The "Face" of Christianity

The “Face” of Christianity

I get the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM http://www.persecution.com ) magazine each month, which is a magazine all about persecuted Christians around the world. In January 2011, it had a story about a Christian women named Yubelina in Indonesia who was persecuted for her faith in Jesus; she was burned and horribly scarred during a Muslim attack on her village. VOM had placed her picture on the envelope, as well as the cover of the magazine, but not to shock people or scare them.

(Warning - photo in full blog post is graphic... use discretion)

However, in April’s issue, the inside cover had a letter from VOM Director Tom White; apparently a lot of Christian readers were offended by this picture and asked to be removed from the mailing list, as well as leaving comments like “nightmarish”, “a ghoulish vision”.

How is it possible for Christians to see this young woman's picture and be offended by it? Hello, wake up people!!! Yubelina had been terribly persecuted for her faith - for believing in Jesus—yes, the very same Jesus we believe in! The same Jesus Whose face was very badly scarred from being beaten, blood running down His face from the thorns pressed cruelly into His head, holes in His hands and feet from being nailed with hand-length spikes into the rough-cut wood of His cross, bleeding blood and water from the spear wound and if you looked at Jesus’ back - it was also scarred from a vicious, flesh-ripping flogging He received.  How can we look at a picture of Jesus being crucified - and embrace it - but then be offended by Yubelinba’s picture?

We, as Christians, have painted a man-made image of Jesus as a “pretty boy” with long flowing hair and beautiful eyes, fair skin... come on! Jesus used to be a carpenter! I have yet to see a carpenter with those looks myself but I have not looked at Angie’s list either. In Isaiah 53:2 (KJV) “For He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” Jesus even inspired Paul to write 1 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV) “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”

To those that were offended by Yubelina’s scarred face - I ask: would they have been offended if it was a relative of theirs, a spouse, a child, ect.? Just what would their reactions be, what would yours be, for that matter? How often we love to paint a beautiful picture of Christianity and sure - Hollywood joins in on the act as well. When we see or hear about persecution in other countries - where Christians are facing life and death everyday for their belief in Jesus – maybe we say a prayer, flip the channel or say “no, it can’t be that bad”, an “in one ear and out the other” situation. 

The article goes on to state that Tom took this picture to a 5-8 yr old's Sunday school children’s class and showed it to them (with parental and teacher permission), told them Yubelina's story... and they did not freak out or get scared... instead, they prayed for her, felt sorry for her, wanted to know more!!! How sad that some of us, as adults, could not even give that kind of reaction, but reacted in disgust instead.

In America we have the right to believe a faith and proclaim it - but in other countries that right is not there. We can’t fathom it, so we just go on with our life - thinking a special one-time prayer is going to help.  But - when God opens our eyes and we see such horrible things happening to our brothers and sisters elsewhere; we then get defensive and act all offended. Why? Simple - it is because we realize the beautifully painted Christianity we have come to know over the years is a fake, that the real Christianity is out there being lived by people who are being tortured and put to death for openly proclaiming Jesus is their Savior and yet still go on teaching about Jesus even though they know what will happen. That is by far a very different kind of Christianity being lived than what we do or even think it is here.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not ranting like a crazed maniac or pointing fingers, but the last straw that broke the camels back for me was reading that other readers were offended by a picture of a Christian woman who was burned because of her faith!!!

I hope and pray that God continues to open our eyes and hearts more often - so we may see the tragedies occurring to our fellow brothers and sisters in other countries. I hope and pray that this message opens your eyes and hearts as this comes straight from the Holy Spirit.

Proud to be a child of God

Tim Roberts

April 05, 2011