Lambeth - A reflection on discipleship
The cost of following Christ is real
I learnt this in my study group at Lambeth.
As the Lambeth Conference concluded, violence against Christians in Uttarakhand, North India, flared as Indian missionaries were attacked by Hindu extremists in the apparent safety of a police station.
In Orissa state, East India, further persecution has resulted in death and destruction of Christian homes and churches.
This heartrending news brought home to me in a very personal and devastating way the 'lagoon of safety and fellowship' of our Bible study group.
Three bishops in my Bible study group had returned to the worst anti-Christian violence in the sixty years since Indian independence.
They are from the Dalit (untouchables class) and had shared of the discrimination they faced both as Dalits and especially as Christians and of how their Dioceses suffered and how powerless and grief stricken they so often felt, to care and seek justice.
The cost of following Christ is real to so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ, for simply being that - disciples of Jesus Christ. Please let us continue to uphold them before the throne of the Lord of all history.
One of the continuing themes of Lambeth was the vital need to stand with our brothers and sisters living in minority situations who too frequently face not just passive opposition but active discrimination and life threatening persecution.
Please pray for protection for our brothers and sisters in Christ; for wisdom for all Christians in dealing with persecution; for government authorities and police to act justly and for the Hindu extremists to stop their aggression against Christians and to have hearts transformed by the love of God in Christ.
+John
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Orissa go to the Anglican Communion News Service and check the RSS feeds from Indian Christians.
+John