Saturday, September 21 Because you are no part of the world, . . . on this account the world hates you.—John 15:19. As Christianity spread, were Christians to come to terms with the world, conforming to its practices and becoming a part of it? No. Wherever they lived, they were to distinguish themselves from Satan’s system. (1 Pet. 2:11, 12) Confirming that early Christians conducted themselves as “aliens and temporary residents” in the Roman world, historian Kenneth Scott Latourette wrote: “It is one of the commonplaces of history that in its first three centuries Christianity met persistent and often severe persecution . . . The accusations varied. Because they refused to participate in pagan ceremonies the Christians were dubbed atheists. Through their abstention from much of the community life—the pagan festivals, the public amusements which to Christians were shot through and through with pagan beliefs, practices, and immoralities—they were derided as haters of the human race.” w11 11/15 3:6-8
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 22:40:40 +0000