The Cost of Saying, “I am a Christian” – Then and Now

Thursday, August 30, 2012 by Diana Severance

Last month The Houston Chronicle had the moving story of a young woman persecuted for her Christian faith.  Sixteen-year-old Julie Afab was working in an office in Pakistan.  A man who came to the office was offended by the silver cross she wore around her neck and asked her, “Are you a Christian?”  When she answered, “Yes, sir”, he asked her several more times, and she answered the same each time until she asked in frustration, “Didn’t you hear me?”  The man angrily walked out of the office, but returned half an hour later with a bottle of battery acid, which he threw at her face.  Julie ran for the door to escape, but another man caught her and the two men poured the acid down her throat.  Julie’s face and esophagus were deeply burned; her eyelids and one eye were destroyed.  Through the help of Christians, Julie was able to receive asylum in the United States and medical treatment.  Over the last decade, she has had 31 surgeries. 

Before leaving Pakistan, a Christian bishop told her, “If you forgive them, your wound will heal without any medication.  You can heal from the inside out.”  Julie has forgiven her attackers, has learned English, recently graduated from the University of Houston and became a U.S. citizen.  Now 26, she realizes, “There is a reason God gave me life. I don’t want to miss one second of it.”[1] Julie is one of the more recent in a long line of Christian women over the centuries who have faced persecution and suffering for their faith, yet calmly and courageously maintained, “I am a Christian.” 

She was not the first to be persecuted for uttering those very words. By the second century, Christianity had spread to Gaul (modern France), apparently brought by Christians from Asia Minor.  The first evidence we have of Christianity’s existence in Gaul is a letter written from Lyon to Christians in Asia about the martyrdom of Christians in Lyon and Vienne in 177.  The letter is preserved in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History.[2]   The townspeople had become increasingly hostile to Christians, attacking them with stones, assembling mobs to rob them and preventing them from appearing in the markets, baths, or anywhere in public.  Some of the servants of Christians were seized and, under torture, falsely accused the Christians of cannibalism and incest.  When Christians were brought into the forum for questioning, some recanted under pressure, while others were imprisoned and tortured.  Those who survived torture were sent to the arena to be tormented before the people.  The last in the group to suffer in the arena was a woman named Blandina.

Though a slave, Blandina’s witness was bold, showing that Christ uses the weak and obscure to bring great glory to Himself. After being tormented and watching others suffer cruel deaths, Blandina was suspended on a stake in the arena and left to be devoured by wild beasts.  When the beasts ignored her and didn’t come near, she was taken down and cast again into prison.  One observer described Blandina as “small and weak and despised yet clothed with Christ the mighty and conquering Athlete.” Her courage was a source of inspiration to the other prisoners and astonished the crowd:

Her entire body was mangled and broken, and they testified that one of these forms of torture was sufficient to destroy life, not to speak of so many and so great sufferings.  But the blessed woman, like a noble athlete, renewed her strength in her confession, and her comfort and recreation and relief from the pain of her suffering was in exclaiming, “I am a Christian, and there is nothing vile done by us…”

Finally, on the last day, Blandina was brought out with Ponticus, a fifteen year old boy.  Blandina was scourged, thrown to wild animals, and placed on a red hot seat so that her flesh was burned.  Finally, she was placed in a net and thrown in front of a bull.  The bull tossed her about like a ball, but “feeling none of the things which were happening to her, on account of her hope…her communion with Christ,” she died. The heathens themselves observed that “never among them had a woman endured so many and such terrible tortures.”  The persecutors exposed the bodies of the martyrs for six days, then burned them to ashes and threw them into the Rhone River, thinking to remove all trace of them from the earth and make the hope of a resurrection impossible!

Our persecutions or suffering may be different from those of Julie and Blandina, yet the peace and confidence we can have in Christ is the same as theirs. 

As the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” From that assurance, Paul concluded, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (II Corinthians 12:9-10).  Whatever the trials, difficulties, or persecutions, we too can be assured that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ – neither “tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword….No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that nether death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor power, nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Rom 8:35-39). 

The Amphitheater in Lyon where Blandina was martyred.

 

Dr. Diana Severance is the Director of the Dunham Bible Museum at Houston Baptist University and the author of Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History (Christian Focus, 2011).  She has taught courses in the history of Christian women at SWBTS since 2004. Her greatest joy, besides the Lord Jesus, is being married to Gordon.

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Courage and Conviction: Anne Askew

Thursday, May 31, 2012 by Diana Severance

The life and court of King Henry VIII is a great source for novels and movies.  The stories, plots, and intrigues surrounding Henry’s six wives are more than a novelist would dare to invent, showing history is indeed more fascinating than fiction.  Though ignored by the film and novelistic depiction of Henry VIII’s court, some of Henry’s queens and the women of the court were influential in planting the biblical truths of the Reformation in England. This was especially true of Henry’s sixth wife, Katherine Parr. Katherine Parr’s chaplain was even one of the early translators of the Bible into English, Miles Coverdale.  Katherine gathered around her a number of ladies-in-waiting interested in theology and Bible study.  One member of this ladies Bible study in the palace was Anne Askew (1521?-1546).[1]

Anne’s parents had arranged her marriage to Thomas Kelsey.  The couple had two children, but their marriage could not survive the couple’s different faiths.  Thomas was a staunch Catholic, while Anne was a devout evangelical Christian.  When Thomas forced Anne out of the house, she went to London and became part of Queen Katherine Parr’s household.

She was active in sharing the gospel in London by the distribution of Bibles, tracts, and religious books.

Though King Henry had separated from the Church of Rome, establishing himself as head of the Church of England, he had not embraced the biblical teachings of the Reformation.  The Church of England, for example, still held to the doctrine of transubstantiation, the teaching that during the ceremony of the mass, the bread and wine were transformed into the literal body and blood of Christ.  In 1545, Anne was arrested and examined about her attitude toward the mass.  She clearly told her examiners that the Scriptures said Christ died once for our sins, was buried, resurrected, and then seated at the Father’s right hand. To claim that the mass was a re-sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ was contrary to Scripture and negated the salvation Christ brought.

Though released, Anne was arrested again the following year. She was able to answer her examiners with Scripture, wit, boldness and courage, even under intense persecution and the threat of death.  When asked if she believed that private masses helped departed souls, Anne replied, “It was great idolatry to believe more in them than in the death which Christ died for us.”  When pressed if she believed the priest at the mass transformed the bread and the wine into the body and blood of Christ, Anne replied, “I have read that God made man, but that man can make God, I never read, nor I suppose, ever shall read.”  She stated that “My God will not be eaten with teeth, neither yet dieth he again, and upon these words that I have now spoken will I suffer death.” The examiners tried to persuade Anne her views were heretical, but she always answered their claims with Scripture.  She was finally taken to the Tower of London where she was tortured and commanded to name other women in the palace who shared her beliefs.

With King Henry VIII in failing health, there was a political struggle as to who would control the future king, Edward, who was still a boy. Would England become closely allied with Spain and return to the fold of the Roman church, or would the teachings of the Bible and the Reformation shape the English church? The attempt to get Anne to name women involved in the palace Bible study was an attempt to bring reproach on Queen Katherine Parr, weakening her influence on the King and his young heir. In an effort to get information from Anne, the Bishop of London put her on the rack, a torture device that slowly pulled the victim’s hands and legs in opposite directions, painfully stretching the body to break any will to resist.   The whole process was illegal, since, the racking of women was forbidden and Anne was a “gentlewoman” besides. But Anne was isolated in the Tower away from any help her family, her friends at court, or the Queen might be able to give.

Even when several of her bones were dislocated or broken, Anne remained silent, not even crying out in pain.

Anne was promised she could have anything she wanted if she recanted her Protestant faith and threatened with death by burning if she stubbornly persisted in her beliefs.  Anne replied that she did not know of any Scripture where Christ or the apostles put anyone to death for their beliefs.  She later wrote, “My Lord God, I thank his everlasting goodness, gave me grace to persevere.”

While in the Tower awaiting execution, Anne wrote an account of her trials and tortures.  She concluded her account with this prayer:

“O Lord, I have more enemies now than there be hairs on my head.  Yet, sweet Lord, let    me not set by them which are against me, for in thee is my whole delight; and, Lord, I heartily desire of thee that thou wilt, of thy most merciful goodness, forgive them that violence which they do and have done unto me.  Open also thou their blind hearts that they may hereafter do that thing in thy sight which is only acceptable before thee, and set forth thy verity aright, without all vain phantasy of sinful men.  So be it, O Lord, so be it.”

Anne’s body was so broken by her tortures that when she was taken to Smithfield to be burned, she was unable to walk and had to be tied to a chair and carried.  On July 16, 1546, Anne Askew was chained to the stake and burned along with three others.  She was twenty-five years old.

Remaining firm in her belief in the Scriptures, Anne exemplified God’s power in her human weakness (II Cor. 12:9).  Her biographer, John Bale, wrote that when Anne “seemed most feeble, then was she most strong…and gladly she rejoiced in that weakness, that Christ’s power might strongly dwell in her.”[2] Bale compared Anne’s martyrdom to the second century martyr Blandina, who also was young and tender, yet whose faith never wavered under extreme torments.  The Spirit of Christ gave these young Christians joy in the midst of pain and boldness to witness to the truth of Christ when faced with lies and false religion.

Though we might not be called to endure the physical tortures and death that Anne Askew endured, Jesus promised that Christians in the world would have persecution.

“If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20).  The beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount concluded with a promise of blessing to the persecuted: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” (Matt. 5:10-12).  It was through her witness under persecution that Anne became salt and light to her generation (Matt. 5:13-14), testifying to the truth in Christ, even to our own day.

Dr. Diana Severance is the Director of the Dunham Bible Museum at Houston Baptist University and the author of Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History (Christian Focus, 2011).  She has taught courses in the history of Christian women at SWBTS since 2004. Her greatest joy, besides the Lord Jesus, is being married to Gordon.

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A Faith-Changing Vacation

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 by Diana Severance

Spring is well under way, and soon summer will be here – Vacation time!  Some of my favorite vacations have been visiting historic places, especially places associated with Christian history.  Seeing the church in Wittenberg where Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door, symbolically beginning the Reformation, somehow makes the event more real.  Visiting Bedfordshire and exploring scenes familiar to John Bunyan, one can easily see where Bunyan derived some of the images for his Pilgrim’s Progress.  Sitting in the pews of St. John’s Church, Richmond, it’s easy to imagine the cold day in 1775, when Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Liberty or Death” speech, filled with biblical references.  But the most fascinating journey is one to the places where biblical events actually occurred.  In the early days of Christianity, pilgrimages to the Holy Land became popular, and women were among the earliest pilgrims.[1]

One pilgrim named Egeria travelled from Spain throughout the Holy Land in 381-384 and kept a journal of her travels. Little is known about Egeria, but she apparently was a lady of some wealth to be able to make such a journey.   Possibly she had some connections with the imperial court of Emperor Theodosius the Great, who was from Spain.  Perhaps she was a nun writing for nuns back in Spain.

The beginning and ending of Egeria’s journal have not survived, but the middle portion is rich with descriptions of her travels and experiences from Mt. Sinai through her long stay in Jerusalem.[2] In her travels, Egeria wanted to visit places where biblical events occurred and to deepen her understanding of the Scriptures.  Everywhere she went she sought out religious leaders and local guides who could show her the sites, and then she read the scriptures focusing on those sites.  Always she was eager to see the places as they were from the scripture’s viewpoint.  She wanted to see where the glory of God was shown, and she climbed to the top of Mt. Sinai.  Monks showed her where the golden calf had stood, as well as the burning bush – whose roots they claimed were still there! Egeria visited Mt. Nebo, where Moses is buried. In Haran she was shown what was purported to be Job’s tomb and Abraham’s house.  Roman soldiers provided safe escort for Egeria during some of her travels, and religious leaders often provided hospitality.

The most interesting section of Egeria’s journal is her detailed account of the worship practices of the Jerusalem Christians.   Six churches in Jerusalem were associated with specific events in the life of Christ.  Daily and weekly services at each church focused on the event particular for each site, but a special series of celebrations were practiced throughout the developing liturgical year.  Egeria described in detail the celebration of holy week – the Scriptures read, the vigils, fasts, the processions.  She found the Good Friday service most meaningful with Scripture read the entire time and hymns sung.  From the Scriptures, the people learned that everything prophesied about Jesus’ suffering and death was fulfilled.  All were moved to tears to hear of the Lord’s suffering for them.  Egeria found a greater emphasis on the preaching of the Scriptures in Jerusalem than she found at home in Spain.  People coming to Jerusalem learned about the Scriptures connected with the various feasts of the Church and brought their renewed understanding of the Scriptures and the Christian year back to their home churches.  At a time when few people had a copy of the Scriptures for themselves, the liturgy of the church in Jerusalem increased their understanding of the Scriptures and their faith.

Egeria’s descriptions are so accurate and detailed that archaeologists have used her journal to plan their work.  Archaeologists uncovered Peter’s house in Capernaum in part from Egeria’s description that his house near the synagogue in Capernaum was made into a church. Behind everything Egeria did on her journey was a spiritual purpose – to verify and confirm her faith in the truth of Scripture through contact with the physical places the Bible had recorded God had particularly worked.  Much of the Bible is the outworking of God’s plan of redemption in history, and Egeria’s travels reflect the truth that Christianity is a faith rooted and grounded in history, in place and time.

Our God is intimately involved in the affairs of this world. And all history, including our present time, is under His care.

Speaking to the Athenians on Mars Hill, Paul declared that the very boundaries and times of the nations are arranged to bring people to Him (Acts 17: 26-27).  But not only the great history of nations, but our own personal lives are under His care.  This is the importance of that favorite verse in Romans 8:28, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Historic places and people like Egeria can deepen our understanding and appreciation for the wondrous works of God in our daily affairs and deepen our trust in His future work in our lives and among the nations.

Dr. Diana Severance is the Director of the Dunham Bible Museum at Houston Baptist University and the author of Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History (Christian Focus, 2011).  She has taught courses in the history of Christian women at SWBTS since 2004. Her greatest joy, besides the Lord Jesus, is being married to Gordon.

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Voices from the Past: A Woman. A Poet.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 by Diana Severance

What do you do when you are terribly ill and racked with pain?  When your child is so ill she faces death? When your husband is away on business for months, leaving you with the children and household affairs?  When your house burns down?  The seventeenth century Puritan Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), facing these and many other trials, turned to the Lord for help, comfort, and strength – and she wrote poetry.

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Voices of the Past: A Mother’s Advice

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 by Diana Severance

Children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3), and a very important role of Christian women is the training of these precious treasures in the faith. Numerous Scriptures speak of the parental responsibilities to train children in God’s truth.  Parents were to teach the commandments of God “diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”  (That means all the time!  Deut. 6:6-2).  Children were encouraged to hear “your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching.” (Proverbs 1:8).

There are many women in Christian history who can be models and encouragers for the Christian woman of the 21^st century in the teaching and instruction of children.  One such woman, named Dhuoda, lived in France over a millennium ago.  Dhuoda took steps to ensure her fourteen-year-old would remember her words by writing them out in a Manual for My Son.[1] Her words are a beautiful example of a Christian woman’s wisdom and passion to fit her son for a life which was both “of service to the world and at the same time can always, through every action, give delight to God.”

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