A Unique View of Christian Persecution from 1993 to 2013: A Review of The Global War on Christians




The Global War on Christians by John L. Allen is a 2013 addition to the body of works addressing persecution. So why should you read this one and not one or more of the others? I believe it is because Allen’s treatment of the ongoing crisis of persecution is both traditional and unique. As do many of the other authors of books on persecution, Allen presents a world-wide, extensive, view of what has been happening. For his purposes, Allen’s focus is on the past twenty years.

What is different about Allen’s work is quite compelling. He differentiates the political “war on Christians” from the worldwide phenomenon he calls “the global war on Christians.” Persecution is defined by the author, not in the typical, logical sense but in a more comprehensive and perhaps somewhat more controversial sense. Unlike other works, Allen dives into the historical and political backgrounds to the persecution in each region and country profiled.

Bucking the trend of other works on persecution, Allen also addresses myths or misconceptions about persecution. These include the notion that Christians have to be in the minority to be persecuted, that persecution is both random and unpredictable, that all martyrs are victims of Islamic radicals. The author presents his views as to why these misconceptions are so popular.

One final deviation in the typical volume on persecution is that the author asks and seeks to answer the “What can we do?” question. A set of suggestions, as he puts it, are placed on the table. I’ll let you read the book to find out what they are. Otherwise, this review would not function as such but as cliff notes.

My assessment of The Global War on Christians is that it is an excellent choice for those concerned about the issue of Christian persecution. I can say this because it offers everything the other works offer plus a historical and political backdrop, a unique yet compelling definition of persecution and some suggestions as to how to help when you are on the outside looking in wondering what you can do. My only negative comment is that he includes killings/persecution surrounding activities under what is known as social justice or liberation theology.

Note to my fellow Protestants: John Allen is a Catholic. However, one of the reasons that I chose this book to review was curiosity as to how a Catholic leader would handle the subject of persecution. Would he solely or primarily depend on Catholic sources of information or be more broad? As to his citations of incidences of persecution, would they sufficiently address the persecution of Protestants too? My conclusion is that his work covers persecution in such a way that there is no cause for alarm or discomfort. As you read in the above review, my only concern comes from the portions that have to do with social justice and liberation theology.



I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. The thoughts and opinions of this review are my own.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Call to be a Ragamuffin: A Review of the Movie on Rich Mullins' Life

Image
I thought this film was absolutely great.  The acting was good and the story was real.  Shocked and saddened at the ghosts of Rich's childhood, if I may use that terminology, I was drawn into the healthy and unhealthy ways he struggled with his raising.   Like the Bible does with its heroes, Ragamuffin doesn't sugarcoat Rich's life.  He struggled with smoking and with alcohol.  His language wasn't always church language, to put it mildly.  One sees someone seeking to be real.  Tired of the masks Christians often put on and the blindness to the call of Christ to provide for the least of these, Rich gives generously to Christian churches and charities while living humbly.  Seeing the poverty of others and the difference he could make in the lives of those with less, Rich Mullins pours himself wholly into ministry.   Just a few other thoughts in closing.  His tragic death is handled well.  In  the special features section, Dav e, Rich's brother, does a
Read more

What's In a Name?

Image
What’s in a Name?  In 1990, I graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible.  Over the years, PCB changed and with it, its name altered as well.  After achieving university status under President Babb, a new name was chosen, Philadelphia Biblical University, one that does not easily roll off the tongue.  Eventually, students, alumni, the community, etc., got used to it like will eventually happen with the new name change.  However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t reasons to wrestle with the proposal.   The rationale for the name change Dr. Williams, current president of PBU, argues that there is a perception of PBU being a Bible college with “university” in its name, leading people to believe that it has “limited offerings and a narrow vocational focus.”  My thought:  The word narrow sounds familiar to me.   Matthew 7:13-14 Furthermore, market research conducted via focus groups and a survey yielded data that was considered in favor of a name change in gene
Read more

Reproducible Pastoral Training - A Book Review

Image
Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterson by Patrick O’Connor is a book about missions. However, its insights are also helpful to anyone who is either starting a church or seeking to see it grow. Patrick O’Connor dives into the wisdom of George Patterson and presents it in an intelligent way. Various topics are explained in the text. How does one reach a culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is better, door-to-door evangelism or another technique? Is it best to begin with a multi-cultural church or to start with one culture? How does one utilize contacts for the sake of the Gospel? Also, how does one prevent establishing a foreign church rather than a native one? Furthermore, the author goes into issues like how leaders are trained and when they should begin serving. I found myself revisiting preconceived notions of what is done in Western churches and thus is considered to be biblical. For instance, the d
Read more