Perspectives

Restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose between mid-2006 and mid-2009 in 23 of
the world’s 198 countries (12%), decreased in 12 countries (6%) and remained essentially unchanged
in 163 countries (82%), according to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum
on Religion and Public Life, called Rising Restrictions on Religion, available on the Internet.
However, because several countries with increasing restrictions on religion are very populous,
the increases affected a much larger share of the population: more than 2.2 billion people
or nearly a third (32%) of the world’s total population of 6.9 billion. Only about 1% of the
world’s population lives in countries where restrictions or hostilities declined.
Among the world’s 25 most populous countries—about 75% of the world’s total population—
restrictions on religion substantially increased in eight countries and did not substantially
decrease in any. In China, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, the increases
were due primarily to rising levels of social hostilities involving religion. In Egypt and
France, the increases were mainly the result of government restrictions. The rest of the 25 most
populous countries, including the United States, did not experience substantial changes in either.
This second report, like the first, scores 198 countries and territories on two indexes:
• The Government Restrictions Index measures government laws, policies and actions that
restrict religious beliefs or practices. This includes efforts by governments to ban particular
faiths, prohibit conversions, limit preaching or give preferential treatment to groups.
• The Social Hostilities Index measures acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organizations
and social groups. This includes mob or sectarian violence, harassment over
attire for religious reasons and other religion-related intimidation or abuse.
In terms of governmental actions, the Pew report says, “While such laws are sometimes promoted
as a way to protect religion and reduce social hostilities involving religion, in practice
they often serve to punish religious minorities whose beliefs are deemed unorthodox or heretical,
and who therefore are seen as threatening religious harmony in the country.”
Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and China (in that order) are the top five on the list of
countries with very high governmental restrictions. Iraq, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia
are the top five on the list of countries with very high social hostilities involving religion.
Egypt and Indonesia are the only two countries listed among the top ten on both lists.
Five of the 10 countries that had a substantial increase in social hostilities involving religion
were in Europe: Bulgaria, Denmark, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Social hostilities
religion have also been rising in Asia, particularly in China, Thailand and Vietnam.
Christians were harassed in 130 countries, Muslims in 117, Jews in 75, Hindus in 27, Buddhists
in 16 and others in 84 countries. Harassment and intimidation can take many forms such
as physical assaults, arrests, the desegregation of holy sites and discrimination against religious
groups in employment, education or housing. Harassment can also include verbal assaults.
Christians experiences governmental and social harassment in about the same number of countries,
while Jews experiences much more social harassment.
Last weekend I watched a movie about Peter and Paul on the Trinity Broadcasting Network
channel. Aside from the usual embellishments of the scant imagery in the Biblical stories, the
events depicted closely the Biblical passages in Acts.: the killing of James and the imprisonment
and miraculous release of Peter (Acts 12), the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), the persecution by
Saul (Acts 8), the conversion of Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), and the imprisonment,
stoning and lashing of Paul and his companions (Acts 13-28) .
The point is that, whatever has changed, persecution of Christians still exists 2000 years
later. But Christ did not promise us an easy deal, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not
greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my
teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:20). On the other hand Christ’s mandate is clear,
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel
will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
~Coenraad Bakker

Are we doing too much for our children? This question surfaced recently in our house in the
aftermath of hurricane Irene which dumped tons of rain on the northeast. Allow me to explain.
It so happened that our oldest daughter, Elisabeth, with husband, Dick, and four girls between
ages 5 and 8 were stranded in the Detroit airport on Sunday, August 28. They had spent
10 days vacationing in the South and their return trip by air to Albany, NY came to a halt in Detroit.
Their options for six persons were limited as flights to all New York airports were either
cancelled or full. Ultimately they were able to confirm a flight to Erie, PA for Monday morning
and a standby flight for Sunday evening to Rochester. Since the decision whether or not they
would be able to fly to Rochester would be made after luggage loading had ceased, they decided
(after consulting with us by phone) to check their luggage to Rochester. This way, if they did not
make the flight, there would be someone to pick up the luggage. This is exactly what happened
so my wife and I retrieved their luggage at the Rochester airport while the kids spent the night in
a Detroit hotel. The next morning, Monday morning, they flew to Erie where Dick’s parents,
who live 25 miles from that airport, picked them up.
Elisabeth needed to get back to work—she had planned to be there on Monday but that was
not going to happen. So we decided that Dick (who had more flexibility and who wanted to wait
till his truck was fixed with a new engine—it broke down in that area during an earlier trip)
would drive her to Buffalo with his Dad’s car where my wife and I would pick her up and then
drive her to Albany. This we did. We had to exit the Thruway east of Syracuse and take route
20. Near Richfield Springs was another detour which was longer than we were told at first because
a semitrailer got stuck in the ditch at the first turn on the narrow country road. But we
made it to Elisabeth’s house with its backyard adjacent to the Hudson River. The water was four
feet from the top of the bank. Fortunately they live on a high point—there was water on the road
one block away, the power was shut off there and the people were evacuated. A nearby marina
upstream lost a dock with 18 yachts attached which floated downstream and went over the dam
by Albany. A Winnebago also floated by, hit a bridge and broke in two pieces. Tuesday morning,
Elisabeth went to work and we drove back to Fairport after encountering several detours.
When I told this story, one person questioned whether it was really necessary to drive all
those 600+ miles. Could Elisabeth not have come back to work a few days later since there were
clearly many others that were stranded? The truth is that the first flight to Albany available for
them would not have been until Thursday! Although she has a very understanding supervisor,
she would not want to misuse his generosity after 10 days off because her office is understaffed
and swamped with work. But it still begs the question—are we sometimes doing too much or
too quickly for our children what they could (or should) do for themselves?
In an editorial in the Christian Courier (August 22, 2011), Bert Witvoet asks a similar question
although his focus is more on the financial support—not that our endeavors were without
cost either. He asks, “Are they less able to take a few financial setbacks than my wife and I were
when we were at the most expensive time of our life? Is God not the God of my children and
grandchildren the way he was for us? Why should I want to take away their challenges?” Then
he adds, “Getting married and leaving the parental home is about leaving and cleaving, I am
told. At least, I myself left and cleft.” So did I 50 years ago when I moved 3000 miles away.
But then Witvoet talks about some people having more options than others. For example,
rich people have more options because they can decide where to live and how to travel. I think
retired people have more options than working people when it comes to time. And that was an
important consideration in helping out our children.
Witvoet does not provide a clear answer. My own opinion is to be the good Samaritan when
there is a genuine need and you have the ability to meet that need. And that includes not only the
needs of our children but also those of any of our “neighbors.” What do you think?
~Coenraad Bakker

Elsewhere in this issue Pastor Chris reflects on participating in his first CRC Synod. I remember
well my own wonderful experience as a first-time delegate in 2007, the 150th anniversary of the
CRC. In August 2007 I wrote in this publication,
Synod 2007 was an impressive personal experience because of its historical significant decisions
and the spirit in which these decisions were made… We did not always agree but we were willing to
listen and give each other the space to live one's convictions.
Rev. Joel Boot from Classis Georgetown (which includes his home church, Ridgewood CRC in
Jenison, MI) was elected president then. I did not know Rev. Boot but I sure became to know and
respect him during that Synod.
The following year I was again privileged to be a delegate to Synod. In August 2008, I wrote in
CLN that, The delegates chose Joel Boot as president (as they did last year) who again led us
through some difficult waters with humor, finesse and creativity. Ironically, before he was elected as
president we were sitting across the table from each other as the delegates from Classis Atlantic
Northeast and Classis Georgetown shared a long table. I remarked to him then that the year before he
was sitting on the leadership platform. “I like it better down here!” was his humble reply. Little did
he know then that an hour later he was back in the presidential seat.
This year Rev. Joel Boot was back on the leadership platform again but this time not as president.
Instead, he was (and is) now the new interim Executive Secretary of the CRC. Traditionally,
the Executive Secretary gives the State of the Church address on the first full day of Synod. This is
the way Rev. Boot started his address, “This will be a testimony more than an address. This is my
fifth day in office. I was told ‘you’re supposed to speak about the state of the church.’ I don’t think
there is much I can say.” He went on the relate how he was asked to fill this position two years before
his planned retirement. “God called,” and said, ‘I have something in mind for you that you didn’t
know about.’ It was unmistakable.”
He told a story about the famous Dr. Albert Einstein who was traveling by train one day. When
the conductor came to check the tickets, Einstein looked through all his pockets and luggage but was
unable to produce the ticket. Finally, the conductor said, “Don’t worry about the ticket, Dr. Einstein,
I know who you are and I trust you have a ticket.” Then he went on to check the remaining passengers
in the car. When he came to the end, he looked back and saw the famous scientist on his hands
and knees looking under his seat. The conductor went back and said, “I told you Dr. Einstein not to
worry about your ticket. I know who you are.” To which the scientist answered, “I, too, know who I
am but I do not know where I am going.”
Rev. Boot used this illustration to say that he wasn’t quite sure where he was going with the
mandate from the Board of Trustees to accomplish the business of the church as expected of the executive
director, provide wise counsel and a healing presence for staff, and analyze the culture and
organization to develop a thriving ministering community. “I’m nervous. I’m scared. I’m uncertain.
I’m uncomfortable,” he said. “But over the past five days, I have begun to sense again the state of
Joel Boot. I am not my own, but I belong body and soul, in life and death, to my faithful Lord and
Savior.” I have no doubt that Joel Boot will be an obedient servant to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
At the end, Joel Boot credited the Einstein story to Billy Graham who asked his audience to remember
him for his final destination at the end of his days. Billy Graham knew where he was going.
“So do I” said Joel Boot. Do you know where you are going? ~Coenraad Bakker

The week before Memorial Day has been an interesting week. First, there was the prediction
of Harold Camping that the end of the world—the rapture—would take place on May 21. He
turned out to be wrong. What’s more he is a false prophet. Not because his date was wrong but (1)
because he claimed to know the time of Jesus’ return which not even Christ Himself nor the angels
in heaven know (Mark 13:32) and (2) because Scripture teaches that we should be ready at
any time (Matthew 24:44). The latter was clearly illustrated by other events during that week, especially
by the tornado destruction in Joplin, Missouri. While tornados are rare in these parts,
there are plenty of other reasons we could be placed before our Maker unexpectedly.
Apparently, Harold Camping is not one to learn from his mistakes because he now predicts
the same for October 21. It illustrates that sound scriptural teaching is needed to counteract such
false prophets and to educate mankind about the truth what God expects from us and His plan for
our world. We should use every opportunity to make known what Scripture really teaches.
This brings me to a third event during that week, namely the forum to discuss our evening
service. Our natural inclination may be to look at attendance to see whether it is worth the effort.
Recently, there were sometimes only 19 in attendance while at other times, such as Evensong,
there were 56. In other words, low attendance is not necessarily consistent and may depend upon
the type of service. But should numbers be our sole guide? Matthew 18:20 tells us that Christ will
be present when two or three are gathered in His name. Indeed, most people that attend come to
worship one more time that Sunday with prayer and song and to be fed once again from Scripture
at the end of the Sabbath. It is a meaningful spiritual experience for them. As one member at the
forum said, “I would not want to take that away from them.”
There is the question whether the efforts put forth to have an evening service could be applied
in different ways with greater effect. If we cancel the evening service we have lost an opportunity
to spread the Gospel in a public accessible place like a worship service. That would seem contrary
to our recent efforts to create a greater presence and accessibility in our community—of which the
new church sign and providing Rochester Oratorio Society rehearsal space are examples.
In a spiritual discussion this Memorial Day weekend, I heard a pastor’s quote, “Keeping the
message, but adapt the methods!” Perhaps our efforts should concentrate on not doing away with
the evening service but on adapting it. While many that attend our evening service appreciate its
format, a greater variety of content may enable us to serve more people with the message of the
Gospel without losing those that now attend faithfully. This may take some effort and it should
not fall on the shoulders of the pastor or the part-time worship coordinator. It may require a small
group of people who brainstorm about the possibilities and may require eventually a committee
that takes responsibility for these Sunday evening programs. Last month I wrote about the decline
of denominational churches and the growth of evangelical community churches. One reason is
that the latter show a passion for the Gospel which seems to have been lost in many denominational
churches. Please, let’s not be one of those denominational churches.
Our evening service could become another outreach effort with greater attractiveness for the
younger generation. An article in The Banner (June 2011, pages 18-20) illustrates that other CRC
churches lack programs for young adults even in (Christian) college towns which is surprising
given the availability of potential interested young adults. But the same issue also contains stories
about a topic for an evening service as well as a “soccer” approach in a neighborhood ministry
(page 38). Other publications may contain ideas that we can use. One pastor built a series of popular
sermons about topics such as “I wish my (husband, wife, children, parents) would …” with the
wishes provided by the congregation (through texting, email, and notes). It seems that there are
many possibilities that we only need to explore.
Participation at some recently scheduled events has been disappointing. However about 40
interested members attended the evening service forum. Let’s hope we can transform that interest
into action for a Sunday evening program to help battle the unscriptural influences in our culture.
~Coenraad Bakker

An article called “The Good News about Evangelism” in the February 2011 issue of the
Christian journal First Things claims that one-third of Americans are affiliated with evangelical
Protestant churches, making them the numerically dominant religious tradition in the US.
The article is based upon a religion survey conducted by Byron Johnson, Distinguished Professor
of the Social Sciences and director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University.
Johnson observes that the survey results contradict recent claims that evangelicalism is
shrinking and that the younger generation is becoming more secular. Using data collected by the
Gallup Organization, the survey identified respondents by religious family, denomination and
local congregation instead of relying religious preference alone, as previous studies have done.
This is significant says Johnson “because of the declining importance of denominations in
America. Non-denominational churches, almost exclusively evangelical, now represent the second-
largest group of Protestant churches in America, and the fastest growing section. Many denominational
churches, especially newer ones, avoid advertising or communication strategies
that feature their denominational affiliation. Consider Saddleback Church. All of its members
know that their pastor is Rick Warren, but not all know that their congregation is Southern Baptist.
Typical is Christ Community Church, near Nashville, Tennessee, a member of the Presbyterian
Church of America that does not highlight this fact in Sunday services or sermons.”
“This trend,” says Johnson, “has affected popular statistics and has also served to exaggerate
the loss of religious faith and evangelical influence in America. Most previous research missed a
new phenomenon: that members of nondenominational churches often identify themselves on
surveys as unaffiliated or even as having ‘no religion’ because traditional surveys do not provide
adequate categories for them. According to a recent survey by the Pew Forum, 44 percent of
Americans have switched their religious or denominational affiliation. Much of the media coverage
suggested that a significant portion of the American population had left the faith of their
youth. Switching churches or denominations should not be interpreted as losing one’s faith.”
“The Baylor Religious Survey,” continues the article, “took pains to find these nondenominational
church attenders by asking them to identify themselves not only by their religious fam
ily and denomination but also by their local congregation. The researchers found:
• Americans remain connected to congregations, but less so to denominations;
• the unaffiliated are 10.8 percent rather than the 14-16 percent claimed by other surveys;
• many of the so-called ‘unaffiliated’ are affiliated with congregations, often evangelical;
• America is considerably more evangelical than prior studies have found.
Evangelicals remain the numerically dominant religious tradition in the United States. While
Americans often voice dissatisfaction with organized religion, evangelicalism is not in retreat.
Mainline Protestantism is, and evangelical congregations appear to be the beneficiaries. Membership
in the mainline denominations declined 49 percent from 1960 to 2000; membership in
evangelical denominations increased 156 percent in the same period. (With significantly less
regular attendance at mainline worship, the difference may be even more significant.) The best
available data consistently document that the principal factor in the decline of mainline denominations
and the growth of evangelical congregations is church switching. Similarly, claims that
Americans, including evangelicals, are falling away from the faith contradict seven decades of
survey research confirming that only 4 percent of Americans are atheists. If Americans are becoming
more secular, why has this percentage remained unchanged?”
Not everyone accepts the picture Johnson is painting. Critics observed that Johnson’s statement
that “only 4 percent of Americans are atheists, neglects the more important, widely-known
figure; that about another 5 to 10 percent or more, describe themselves as agnostics; and that
number is growing.” And what about the typical secular American who readily declares belief in
God but who has little or nothing to do with Christianity? Moreover, Christians tend to give a
more favorable picture of their church attendance than is warranted. For if the numbers were as
high as Johnson claims, Sunday morning would look like rush hour.
One reviewer of the study was glad that the study shows that, as the saying goes, evangelical
Christianity in America is still three thousand miles wide and only an inch (or three inches)
deep, but “it is the inch deep that concerns me.” Indeed, as another put it, “My concern is not
what church, nondenominational or otherwise, but what do these evangelicals believe about the
Gospel and Biblical Christianity? That would be more interesting and telling.” Yet another critic
agreed and said, “Looking at the details of the study, what percentage of respondents hold to a
good representative set of Christian beliefs (existence of the God of the Bible, deity of Christ,
salvation through faith in Christ, the full authority of Scripture, etc.), engaged with some regularity
in basic Christian practices (prayer, church attendance, Bible reading, etc.) and shunned
anti-biblical beliefs (such as religious pluralism) and practices (such as pre-marital sex)?”
It is clear that the numbers from surveys and studies provide some interesting snapshots but,
as all snapshots, they do not reveal the entire picture. In fact, they may not show that what is
most important in the end. It may even be that no study could reveal the entire picture of the human
condition regarding religious matters. But then, we really do not have to know that either
for our gracious God knows it all and He will reveal to us that what we need to know.
It is also clear that the work of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)—”go and make
diciples of all nations” is not finished, not even in America. ~Coenraad Bakker

So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die,
and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"
These words sound like Jesus speaking but you may be forgiven if you do not recognize
them. The fact is, these are words spoken by Jesus shortly after His birth as recorded in the 19th
chapter (sura) of Maryam (verse 33) of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. This chapter is named
after Maryam, the actual (Semitic) name for Mary, Mother of Jesus. This chapter begins with
two narrations of 'miraculous births' of God's Elect: Yahya (John the Baptist) and Isa (Jesus).
Jesus is much revered by Muslims as a very important prophet of Islam, similar to Adam
and Muhammad but not as the Son of God. Islamic belief holds that he was born of a virgin
birth but that neither He nor his mother were divine. Traditional Muslims also believe that Jesus
was taken into heaven alive, that is, he did not die and there is no crucifixion and resurrection.
But apparently, not all Muslims agree on what exactly the Quran says about Jesus.
Verse 33 caused A. Yusuf Ali, a highly respected Muslim scholar, to write in a footnote of
his translation of the Holy Quran (1975): "...those who believe that he (Jesus) never died should
ponder over this verse." However, his colleagues did not think that it was such a good idea to
have Muslims ponder about Jesus, so these revealing remarks were quickly expunged and replaced
with the explanatory words "Jesus was not crucified (4:157)" by the editorial board of the
new edition of "The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an!" (Amana Publ., Beltsville, 1989). Note: “not
crucified” doesn’t mean Jesus did not die. Interpreters also do not agree about the meaning of:
[Nisa 4:157] And because they [the Jews] said, "We have killed the Messiah, Isa the son of
Maryam, the Messenger of Allah"; they did not slay him nor did they crucify him, but a lookalike
was created for them; and those who disagree concerning it are in doubt about it; they
know nothing of it, except the following of assumptions; and without doubt, they did not kill him.
[Nisa 4:158] In fact Allah raised him towards Himself; and Allah is Almighty, Wise.
[Nisa 4:159] There is not one of the People given the Book(s), who will not believe in him (Isa )
before his Isa's death; and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.
Yet there is support in the Quran for A.Yusuf Ali’s original footnote. The violent death
(beheading) of John the Baptist is described with identical words as used in Maryam 19:33 for
Jesus. There are a number of other verses in the Quran that confirm the death of Jesus: Behold!
Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee (Arabic: "mutawaffika") and raise thee to Myself,... (Imran
3:55). But the translation of "mutawaffika" in this verse is disputed among Muslim scholars.
The word and its derivation are found over 25 times in the Quran. In all but two places they imply
death or are associated with it. In the two exceptions the context reveals that "mutawaffika"
figuratively means slumber but that is not the case in the two verses referring to Jesus’ death!
Islam has large collections of pronouncements about the words and deeds of the prophet
Muhammad. One of these deals with the day of judgment and it uses the same terminology for
Jesus as for Muhammad himself who is known to have died. There are similar Quran verses.
To read these Quran verses as a Christian we may feel that there is support for Jesus’ death
(if not by crucifixion) and resurrection. For if He died He had to be raised again in order to go to
heaven alive. But to Muslims it may be confusing what the Quran actually says. And, most importantly,
the Quran is even less forthcoming about the reason for Jesus’ death and resurrection:
namely to be the sacrifice for our sins and conquer death, the ultimate punishment for sin.
~Coenraad Bakker

Language translation is not always an easy task. If you have ever watched a foreign language
movie with the English text shown on the screen and if you are familiar with the foreignlanguage,
you know that the translation is not always exact and often incomplete. Careless translations
can provide hilarity, confusion and may even point you in the wrong direction.
Sometimes a word in one language is carelessly translated into a similar sounding but inappropriate
word in another language. For example, a Dutch-American man may report to his relatives
in the old country that brother John has been laid off with the words, “John is afgelegd.”
While the English verb lay can be translated as the Dutch verb leggen and off as af, the quoted
expression really means that John has died and has been prepared for burial. Perhaps years ago
when employment was more permanent a person might have felt that way but ‘laying off” is
quite common today and one may more agree with Mark Twain who once observed that, “The
rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
As another example of the use of similar sounding words, a Dutch-American woman may
report to her relatives that she drives her car to church with the words, “Ik drijf mijn auto naar
de kerk.” Again drive and drijf sound similar but unfortunately she is saying that she floated her
car (in the water) to church. While this is certainly possible in water-rich Holland, it is doubtful
that she did so intentionally anywhere.
Bible translators like Doug Higby have their problems as well. Sometime a word in the
original language can only be described by multiple words or word pictures. A translated word
may be fine in one culture but not in another culture. How do you translate the word snow for
people that live in areas where it does not occur and whose language may not have a word for it?
Take the Greek word hypokrites which can be translated in English as actor or as hypocrite.
These words do not mean the same thing in the English language. A hypocrite may accept it
when you call him an actor but calling a stage or movie actor a hypocrite is likely to cause prob3
lems. And yet there is a commonality in that they both pretend to be different from what they
really are. While the actor does it to entertain, the hypocrite intends to deceive. So when you
read Matthew 6:5 (praying in public), 22:18 (why do you test me), or 23:13 (woe to scribes and
Pharisees), the word hypocrites is used because Jesus is clearly emphasizing the deceptive nature
of the life styles of the Jewish religious leaders. But what if you were reading these verses
in Greek (as many did before the New Testament was translated in other languages)? How
would you know the difference from the one word hypokrites? Would they look at the Jewish
leaders as hypocrites (which they were) or actors (and not get the full impact of Jesus’ words)?
Another Greek word, tekton, which means “a craftsman who builds,” can be translated as
builder or carpenter. The Greek version of the New Testament refers to the profession of Josef
(Matthew 13:55, “Is this [Jesus] not the carpenter’s son?”) and Jesus’ (Mark 6:3: “Isn’t this
[Jesus] the carpenter?”) as tekton which has universally been translated as carpenter. However,
as Ray Vander Laan in his video series Life and Ministry of the Messiah points out, there was
very little wood construction going on in Israel at the time of Jesus. Just about all construction
was done in stone—rocks and cut stone. When Jesus lived in Nazareth there were perhaps 300
inhabitants. Not a very large base population to earn a living from a specific craft like carpenter
(especially if all building is in stone) but small enough to be known as the carpenter (as in the
butcher—i.e., the only one). Yet, as Ray Vander Laan says, there was another town only 3 miles
away called Sepphoris (not mentioned in the Bible). This town was being built (or rather rebuilt
after an earlier destruction) by king Herod Antipas (who beheaded John the Baptist) as his capital
of Galilee province. It was a booming metropolis perched on a hill top which housed as many
as 25,000 people. It had an elaborate water system, colonnaded paved streets, villas with mosaic
floors, a magnificent palace, bathhouses, a gymnasium and a 4000-seat theater. All built in
stone. Did Josef and Jesus work here? We do not know but it at least suggests that perhaps their
profession, tekton, should have been translated as (stone) builder rather than as carpenter.
When my wife and I were in The Netherlands two weeks ago, we visited a number of massive
cathedral-type churches—testimonies to the longevity and solid foundation of Christendom.
In one church, the Old Church in Delft, built in 1240, we found a sign that read, “Wij zijn niet
op deze aarde om anderen verdrietig te maken.” (“We are not on this earth to cause others
grief (or sorrow).” But, in my humble opinion, the words grief or sorrow do not quite capture
the spirit of verdrietig. Perhaps it is because I did not grow up speaking English and words like
grief and sorrow may not evoke the same feeling as verdrietig. And that is one of the difficulties
in translation for there will generally be a native language and a learned language for a particular
translator. Therefore a team approach that includes native speakers of each language may be
a solution. But even then a compromise using the best available word(s) may be necessary.
Nevertheless, the meaning of the sign in the Old Church is probably clear to you. While sorrow
and grief can be caused by unavoidable life’s experiences like disappointment, pain and
death, our behavior should avoid such results. Instead, we are here to walk in Jesus’ footsteps
and, like Him, provide loving guidance to each other at all times.
~Coenraad Bakker

In Matthew 28:19 we read, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever wondered what the
disciples were thinking when they heard this? Did they think that each personally had to travel
to all nations? Perhaps initially but eventually they divided up the global map for tradition has it
that each took responsibility for a specific area of the known world although we know little of
some of their travels. Did the disciples realize that if they trained, say, 10 believers and those 10
would, in turn, train 10 believers, there would be a considerable multiplier effect over the years.
(in today’s business world, this is referred to as a network marketing strategy). After all, they
knew about Adam and Eve and from that twosome the population multiplied to an estimated 50
million in the Roman Empire alone but they probably were not aware of that number. On the
other hand, they only had to look at the multiplier effect of parents-children-grandchildren to see
how the Gospel message could spread. There is little evidence in Scripture that such a strategy
was part of their training except for Jesus’ words in Mathew 13:31-32, The kingdom of heaven is
like a grain of mustard seed…. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger
than all the garden plants….
Well, here is the question. Is the network strategy practical in the work of evangelism? For
an answer we consider a man named Edward Kimball. He taught a Sunday School Class for
teenage boys at a church in Boston. One particular 17-year-old who was poorly educated and
prone to fits of profanity was a special challenge. Edward decided to visit this young man at the
shoe store where he worked for his uncle. Edward had an inner urging that he believed was from
God, to talk to this teenager about his soul. Finding him alone in the back of the store, Kimball
later wrote: “I went up to him and put my hand on his shoulder… and made my plea and I feel
that it was really a weak one. I don’t know just what words I used… I simply told him of Christ’s
love for him and the love Christ wanted in return.” When Edward left he thought that his witness
had been a failure. However, the teenager went to the backroom and thought, if that Sunday
School teacher is that interested in my life and my soul then I should care about my own soul.
He bowed his head and committed his life to Christ. He became the greatest evangelist of the
18th century. His name was Dwight L. Moody. He travelled over a million miles preaching all
over the world and it is said that he reduced the population of hell by a million souls!
But the story gets better. Moody was instrumental in the conversion of a man named F. B.
Meyer in 1879. Meyer also became a famous preacher of the Gospel and was used by God to
lead J. Wilbur Chapman to Christ who likewise became an evangelist. One of the ministries
Chapman initiated was an outreach to professional baseball players. Through this ministry a
man named Billy Sunday was converted. At first, Sunday worked with Chapman but then
launched out to form his own evangelistic association. During the first two decades of the 20th
century, Billy Sunday was perhaps the most famous evangelist in America.
A man named Mordecai Ham was converted in one of the Billy Sunday’s meetings and became
an associate worker in his campaigns. One of those campaigns in North Carolina was so
successful that Ham was invited to return to Charlotte a few years later to hold a second series
of evangelistic meetings. During one of the final services in 1934, a lanky 16-year-old teenager
came forward at the invitation and surrendered his life to Christ. His name was Billy Graham.
Graham has preached the Gospel to an estimated 2.2 billion people and well over 2.5 million
have made decisions to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior as a result of his evangelism.
Edward Kimble could not have foreseen this amazing chain of events. All he did was perform
one simple act of obedience and in his own words he confessed that he was not sure at all
that he had done it well. And yet he did it and the Lord took over from there.
We may feel the same at times. We may feel that we are we are not capable or that our contribution
is insignificant. Remember then the words of Mother Theresa who spent her life serving
mankind in the slums of Calcutta, "None of us can do anything great on our own, but we can
all do a small thing with great love."
~Coenraad Bakker

Restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose between mid-2006 and mid-2009 in 23 of
the world’s 198 countries (12%), decreased in 12 countries (6%) and remained essentially unchanged
in 163 countries (82%), according to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum
on Religion and Public Life, called Rising Restrictions on Religion, available on the Internet.
However, because several countries with increasing restrictions on religion are very populous,
the increases affected a much larger share of the population: more than 2.2 billion people
or nearly a third (32%) of the world’s total population of 6.9 billion. Only about 1% of the
world’s population lives in countries where restrictions or hostilities declined.
Among the world’s 25 most populous countries—about 75% of the world’s total population—
restrictions on religion substantially increased in eight countries and did not substantially
decrease in any. In China, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, the increases
were due primarily to rising levels of social hostilities involving religion. In Egypt and
France, the increases were mainly the result of government restrictions. The rest of the 25 most
populous countries, including the United States, did not experience substantial changes in either.
This second report, like the first, scores 198 countries and territories on two indexes:

• The Government Restrictions Index measures government laws, policies and actions that
restrict religious beliefs or practices. This includes efforts by governments to ban particular
faiths, prohibit conversions, limit preaching or give preferential treatment to groups.
• The Social Hostilities Index measures acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organizations
and social groups. This includes mob or sectarian violence, harassment over
attire for religious reasons and other religion-related intimidation or abuse.

In terms of governmental actions, the Pew report says, “While such laws are sometimes promoted
as a way to protect religion and reduce social hostilities involving religion, in practice
they often serve to punish religious minorities whose beliefs are deemed unorthodox or heretical,
and who therefore are seen as threatening religious harmony in the country.”
Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and China (in that order) are the top five on the list of
countries with very high governmental restrictions. Iraq, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia
are the top five on the list of countries with very high social hostilities involving religion.
Egypt and Indonesia are the only two countries listed among the top ten on both lists.
Five of the 10 countries that had a substantial increase in social hostilities involving religion
were in Europe: Bulgaria, Denmark, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Social hostilities
religion have also been rising in Asia, particularly in China, Thailand and Vietnam.
Christians were harassed in 130 countries, Muslims in 117, Jews in 75, Hindus in 27, Buddhists
in 16 and others in 84 countries. Harassment and intimidation can take many forms such
as physical assaults, arrests, the desegregation of holy sites and discrimination against religious
groups in employment, education or housing. Harassment can also include verbal assaults.
Christians experiences governmental and social harassment in about the same number of countries,
while Jews experiences much more social harassment.
Last weekend I watched a movie about Peter and Paul on the Trinity Broadcasting Network
channel. Aside from the usual embellishments of the scant imagery in the Biblical stories, the
events depicted closely the Biblical passages in Acts.: the killing of James and the imprisonment
and miraculous release of Peter (Acts 12), the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), the persecution by
Saul (Acts 8), the conversion of Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), and the imprisonment,
stoning and lashing of Paul and his companions (Acts 13-28) .
The point is that, whatever has changed, persecution of Christians still exists 2000 years
later. But Christ did not promise us an easy deal, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not
greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my
teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:20). On the other hand Christ’s mandate is clear,
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel
will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
~Coenraad Bakker