I’m hearing the cries already. “People are trying to take Christ out of Christmas!”

I constantly see “evidence” on how Christians are being attacked and killed for their faith.

But there’s no such thing as war on Christians, or Christianity, either.

I can hear many of you shaking your head quite vociferously at that statement. You want to present yet more “evidence” on how many Christians are being persecuted, and killed for their faith, especially in the Middle East, China, and India. Yes, I can feel your fingers itching to scroll down to the end of this entry, and argue with me.

Heck, you can even say the Bible disagrees with me, and all I have to do is look at the early church in Acts. (ex: Stephen is arrested and stoned [Acts 6:8-7:60], Persecution scatters believers [Acts 8:1-3], and King Herod Agrippa kills James, and imprisons Peter [Acts 12:1-5])

So what in the world am I talking about, then, if I have no biblical — or even worldly — basis for my contention?

When we say there’s a war on Christmas, Christians, and Christianity, we’re making it about ourselves.

Wars can only be declared by nations, not the soldiers. The soldiers accept the responsibility, and consequences of that war, absolutely. Christians also willingly decided to fight in this war, so we shouldn’t be surprised — or complain — when we are injured, or killed during that war. We instead should be grateful, and even honored (Acts 5:41).

As long as we remember who we fight for. It’s not for ourselves. It’s not for our particular religion, or even our faith. We fight — and sometimes die — for Jesus.

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me [Jesus] first.

John 15:18

Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

Matthew 10:34

Or to encapsulate this entire entry:

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

(2 Timothy 2:3-4)