Sunday, December 2, 2007

Prisoners for the sake of the Gospel

Many Christians around the world are prisoners for the sake of the Gospel. They are leaders (and laymen) of the faith sharing the good news with those around the world. Voice of the Martyrs has an excellent website which keeps track of such prisoners and encourages people to involve themselves in writing to politicians on behalf of the prisoners, writing encouraging letters to the prisoners themselves and, of course, reminding us to pray for them during their time of incarceration. You can view this detailed prisoner list at www.prisoneralert.com or by clicking here..

It is much easier to accept that people overseas have been unjustly accused of the "crimes" laid against them than it is to believe that someone in America could be innocent of the crime for which they are being punished. After all, we here in America live in a democratic society and have rules of order which we follow to ensure that justice is sought out and applied. We do not think that we are motivated by public opinion or politics in condemning one or supporting another.

I would suggest that America has taken a turn for the worst. In a craze to "separate church and state" with improper understanding and motivation, Christians here are being silenced, incarcerated and made to pay the penalty for "crimes" that they have committed in an effort to share the gospel with others.

Again I will mention Hannah Overton. While some might say that her crime did not involve the gospel, it was an argument that was used against her. If you will humor me, in a way it was a direct attack on the gospel which encourages Christians to take in and care for the widows and orphans in society. In her attempt to follow the gospel, she was punished. The prosecuting attorney and media latched on to the idea that Hannah was part of a church in Corpus Christi and attempted to paint her in such a light as to suggest that she was part of a cult. This was very far from the truth! She was part of a loving Christian community but not one set out for cultish crimes against humanity as some would lead you to believe. Part of the horror of her case is that Christianity was held up and ridiculed by the media and prosecution. This is something that we, as Christians, should stand up and take notice of. If a Christian is marked as having committed a crime, they are frequently worse off than a non-believer would be when it comes to them having to stand in front of an earthly judge and account for their actions. Christians are distrusted and ridiculed for "being different." This should not cause us fear, but should indeed put us on the alert.

Just as Voice of the Martyrs keeps track of Christian prisoners that are overseas and in need of encouragement, we should not forget those "at home" who are equally in need of such encouragement. Incarcerated Christians in America also need to be encouraged to "keep the faith" during these times of trail and hardship. They are no less deserving, just less frequently noticed.

Take time today to pray for those within the prison system in America, Christian or otherwise. You never know but that the prayers you pray for American prisoners here at home might just be the ones that change the world.

1 comment:

Lucy Frost said...

You are correct in saying that our justice system in America is out of whack. It has become a system that rewards convictions, not justice.

The prosecution and the media did their best to cast Hannah as a religious zealot who abused Andrew. Nothing could be futher from the truth.

Please keep her in prayer. Her appeal is pending.