Are you a Christian Prepper?

If persecution comes to the church are you a prepper?

Two weeks ago I wrote about the sea change that has happened in the American attitude toward Christianity and the church. (Last week I was so sick I just barely got a sermon done.) Once upon a time there was a general, but not universal, positive disposition toward the Christian faith.  If you were in Maryland and Roman Catholic, most likely you were not interested in waging a crusade against the Anglicans across the river down in Virginia.  This openness of religious tolerance led to some odd faith groups popping up, but even these did not suffer the kind of persecution they might have had in Europe.

While it is impossible to predict the future, if current trends continue in the United States we may find ourselves facing persecution. For today, let's talk about things that we ought not do if we were going to prepare for the possibility of persecution. Not going down the wrong road will be very advantageous for us especially when we need to find the right road. 

What not to do?

Should we take over the political landscape?

I've heard a number of Christians propose that if we could mobilize enough Christian voters we could turn America around. While we certainly should be involved in the political process, and while there are certainly good reasons to support highly qualified candidates, a political solution will not solve our problems.  The Christian Coalition, the Moral Majority, Concerned Women for America and countless other organizations have tried to bring America back from the brink by means of political willpower. Based on our current condition, I wonder if that was time, energy and money well spent?

Should we plan for an active revolt?

 I once was part of an organization for about three months that claimed to be deeply concerned about the direction America was going. I was told that the members of this organization were Christians who were committed to Christ at one level or another. I was asked to serve as a Chaplain.We met every other week to talk about everything from ham radios to survival foods. Occasionally, the conversations turned dark to subjects like how to set booby traps or how to advance a tactical column. During the third month, one of the most fire-brandish members suggested that we could teach a lesson if we lynched a judge or two. The following day I left the organization and suggested that the FBI might be interested in following up with this gentleman. I am not saying that an armed Revolution is never right. But the Scriptural mandate for Christians is far from a call to revolution. While I am suspicious of our government, I'm convinced that the worst of our leaders are still better than Caligula or Nero. Paul admonishes Christians to pray for these leaders, he never says anything about an armed insurrection.

Can we run far enough away?

Maybe we could run far enough away that the problems of our nation will not be our problem. I have heard Christians wistfully talk about Christian colonies that have formed in Central and South America. These colonies of dedicated Christians live in a nearly communal setting.  Here they feel they are safe from harm. While appealing, I wonder if that is the best response to hardship. There are times that clearly the thing to do is go. But what about Christians who cannot afford this escape? Any solution that doesn't work for all Christians ought to be approached with caution.

Is stockpiling stuff to insulate ourselves a good plan?

One last bad plan that I've heard some Christians advocate in the face of potential persecution is the classic prepper stockpiling. I admit that I do have a stockpile of food. Living in Florida the occasional hurricane would knock power out. So long food storage was a good plan. We called this stockpile the Joseph silo.  Our goal was not simply to feed ourselves, but also to feed the community. Stockpiling stuff seems to invite the temptation to trust in our stuff.  I think we can see the problem with that.   

There are ways that we could plan for possible coming persecution, but the way the world prepares for upcoming disaster isn't the way that we as Christians ought to plan.