Big Brother vs. Religion

The burners seem to keep getting turned up on the church vs. the state issue, and this week it got a little warmer. This news story tells the initial details about an apparent attempt by San Diego County to shut down a home Bible study group.

Obviously, we don't know the full story of what is going on, and I think those of us in the midwest shouldn't just assume that since this is a county issue, these folks live in a rural area. San Diego County has more than three million people living there, so it is a developed area. I point that out to just say that we could find that indeed certain permits necessary for regular home meetings of any kind might have been necessary.

What makes this story stink is the allegation that the county official who informed the family of the violation interrogated the couple about their religious practices during those meetings. Whether this part is true or not, it's the subject matter of this story that I want to discuss today.

We're starting to hear more and more stories around the country about the run-ins religious people are having with the government or society. In particular, most of the focus has been on the Christian community.

As a Christian, the initial knee-jerk reaction is to proclaim persecution, but I think we need to be very careful about this. Yes, I do believe the church in America is in the beginning stages of persecution. However, sometimes our knee-jerk reactions can make Christians look more like jerks than Christians. And, in a nation that is rapidly becoming post-Christian, this is the last impression we need to put out there.

We need to follow Christ's example in how we approach the issues we face instead of just jumping to conclusions on the matters before us. This won't be easy, because human nature is not very patient, and it isn't very articulate.

So, what should American Christians do in light of increasing pressure from the world to push Christianity down into the minority? Check back tomorrow for my take, and what I believe is an even bigger danger to churches than a county infringing on a Bible study.