It was painful to watch. You may have seen the item on last night’s BBC News at Ten from Pakistan, how an enraged mob in Jaranwala set fire to at least four churches and vandalised the homes of Christians over claims that two men desecrated the Quran.
You can see part of it here:
Earlier this year the National Assembly of Pakistan voted without debate to make the country’s controversial blasphemy laws even more stringent, making the small Christian community even more vulnerable.
In fact, Christians make up around two per cent of the population and occupy one of the lowest rungs in Pakistani society. More than 5,000 live in the Christian quarter in Jaranwala, most of them sanitary workers on meagre wages who occupy cramped homes shared by up to 18 relatives.
As this attack was taking place the Anglican president bishop tweeted: “Words fail me as I write this. A church building is being burnt as I type this message. Bibles have been desecrated and Christians have been tortured and harassed having been falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran."
For what was truly disturbing was that videos on social media showed protesters destroying Christian buildings while police appeared to watch on.
However, what made this particular attack different is that not only was it covered on mainstream BBC news but the reporter, Caroline Davies, interviewed the local police chief. The world is watching – and today it was revealed that over 100 protestors have been arrested.
Deep hurts remain. Pastor Naatin Javed Bhatti, reported that "The crowd came from outside (this area), but the local Muslims here helped us and tried to save us.” Even so he is now homeless. "My own house was destroyed. This was our entire life's earnings. Now how will we live here again?"
Which makes me wonder: how would I manage in such a situation? To know that your church, your church members, could be attacked at any time. Your children intimidated, even your own home ransacked. Assuming even that I had the courage to be in Christian ministry (I wouldn’t bet on it), what kind of profile would I offer?
And what on earth was Jesus saying when he taught: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me?”
Even more: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11f).
When asked for a typical Anglican, I wonder what you would come up with. In fact, the “average Anglican” today is a woman in her 30’s living in sub-Saharan Africa and managing on less than four dollars a day. Furthermore, she has a 50-50 chance of living in either a zone of conflict or immediate post-conflict or being otherwise persecuted.
In other words for most Anglicans life is tough. And when life is tough we find God to be faithful.
This March Archbishop Justin travelled to Peshawar in the northwest of Pakistan to spend time with the congregation at All Saints Church, which was devastated by twin suicide attacks in 2013 which killed at least 127 people and injured over 250.
Even more, their pastor, Revd William Siraj, was shot on his way home from a church service in January this year.
Justin was profoundly moved by the experience, by the resilience and joy of these fellow Christians. He reflects: “And yet the All Saints community have refused to allow the darkness to overcome the light of Christ among them. They are an inspiration and a blessing to us all.”
Clearly a different dynamic takes place once Christians face head-on persecution. Our priorities change as we see life through a different lens. Even more, we have to rely on God’s faithfulness as our only resource.
And today, for many Christians – most Christians? – such suffering is to be expected. So the apostle Peter writes: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:11).
Meanwhile those of us who do not face such persecution, state-sponsored or otherwise, need to show full solidarity with our fellow disciples who suffer for following Christ through prayer, public protest and providing cash.
Myself I support Christian Solidarity Worldwide, having heard years ago an address at New Wine by Baroness Caroline Cox. A remarkable woman who exploited her position of deputy speaker of the House of Lords to illegally cross borders to support suffering Christians.
She reflects: “To wrench yourself away and go voluntarily into a conflict zone, you recoil against it. I don't particularly want to go and get my guts blown out. I don't really want to go and get malaria." But, she adds, she goes because she knows that "I will come back receiving more than I have ever been able to give."
So we pray for the suffering church of Pakistan, even as the news agenda moves on .