Within the current culture wars of the last ten years, Christians have been labeled as being intolerant, bigoted, arrogant, narrow, dogmatic and haters among other things. This accusation of Christians is fundamentally a moral objection, claiming that Christian behavior violates standards that all should follow. To make this accusation, the accuser must explain what the moral standards are and how they were derived, which due to often being postmodern thinkers and agnostics or atheists, is difficult to do. It is interesting to note that such accusations are not new, as Christians in the early centuries faced similar accusations. Examples of this is Pliny the Younger, a Roman government of Bythinia, who was frustrated of the Christian's intolerance when it came to their monotheism, and Emperor Nero who killed Christians out of hate, stemming from their disapproval of the pantheon of Roman gods and their refusal to partake in religious rituals. These examples highlight the fact that this persecution of Christians is not a new phenomenon, and that despite unacceptable treatment, the church thrived and expanded, signifying that the promise of Jesus that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it is true.
Here is a brief excerpt from Kruger's Article:
In the midst of the high octane culture wars of the last ten years, Christians have been labelled all sorts of things: intolerant, bigoted, arrogant, narrow, dogmatic, just to name a few.But, one noteworthy word stands out. Christians have been labelled haters. Despite the fact that Christians are to be known by their love (John 13:35), it seems the world often associates us with hate.A couple observations are worth noting about this phenomenon. First, this sort of accusation against Christians is, at its core, a moral objection. Rather than the standard historical or logical objections often leveled against the faith, this one is fundamenta...
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