martyrs

Hans Schlaffer, Detained in Austria

And eventually beheaded by the state church

They despised his beliefs. They branded him a heretic. They opted for intolerance and unwillingness to co-exist. Their final solution for him was contrary to justice…and the godliness they professed to defend.

No, this didn’t happen recently. Yet Schlaffer’s testimony lives on, unsilenced by the executioner’s sword.

Hans lost his head for his faith in Jesus, but he gained an eternal reward which hasn’t faded a bit after all these years (years which I don’t suppose he has noticed). (I wonder if Ernie Miller has met him yet.) (Grammarians, am I allowed a parenthetical train like this?!)

Well, here’s an introduction to Hans Schlaffer’s story on this day 486 years ago:

The December evening was cold. As Hans Schlaffer left the Anabaptist meeting in Schwaz, he was headed up the Inn River toward his home in the mountains of Austria. There he planned to sit out the winter months until Spring, when he would renew his ministry. But the plans of this former Roman Catholic priest received a rude shock.

On this day, December 5, 1527, Hans Schlaffer was arrested by local Roman Catholic authorities. […]

When asked on what foundation the Anabaptists rested, he replied, “Our faith, actions, and baptism rest on nothing else than the commandment of Christ.”

I am fascinated by these excerpts from one of his last recorded prayers: Read it all

Afraid to Bury His Body

Here are excerpts from the story, as reported by Mission Network News:

Juma Nuradin Kamil, a Christian convert from Islam, was kidnapped and found in early September decapitated on the outskirts of Hudur City in southwestern Somalia.

The kidnapping and subsequent murder appear to be the work of al Shabaab militants, based on how it was carried out.

Church leaders confirm that al Shabaab often decapitates Muslims they suspect to have embraced the Christian faith, or those who appear to sympathize with Western ideals.

Based on the terror-linked nature of the attack, area Christians were initially afraid to bury Kamil’s body. They did not want al Shabaab extremists seeing them associated with a newly-discovered convert to Christianity. The body thus lay in the open for two days, until an unknown group reportedly buried him in secret.

It’s a dangerous time for Christians in Somalia who not only face ongoing threats from al Shabaab, but whose own government is against them.

Pray for believers on the underground to continue to stand up boldly for their faith and to continue to proclaim the Truth of Christ, whatever the consequences. Pray for those who mourn the loss of Kamil, that his family and fellow believers might have peace and remain safe.

“The Years They Have Wasted”

“People who do not know the Lord
ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries.
They forget that they too are expending their lives …
and when the bubble has burst,
they will have nothing of eternal significance to show
for the years they have wasted.”
–Nate Saint

Nate Saint (missionary pilot), Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming were martyred in 1956 at the hand of Waorani (Auca) tribesmen they sought to reach with the Gospel. In 1958 Jim’s widow Elisabeth, along with Rachel Saint (sister of Nate Saint), went to live with the same Waorani tribe.

HT: The Berean Call

Through Gates of Splendor, Elisabeth Elliot

Buried: Sifra and Ocean

I do not live in a news vacuum. But I just learned this: Florida teen murders street preachers.

Titus Sifra and Steven Ocean have been buried. I assume.

So has the story of their murder and apparent martyrdom. I just used Google to search the Web for stories mentioning both of their names. Results: 64 pages. So I did a news search. Results: 3 pages. Finally I did a blog search. Results: 5 pages.

Everyday hundreds of people fall victim to street violence in the US. On the evening of Jan. 30, Steven Ocean, 23, and Titus Sifra, 24, became victims as well when Jeriah Woody, 18, shot and killed them at point-blank range after they shared the message of Christ with him, according to a witness.

The witness said Woody got a phone call and said he “had to go” after listening to the two for 15 minutes. He turned and started walking in the other direction, but then he suddenly turned back towards the three men wielding a gun. He shot Sufra at point-blank range. When the Ocean ran, he chased after him, shot him from behind, walked up to him and shot him in the head execution style. The witness ran in the other direction and escaped.

However, although the case is almost two weeks old now, there has been little media coverage.

Did you know?

Dead in Eritrea

Compass Direct News is reporting that Christian deaths are mounting in Eritrean prisons.

Three Christians incarcerated in military prisons for their faith have died in the past four months in Eritrea, including the death on Friday (Jan. 16) of a 42-year-old man in solitary confinement, according to a Christian support organization.

Sources told Open Doors that Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom died at the Mitire Military Confinement center from torture and complications from diabetes. Asgedom was a member of the Church of the Living God in Mendefera. His death followed the revelation this month of another death in the same prison.

Mogos Hagos Kiflom, 37, was said to have died as a result of torture he endured for refusing to recant his faith, according to Open Doors, but the exact date of his death was unknown.

Other Body Counts

I got to thinking about this when the American media was heralding the 1000th US execution since executions were reinstated in 1976.

I remembered the media’s heralding of the 1000th American soldier to die in Iraq. And the 2000th. And the gradually-ticking-upward toll.

What other body counts could the American media track?

I have five suggestions for now:

Why should the media be bothered?

Oh, I don’t know. I suppose most people don’t care to be bothered with more body counts and statistics. (I know I don’t want to be bothered.) But it might convey at least the appearance of some balance to the media’s reporting.

Maybe instead of body counts they could substitute some un(der)reported good news. Some uplifting, life-brightening, positive stuff. Ever hear of such a notion?!

Above all, love God!