.
[ix] “…we thoght that we colde bestowe our labours & studie in nothing which colde be more acceptable to God and comfortable to his Churches then in the translating of the holy Scriptures into our native tongue: the which thing, albeit that divers heretofore have indevored to atchieve: yet considering the infancie of those tymes and imperfect knollage of the tongues, in respect of this ripe age and cleare light which God hath now reveiled, the translations required greatly to be perused and reformed. Not that we vendicat any thing to our selves above the least of our brethren (for God knoweth with what feare and trembling we have bene now, for the space of two yeres and more, day and night occupied herein) but being earnestly desired, and by divers, whose learning and godlynes we reverence, exhorted, and also incouraged by the read willes of suche...we undertoke this great and wonderful worke (with all reverence, as in the presence of God, as intreating the worde of God, whereunto we think ourselves unsufficient) which now God according to his divine providence and mercie hath directed to a moste prosperous end...From Geneva 10. April. 1560.”
[x] See “The Geneva Bible,” Carl S. Meyer, p. 145.
[xi] Matthew Parker and ‘an authorised’ version of the Bible.
[xii] In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture, Alister McGrath. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2002, pp. 124, 127.
[xiii] “The Geneva Bible,” Carl S. Meyer, pp. 144-145.
[xiv] A Dictionary of the Bible, Extra Volume, James Hastings, Editor. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1912, p. 249.
[xv] The English Bible: An External and Critical History of the Various English Translations of Scripture, with Remarks on the Need of Revising the English New Testament, Volume 2, John Eadie, 1876, p. 52.
[xvi] Ibid., p. 52.
[xvii] Ibid., p. 51.
[xviii] There seems to be a small but vocal group of Christians who wish to the return to the use of the Geneva Bible. Some few may use it as their primary or exclusive Bible, but there is little likelihood that it will regain even the least level of its former glory.
[xix] “Introduction to the Facsimile Edition,” Lloyd E. Berry, 1560 Geneva Bible, printed by John Crispin, 1969 facsimile reprint, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1969, p. 15.
[xx] A Dictionary of the Bible, Extra Volume, James Hastings, Editor. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1912, p. 250.
[xxi] “Introduction to the Facsimile Edition,” Lloyd E. Berry, p. 15.
[xxii] At least some of them, if not all. I have read that some of the Geneva Bibles sold in England by Robert Barker with the 1599 imprint were printed later, possibly in the 1610s-1630s. See God’s Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible, Adam Nicolson, New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2003, p. 228, for example. In addition, Governor William Bradford’s 1592 Geneva Bible at the Pilgrim Hall Museum raises questions about the accuracy of this information. The “Table of Contents” of his Bible lists the Apocrypha. However, those books are not in it. It is not known for sure whether they were lost, removed, or never included in the printing. (The first pages of this Bible up to Genesis chapter 12 are missing, which obviously were initially in it.)
[xxiii] A Companion to the Greek Testament and the English Version, Philip Schaff. New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1883, p. 329. See also The English Bible, Volume 2, Eadie, p. 37.
[xxiv] For example, see The Geneva English Bible: The Shocking Truth, by David Daniell and A Companion to the Greek Testament and the English Version, Schaff p. 328.
[xxv] The English Bible: An External and Critical History of the Various English Translations of Scripture, with Remarks on the Need of Revising the English New Testament, Volume 2, John Eadie, London: Macmillan and Company, 1876, p. 37.

Church, Covid, and State

The church in word and by nature is an assembly. While a church may voluntary choose to temporarily comply with certain advice due to health concerns, governmental restrictions against assembly attacks the very nature of the church.

Suffering as a Christian, Matthew 10:16-28

Matthew 10:16-28:

¹⁶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; ¹⁸ and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. ²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. ²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. ²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. ²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. ²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? ²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. ²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

The foundation of the suffering

• The nature of the beast – wolves, predators (verse 16)
• The impulse of the nature – hatred, enmity with God (verse 22)

The progression of the suffering

• Begins with hate (verse 22)
• Proceeds to verbal attacks, name-calling (verse 25)
• Advances to physical persecution (verse 23)
• Progresses to legal opposition, incarceration (verses 17-19)
• Ends with execution, killing the body (verses 21, 28)

The counteraction to the suffering

• Behold (verse 16)
• Be wise (verse 16)
• Be harmless (verse 16)
• Beware (verse 17)
• Speak (verses 19-20, 27)
• Flee (verse 23)
• Fear not (verses 26, 28) 

Carrying out spiritual disobedience

I firmly believe that in carrying out spiritual disobedience, the Bible demands me to rely on the grace and resurrection power of Christ, that I must respect and not overstep two boundaries.

The first boundary is that of the heart. Love toward the soul, and not hatred toward the body, is the motivation of spiritual disobedience. Transformation of the soul, and not the changing of circumstances, is the aim of spiritual disobedience. At any time, if external oppression and violence rob me of inner peace and endurance, so that my heart begins to breed hatred and bitterness toward those who persecute the church and abuse Christians, then spiritual disobedience fails at that point.

The second boundary is that of behavior. The gospel demands that disobedience of faith must be non-violent. The mystery of the gospel lies in actively suffering, even being willing to endure unrighteous punishment, as a substitute for physical resistance. Peaceful disobedience is the result of love and forgiveness. The cross means being willing to suffer when one does not have to suffer. For Christ had limitless ability to fight back, yet he endured all of the humility and hurt. The way that Christ resisted the world that resisted him was by extending an olive branch of peace on the cross to the world that crucified him.

 -- Pastor Wang Yi, Chengdu, China, October 4, 2018

Drown the Dippers

“I will not stain these sheets with a detailed account of the murders, religionis ergo, committed by the Establishments. From the blood of Priscillian in the fourth, to the blood of John Penry in the sixteenth, all the innocent blood shed upon the earth must come upon them. Some they ‘killed and crucified, and some they scourged in their synagogues, and persecuted from city to city.’ Calvin imitated his master Augustin’s intolerance of opinion; when he murdered Servetus even Melancthon smiled. Zuinglius cried, in the true tone and spirit of the Jewish CRUCIFICE! ‘drown the dippers’ when consulted by the magistracy of Zurich, as to the fate of some poor Baptists. Cranmer did actually force Edward the Sixth to sign the death warrant of Jane Bocher, a Baptist, who was burnt to death.”

“A Dissenter’s Reasons for Separating from the Communion of the Church of England.” in The New Evangelical Magazine and Theological Review, July 1824

Christian leaders and Christian martyrs

Recent studies show Christians among the largest of two widely distinct groups. Christians comprise the largest percentage of the Congress of the United States of America. 
Survey finds Congress more Christian than the rest of America -- "Nine out of 10 members the new House and Senate (91%) sworn in Tuesday describe themselves as members of the Christian faith, according to a survey released by Pew Research Center Tuesday." 

Christians were the most persecuted religious group in the world in 2016. 
Report: Christianity Most Persecuted Religion in 2016 -- "The Center for Studies on New Religions said more than 90,000 Christians were killed in 2016."

World Watch, Christian persecution

Open Doors USA describes itself as "a non-profit organization focused on serving persecuted Christians in more than 60 countries." Last week they released their * Open Doors World Watch List, Top 50, which ranks nations of the world based on the severity of persecution of Christians. An explanation of the methodology used to compile the list is available HERE. They do not rank other types of persecution.

The top ten persecutors of Christians by country are:

• North Korea
• Somalia
• Iraq
• Syria
• Afghanistan
• Sudan
• Iran
• Pakistan
• Eritrea
• Nigeria

This top 10 list provides two interesting contrasts. First, nine of the top ten are Muslim countries. David Curry, president of Open Doors, says that "Muslim extremists are the primary drivers of Christian persecution worldwide." Despite this majority of persecution, North Korea is ranked #1 and has been in that position for the last 13 years. In North Korea it is illegal to be a Christian. Juche is the political, social and economic "religious" ideology of North Korea, rooted in Marxism, which sees founder Kim Il Sung as a divine being. While there are some other underground beliefs, North Korea's concerted efforts are exerted against Christianity. This, at least in part, is due to the fear that Christianity can overcome Juche. Those discovered to be Christians are sent to labor camps or even executed.

[Note: Though from time to time we comment on issues in the U.S. that some Christians identify as "persecution", in comparison to the rest of the world nothing goes on in the U.S. that even registers on the Open Doors radar as "Sparse Persecution".]

Will you pray?

"If the average American Christian can’t explain why they should care about all the members of their own local church, why would they ever care for their brethren around the world?" -- Steve Meister

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is designated Sunday, November 3rd in some countries and Sunday, November 10th in others. A "day of prayer" is easy to understand, but what of "the persecuted church"? Many write about this but don't clearly define it.* The "persecuted church" is basically a shorthand term to refer to Christians in any country that restricts their worship, in which they pay a price for obeying God rather than men. Some might gather secretly, even avoiding singing for fear of being heard and reported. Some might be arrested and imprisoned. Some are even put to death for naming the name of Christ.

Many use the entire month of November to highlight the existence of persecution of Christians around the globe. The persecution of Christians is real, unrelenting and often horrific. Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs says there are over 60 countries where Christians face some major form of harassment or persecution. Our minor discomforts and annoyances pale in comparison. Yet most of us are not activists, and at times may be overloaded with all the other tasks we've taken on.

What can we do? We can educate ourselves and others to the problem. Some may want to support groups like the Barnabas Fund, Christian Solidarity International, Open Doors, Rescue Christians, and Voice of the Martyrs.** We can urge our government to exert influence when and where it can. Write appropriate officials. Some may want to write persecuted Christians to encourage them.*** Some might be led to volunteer in some capacity, and a few might even be able to travel to meet persecuted Christians. We all can pray.

Will you pray?
Pray for relief for and peace of persecuted Christians. Pray for stable governments that are conducive to peacefulness (Cf. Jeremiah 29:7).
1 Timothy 2:1-2 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Pray for release of the imprisoned (Cf. Philemon 22).
Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

Pray for the furtherance of the gospel in the midst of trials (Cf. Colossians 4:3).
2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

Pray with empathy for our brothers & sisters, doing for them what we would wish for us in the same circumstances (Matthew 7:12; Romans 12:15).
Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

Pray, and then do as enabled (Cf. James 2:15-16).
Matthew 25:35-36 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Further reading
* 3 Things that are NOT Persecution -- "...I have continued to see similar behaviors and activities crop up in the lives of some Christians. They act rudely at work, irresponsibly in their neighborhood, arrogantly with their family, and when people react negatively to their behavior, the Christian chalks it up to “persecution”."
* 9 Things You Should Know About Persecution of Christians in 2013 -- "With the exception of four official state-controlled churches in Pyongyang, Christians in North Korea face the risk of detention in the prison camps, severe torture and, in some cases, execution for practicing their religious beliefs."
* A Global Slaughter of Christians, but America’s Churches Stay Silent -- "Christians in the Middle East and Africa are being slaughtered, tortured, raped, kidnapped, beheaded, and forced to flee the birthplace of Christianity. One would think this horror might be consuming the pulpits and pews of American churches. Not so. The silence has been nearly deafening."
* Do American Christians care about persecuted Christians? -- "If the average American Christian can’t explain why they should care about all the members of their own local church, why would they ever care for their brethren around the world?"
* Killing Christians With Impunity? -- "When I was a child, I somehow picked up the notion that persecution against the Christian church basically ended with the collapse of the Roman Empire."
Prayer: Taking Sides -- "Some Christians refuse to listen to the stories of the persecuted church. From the physical perspective, they say such stories are depressing."
* The Myth of the Persecuted American Church -- "It's not that Christians are not occasionally persecuted in America. There are instances—such as an incident this summer in which Evangelical Christians were labeled as "extremists" in a Pentagon training session—that we ought to take seriously."
* The persecuted church and the distracted church -- "...my eyes were opened wide to two types of Christians: those who face the fires of affliction for their faith in their hostile homelands and those who enjoy the freedom to worship Christ openly as citizens of the United States. Both face testings. Both are under attack by the evil one. But the points of assault are distinct."
* The Persecuted Church, Prayer, and the Book of Revelation -- "One of the main emphases of Revelation is the persecution and martyrdom of fellow believers in Jesus Christ, and the encouragement to stay faithful in the midst of persecution, as well as to pray for those who are suffering persecution."
* What is persecution? -- "...persecution as a term needs to be understood in its biblical sense. Persecution in the Bible manifests itself within a broad spectrum ranging from mildly hostile to intensely hostile actions."
Both/And: Fight Persecution Abroad and At Home -- "Those who profess to follow Jesus should be able both to fight religious persecution abroad and oppose religious repression here at home."

Some Related Bible verses
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Luke 6:28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
John 15:18-21 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Romans 8:16-18 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

* The Cornerstone Church of Mabank, TX made a stab at defining "persecuted church" this way: “The Church, made up of people who have professed faith in Jesus, living in a restricted country, experiencing intense forms of persecution ranging from local violence and exploitation to the extreme, death.” To designate a particular category of people as a church is biblically and theologically problematic. We might also contend that the biblical views of some of these people are unbiblical. All this notwithstanding, we support both our brothers & sisters scattered around the world who are suffering persecution as well as the right of all persons to approach God in their own manner without fear of human intervention, persuasion, and persecution.
** This should not be considered an endorsement of any of these groups.
*** Unless you know someone specifically (and maybe even if you do) this usually needs to go through a third party to maintain security and anonymity.