persecution

Persecution can take many forms.

In Zimbabwe, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes or livelihoods as a result of Operation Murambatsvina.

In China and elsewhere, children and adults are forced to work in hazardous conditions for miniscule wages in sweatshops.

In the Sudan, Janjaweed militias roam the Darfur countryside looking for refugees to murder.

In many countries, critics of the government just disappear.

And in the United States of America, retail clerks sometimes say "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

It's common in some circles to claim that the U.S. is a difficult place for Christians. Such a thought would be laughable but for the reality that persecution is a fact of life in many places in this world. To suggest that most American Christians face anything remotely resembling persecution is to show disdain for millions of people who are suffering at the hands of ruthless, brutal, oppressive governments around the world.

I may have more to say about this later.