I have been sitting on two posts over the last couple of days, and just put one up. It is fairly clear, in my mind, that we have a new and pagan priesthood. It is pagan because it worships not God Almighty but the works of this world. It is a clergy because it damns, and, just as the priest would call on the secular arm in the times of the inquisition and heresy trials (in both Spain and Tudor England) these people call for those who oppose them to be sacked from their jobs, to lose livelihoods, and be coercively re-educated.
Because Ideology.
We may no longer believe in the new Soviet man, but the same communist cadre exists, and it demands we worship the Gods of this age. Nothing new here. Nothing new. In times when the pagans rule, the Christians will stand out if they are faithful.
It was the case in Pagan Rome, and it is the case now.
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. 9For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, 10asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. 11For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – 12or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. 14I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish 15 – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
The Roman Christians, that Paul is writing to, had ‘Their faith proclaimed throughout the world< ?strong>. We are not here talking about the glory of the modern vatican, or the richness and art of that new Byzantium in Muscovy: we are talking about the first ever converts in the capital. Suspect minorities — who within a generation would become a scapegoat for one of the more popular emperors (Nero: and yes, he was popular to begin with when he followed the advice of his counsellors) It did not matter. The fact that there was an alternative to the mystery religions or worship of the state, and a future beyond hell, was sufficient.
The fact these people did not expose their children, did not use abortifacients, and cared for their elderly was enough.
And the comment that these people, although poor, fed the indigent and did good damned the culture of patronage and family rule which were the core principles on which Rome was built. No wonder these people were killed. They scared any intelligent Senator, and Romans generally were not stupid.
Over the last few months this place has become bleaker and bleaker. I know that there is more pressure on the church locally. I know that we will hae to give up some forms of income: we will not be able to hire our church for weddings unless we will let gayz marry within it (or pagans) and that we will not do. We are about to tear down a sixty year old building because of earthquake regulations — for we cannot aford to put 2 million dollars into reconstruction when we can rebuild something we can future proof for much less.
[The fact the building has stood through major earthquakes only 300 km away is immaterial. The regulations have changed and we must comply. I don’t think the secular are going to like the way it will happen when many of their landmarks are pulled down].
And we should not delude ourselves that we can hide. We cannot. The faithful cannot. And the compromisers do not count: they are already owned by the spirit of this age, and thus become dated within a few years. There is nothing more pathetic than a hippie minister, preaching to a generation that are now sitting comfortably in retirement, as if they were still eighteen, young, strong and without any life experience.
And the church? It will survive, as will the West. Unless the elite decide to drive us out. When that happens, expect society to self destruct. For Christ called us salt and light for a reason. It is those who are righteous who provide an example and who preserve the functionality of a tribe, a nation: if in not others way but having children and raising them as a married couple.
But we are going to stand out. We will get attention. And it will not be to our benefit as the world accounts these things. For we are called not to be rich, but to be witnesses to Christ.
