reality check?

Philippians 1:29  For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.


 Philippians 2

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

  he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal's death on a cross.


9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.



In a day when there is much talk about "religious freedom" & how persecuted we white middle class evangelicals are, maybe we should remember that being identified with Jesus comes with some risks.

That suffering has always been endemic to being a follower of Jesus.

Look through history - when followers of Jesus have told people that He loves them & cares about them & offers a way of connection with God, these same followers have often been killed, or at least severely brutalized. They often are made something far less that top rung movers & shakers of social & political influence.

I get the feeling that much of what we hear about the infringement of our religious freedoms & erstwhile persecutions is really a tawdry attempt to preserve our white religious privilege.