One thing I’ve noticed a lot this month while doing street evangelism is that the culture in Ghana, or at least in Sunyani, is extremely permeated by Christianity. And that’s awesome! The church is everywhere! Almost everyone we’ve talked to has heard the name of Jesus. As I came to that realization, I began to wish that American culture was still like that. After all, America was founded on Christian ideals. Our country used to be like Ghana is now. But now, the church is beginning to come under persecution and atheism is the new norm. People view the church as a bunch of judgemental hypocrites. I began to wish that I lived in a nation where Christianity was the norm.
But then I came to realize that it’s not always a good thing. In fact, it’s often a bad thing. Christianity in Ghana is not only accepted, it’s expected. We’ve found that about 90% of people we talk to say they are Christians. They say they go to church. They say they are born again. But, as all our Ghanaian hosts tell us, people have the religion but not the relationship. They go to church every Sunday, but they never pray to Jesus or read scripture. They have a hard time accepting the fact that Jesus actually came to die for ALL their sins. And a lot of people tell us they go to church even though they actually don’t, just because they are afraid of persecution. Instead of the Christians being persecuted, they are the persecutors.
You may have heard the phrase persecution purifies the church. And I am here seeing firsthand the repercussions of having no persecution at all. The church in Ghana is very diluted. It is very religious. When I go to church here, I don’t even know how many of the people there are even real Christians. Most of them are probably just there because they’re obligated.
The thing is, the American church used to be like that. A large portion of people who settled here, especially in New England, were people facing religious persecution in England. They came here pursuing religious freedom, but ended up forcing their religion on everyone around them. And for most of American history, the church was a place that most people went to every Sunday. The church was the center of a lot of small communities. Everyone was very religious. And I think that’s the reason why the church is now viewed as a bunch of judgemental hypocrites. It’s because for most of it’s history it was. And there’s still many churches like that.
In countries like Afghanistan, where Christianity is extremely illegal, the church is completely pure. People who aren’t real Christians would never dream of being associated with the Christian church, for fear of being killed. The Bible says a lot about being persecuted. In scripture, there is an assumption that Christians will be persecuted. Because the Gospel simply does not fit in with the values of the world. So if persecution at some level, whether it be death threats or just simply someone treating you differently than you might like, are not happening, you might need to reexamine how you are living your life.
I think a lot of American Christians are too afraid of persecution that they sacrifice some of their Christian values to fit in with the world. But, as the Bible says, we are not of the world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4). “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13). If you really want to follow Christ with all your heart, do not be afraid of any persecution. Especially living in America. It could be a lot worse.
While it’s often a good thing for the church to be so widespread, it’s also a hindrance to the spreading of the true Gospel. The church here in Ghana is very wide, but not very deep. I think missionaries should focus less on telling as many people about Jesus as possible and more on building up the church, so that it can spread naturally. So that the church leaders are strong believers who know the Gospel and the Bible well. Otherwise, you end up with a bunch of people who have heard the name Jesus, but don’t really know what the Gospel truly means. And Ghana is now heading in the direction America is today (spoiler for my next blog). I wish we could just tell people about Jesus without any preconceived notions they may have clouding their mind. I wish there weren’t so many misconceptions about the church that affect people’s view of Jesus.
Persecution is a good thing. Be joyful in the midst of life’s struggles.
Think about that.
Love,
Ethan
P.S. If you want to read some scripture about how to deal with persecution, read 1 Peter and/or James. They are very short books that have a lot of truth in them.
