Police have arrested 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik of Oslo, Norway on the island of Utoya in connection with the deadly bombing and shooting that killed 92. Investigators allege Mr. Breivik detonated the car bomb and then drove to Utoya and opened fire on teenagers attending a camp there organized by the ruling Norwegian Labor party.
There’s more tragedy to this story. On his Facebook page he calls himself a ‘Christian’. That has led to news reports calling him a ‘radical Christian’. Does that sound familiar?
What will this mean for Christian work in Norway? It’s still unfolding. According to news reports churches across the country were open all weekend to help Norwegians deal with the tragedy. In a pluralistic society that doesn’t tolerate intolerance, who knows what this monicker ‘fundamentalist Christian’ will reveal.
The other question I have is how will the rest of the world treat Christians in response to this tragedy? In the United States, Christians have already been marginalized because of what they call ‘extreme views’.
What extreme views? There is only one way to heaven, through Jesus Christ alone. There are moral absolutes. I could go on about our views, but those are the ones that bother non-Christians the most.
This tragedy could further marginalize Christians. As left winged political pundits begin focusing on Mr. Breivik’s Christianity, my fear is that all Christians will be painted with the same brush.
However, we know that killing 92 people isn’t what Christ would have us do. Jesus said to “love one another.” How many times did He tell us that?
Unfortunately, when we’re attacked, it’s hard to do that. That’s why we need the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer every day for being a Christian. They simply keep loving, in spite of the trauma they face.
My prayer today is that God will allow REAL Christians to come forward in Norway. That REAL Christians will show the world what Christianity is all about and that His name would be glorified through the pain.
Since the early days of Christianity, Christians have been marginalized and imitated. Paul and Silas were arrested in Philippi under the political guise that they were teaching things “not lawful for Romans to practice.” The seven sons of Sceva attempted to imitate Christians by trying to cast out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus taught that Satan would sow false weeds among the true wheat, and only on Judgment Day would the separation finally be made.
Christians in Norway and beyond should not fear that their name is taken wrongly, but rather demonstrate what real, biblical, grace-based, Christ-centered saving faith is. Persecution for our faith is integral to our life in a world that hated our Savior. But in that persecution, our faith is strengthened and purified, our hope for our true home is elevated, and our light shines brighter. Even if some are deluded by false Christianity, others see the genuine and their hearts respond to the Holy Spirit’s convicting and saving work.
Fear not.