The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-11-13

lace or watch
chain with a tiny -
electric chair at pr. Foreman
tached y A cross always meant
one thing: horrible death. Not
a death by accident, not a suicide,
but death by court order or mob
violence, a form of death inflicted
only on the worst criminals, enc
mics of society. You will have to
be considered a criminal, Jesus
said in effect, you will have to be
prepared literally to be executed
as a criminal II you are going to
follow IN my footsteps.
Peeple Deat Die for Opinions
Most Christians throughout the
centuries have not been called on
to be actually killed for their faith.
Jesus did not mean that only those
who die a martyrs death can be
considered Christians. Still, in al
most every age of Christianity,
there have been martyrs. First. in
the long list is a man named Ste
phen, whose story is told in Acts.
A brilliant scholar. a convincing
debater, he proved to be so good
at showing how right Christian
faith is, that his enemies decided
the only way to stop him was to
arrest him. Perhaps they did not
mean to kill him. but kill him they
did. in what is surely one Of the
strangest lynchings in history. For
the men who stoned Stephen to
death were not a mob acting with
out knowledge of the court They
were members Of the court itself.
Now, some one might ask why
Stephen was stubborn. Why
couldn't he agree with the major
ity? In that court he was mi
nority Of One) Why couldn't he at
least keep his opinions to himself ?
II Christianity were a matter Of
opinions, Of course Stephen could
have kept his to himself But
people don't die for opinions. They
die for convictions. And a convic-
ton does not go down TO the utter
most depths of a mans mind and
soul unless he Is willing to die for it.
Christianity is not a matter of
opinions that can easily be
changed. 1t is a matter of people
who have convictions which change
their whole lives, 50 that their
lives are expressions Of their con
Hcuons. They win lose life rather
than surrender.
Martyrs 10 Our Time
The ron of those who have died
for their Christian faith is long
one. It is not finished. and it has
grown much longer in our time
The writer of these lines has wor-
shipped in refugee" congrega-
ton IN Korea, a martyr church.
Every member Of it is a native Of
north Korea, who left home to
come to south Korea, a strange
land to him and not too hospitable
either - to begin life again IN
poverty but in Christian freedom.
Not only that, but almost every
member of that congregation has
lost some relative, murdered by
communist orders.
Centuries ago the church used TO
distinguish between red and
white" martyrs The first kind
sealed their testimony in blood
The second kind were not killed
but, being always ready to die. s'lf-
fered for their faith IN other ways.
perhaps long continued. All honor
to martyrs Of both kinds. Most of
the foreign missionaries, or fra
ternal workers as they are often
called, live as white martyrs. Be
yond our ordinary comforts Of
home, away from most of their
families, exposed daily to conta-
gion, surrounded by a world so
depressing that many missionaries
minds have given way under the
strain. overworked and too seldom
reinforced. they nevertheless live
rejoicing. Every one has heard of
the young missionaries who were
murdered by those Amazon In
dams. Their widows are carrying
On their unfinished work today. The
wives have not been killed: but
Who shall say they are not equally
martyrs?
0assd - es&iinas ospyrigbAed b.
| the Division Il Christian Education.
NazSonal Co1Dol a fAe Churches Of
| CA4igt b - D. 8. 4 HA1aoee1 By
| CaIsn31y Pgeas SeGvicA)