THE PARAGRAPH THAT WILL NOT DIE

Ah, history. Conservative syndicated columnist George Will said that if he ever becomes King of the United States, the first thing he'd do would be to pass a law that every one who enters college must major in history. Smart man. I'm glad I did.

Harry Truman said, "The only thing new in this world is the history you don't know." That statement takes us aback doesn't it? Worthy of food for thought. Like Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun." Yet a student can go through college today and never have to take a single history course and the powers that be will graduate him magna cum laude. Talk about the dumbing down of America!

DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY

A case in point is historian David McCullough's story about a test given to college students in which one of the questions asked for the name of the general at a famous battle in the Revolutionary War. The question was multiple choice and the correct answer was "George Washington," but the answer most chosen by the students was "Douglas MacArthur." Good grief!

Speaking of history and the only thing that's new in this world is the history you don't know, Tacitus was an ancient Roman historian who wrote about the lives of the early Caesars in his book, the "Annals" (ca.109 AD). He's writing just after the time of the Apostles. In the paragraph below, he's talking about the great fire in Rome during the reign of Nero. He's writing about the rumor in Rome that Nero set the fire. (See if you spot some names with which you're familiar.)

"Consequently, to get rid of the report [that he had started the conflagration], Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. 

"Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired."

No doubt you noticed the names other than Nero. He wrote of "Christus," who, as the Bible reports, "suffered the extreme penalty," i. e. crucifixion. You probably noted the graphic way the early Christians suffered for the faith. We see that, just as the book of Acts says, Christianity had spread to Rome itself. We see that Christians were "hated by the populace," and as we read that statement, we remember John 15:19 (q. v.) 

THE PHOBES

Did you note that the Christians were convicted, as Tacitus said, ". . . not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind." This sounds like today's newspapers, movies, TV shows, and talk shows. Is not this the very charge against Christians in the now? Christians are "homophobes," they charge. "Christians are filled with hate," they say. They charge the church with being filled with xenophobes, phobes all over the place. Name something bad and the church has a "phobe" for it.

Movies and TV shows often portray members of the clergy and Christians as hating others. One television program showed a group from a Bible study even stoning a fellow teenager to death. Come on, have you ever known or heard of a group of kids in a Bible study stoning someone? Talk about a far-fetched plot! Yet this comes close to the conception the world has of Christians, that if we could get away with it, we'd be stoning people to death.

A QUIVER FULL OF STRATEGIES

We see from Tacitus that Satan has kept this strategy of portraying Christians as haters of mankind going for a long, long time. It's the paragraph that will not die. We still hear it as it echoes from 109 AD.

BUT THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN

But how different is the Christian filled with the Spirit, submissive to the Word! Why, he's filled with love, joy, peace,forbearance, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. His passion is for the salvation of others through faith alone in Christ alone. His heat beat is for those with whom he comes into contact to follow Jesus after their trusting Him. 

The Bible Christian is as inclusive as the gospel--whosoever will may come, as Isaiah says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." (55:1)

I don't see "hate" in there at all.