Musings of a Recovering Lutheran: Bullies big and small
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 

Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Isaiah 6:8 (KJV)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Bullies big and small

Yesterday, my son and wife went to McDonalds. At some McDonalds restaurants play equipment can be found. My son loves to play there, and to play with the other kids he meets.

But yesterday was a bad day for him. No - he was not physically hurt while playing. Instead, he was taunted by a little girl. The details are not clear, but he was deeply upset by what she said to him.

My son has reached the age where he realizes he is different from other kids. His autism interferes with both his communication and social skills, and that is what contributed to yesterday's incident. I now realize that I would gladly suffer the loss of one of my limbs - or even my life - if he could be spared the teasing that will only grow worse as he gets older. But that is a trade no parent can ever hope to make.

Teasing and taunting are not limited to children such as my little boy's tormentor, who was simply being a thoughtless brat and will probably outgrow it someday. Our culture not only allows attacks on Christians that it would never tolerate for (pick one or more of the following) Muslims, women, blacks, Hispanics, and homosexuals, it rewards them. Fame and fortune await those who can make the cruelest and ugliest taunts aimed at Christians.

Jesus warned us that the world would hate us because it hated Him. Too many American Christians fail to realize that the relative tolerance they have enjoyed for most of America's history is actually a miracle, and that most Christians worldwide today live under the threat of some sort of oppression. This has been true throughout most of history. I believe that the present ugly smears and demonizing of Christians that characterize so much of American popular culture will someday give rise to actual repression. Are you prepared?

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