Richard Wurmbrand writes the gripping story of his life as a Christian in Rumanian under communist rule. He spent fourteen years living in communist prisons for his faith. Ransomed for ten thousand dollars, Wurmbrand escaped to the Western world with the intention of bringing to light the horrors of communism and to be a voice for the underground church.
Wurmbrand grew up as an atheist and had a beautiful conversion. He says “out of remorse for having been an atheist, I longed from the first day of my conversion to be able to witness to the Russians. The Russians are a people raised from childhood in atheism.” (pg. 3) Shortly after his conversion, Nazism came to Rumania, allowing him the opportunity to share the message of Christ to the
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There is not really a high cost for me to share my faith. At the most, I might get laughed at or labeled. Why do I only share my faith with friends. I was challenged by his urgency to share the faith. My heart is broken for my brothers and sisters who die daily for their faith under the horrors of Communism or even under Islam. As I think about how this applies to my life and future work, Wurmbrand says “I hate the communist system, but I love the men. I hate the sin, but I love the sinner. I love the Communists with all my heart. Communists can kill Christians, but they cannot kill their love toward even these who killed them. I have not the slightest bitterness or resentment against the Communists or my tortures.”
Wurmbrand’s heart is beautiful and it looks so much like Christ’s. I want a heart that looks like that. I want to have so much love for the sinner. I can’t imagine what our world would look like if the Church, the Body of Christ had a love this strong. I do not know where I will be going after my two years of schooling, but hearing Wurmbrand’s story urges me on in love for the lost. It reminds me that every person, no matter who they are, has a right and a need to hear of the love of
God’s Double Agent: The True Story of a Chinese Christian’s Fight for Freedom is a Christian biography in which former underground Chinese Christian pastor Bob Fu details his life and the moral atrocities that occur in Communist China.
Growth and time reveal old hurts but in the midst we can always find God’s love and grace. Gone are the days of chasing approval of men (and women). Instead I lean into the One who sought me first. And now my heart’s desire is to be transformed daily into the image of Christ.
Dr. John Vonder Bruegge is the sort of man one may envision dressed in a plush velvet robe, seated in a giant leather chair, encompassed by shelves of ancient leather books, and snacking on cheese and crackers. A Biblical scholar by trade, and a resident of a Dutch community by consequence, Dr. Vonder Bruegge has a unique story to tell. Dr. Vonder Bruegge has wealth of knowledge with a slight pension for performance. He can be found educating throngs of his diligent Biblical pupils at Northwestern College. Dr. Vonder Bruegge is passionate about his job as an educator and a Biblical scholar, engaging his students to grapple with tough questions, even in a small Dutch community like Orange City.
Another example lies in the reaction of people within the concentration camp to the public hanging of a young boy, crying out “Blessed be the Almighty!”(Wiesel 67). This expression of faith in the face of an atrocity directly challenges the oppressive power of the Nazi regime, and also demonstrates the role of religious faith as a source of anti-fascist
God on Trial is about a group of Jews who were captured by Nazis, and sent to Auschwitz. Auschwitz was a concentration camp ran by Nazis, and is the place where most Jews went to die. This movie took place in one of the bunkers in Auschwitz, where a group of men decided to put God on Trial. They decided who would be the defendant, prosecutor, and judge, with everyone else being witnesses. They had a heated discussion, and came up with a guilty verdict, before some of them were sent off to the gas chambers. The prosecutor’s statement about god killing innocent people for the benefit of others is what may have been the deciding factor in the verdict.
Wiesel talks about his transformation of his beliefs and his faith. At the beginning of Night Wiesel put all of his faith in his God, there was no hesitation in believing that God was the Almighty. Now in the camp, his beliefs, his faith are being questioned. “Blessed be God’s name? … Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber of me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves?... Yes, man is stronger greater than God…. You have betrayed, allowing them to be tortured, slaughtered, gassed, and burned, what did they do? They pray before You! They praise your name!... But now, I no longer pleaded for anything… I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused” (Wiesel 67-68). Wiesel no longer believes in his beloved God, he lost his faith. Faith is a part of people, it makes them who they are. Yes, they might be respected, cared for, but their faith makes them who they are. Their faith, is what they believe in with all their heart and soul, and for that to be stripped away from them is dehumanizing on a scale that we can not even attempt to
Explanation of how hope of the resurrection plays a role in comforting Wolterstorff is present, with detail and many examples, and shows a deep understanding.
This sermon provokes the one who has had their own hearts weaken to seek holiness from the transformation of love. Wesley desires every Christian to attain the status of perfect love, where the love of God and neighbor would reign in their hearts. As evidence he quotes St. Paul, “Earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show unto you a more excellent way.” (The More Excellent Way,
This passage shows how Christ set the example for all to follow by giving his life for us and that if these people coming to the world would follow Christ’s pattern, they in turn could be an example to others one day.
During the Nazi German era, which took place from 1933 until 1945, Christianity played a very important role in the rise of Hitler’s regime. The Christian churches greatly influenced not only the formation of the Nazi regime, but also the German folk. The most influential churches were the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church. Even though Christianity itself faced a state of decline in the early 1930s, the higher clergy of the Christian churches in Germany still managed to make a significant impact. The amount of influence that the churches exerted can be measured not only through the impact of their resistance towards the Nazis, but conversely through the resistance carried out by
Sometimes I struggle with the fact that the world is so full of sin. There are so many bad things happening in the world today, and that have happened in the past. It is hard to deal with the fact that God would let such bad things go on for so long. There are so many people in need, in the world today. I hadn’t really thought about it until we had to watch the video showing the mission of St Francis Inn. I think that they were showing God’s love by serving the homeless with respect. They provided meals and let them sit at tables like a restaurant. Seeing and hearing their stories, shows just how much suffering there is in the world
Wurmbrand portrays himself as torn for leaving Romania, but believes it is his duty to preach to the free countries in hopes that we will adopt his mindset, “I hate the Communist system but I love the men. I hate the sin but I love the sinner” (Wurmbrand, 52). With his surprisingly kind words towards his torturers, one would think he would show the same love towards fellow Christians in the West who are willing to help his people; however, he comes across in a harsh, judgmental, degrading tone. He plainly states that he suffered more in the decaying Western civilization than he did in a Communist prison (Wurmbrand, 85). I find this hurtful as he continues to degrade our society rather than coming alongside us. While I am rather guilt ridden for feeling this way, his accusations of how Christians of the West are not serious push me to a state of defensiveness. His words cut deep and poke fun at my personal faith, and due to these words, I would have the urge to resist his pleas for help. While I know this would only adhere to his insults, I cannot help but consider how his words effect my self-esteem and outlook on Christ-like
Its impossible to reflect on the origins of evil without bringing up the concept of free will. God created man with this idea of choice; the choice to believe and obey, or the choice to disobey. It was this free will that allowed Adam and Eve to fall from their initial glory and introduce evil and suffering into the world. We can justify a large amount of sustained suffering by acknowledging that it actually benefits us and is not incompatible with God's loving nature. We learn lessons both physically and spiritually that allows us to grow and mature according to God. Some suffering is used to spark revival or for a great advancement in his kingdom, cause after all we're
In a world that does not know the Gospel anymore, we must indulge in it, and love our fellow community though they may not share similar values, but find balancing in still remaining in our own values. Though many of times we find ourselves in opposition of the majority of the world, we must exude Christ love onto others as He does to us unconditionally. The author addresses ways in which we are able to live out our faith and still find a place within our community though they may not share similar values.
Torture is arguably one of the worst things you can do to a human being. Not only is it physically harmful, it is also mentally degrading. As we have seen, torture is an obvious problem in Egypt. We also learned that it is extremely difficult to determine the right course of action as a foreign onlooker. We can read all the articles and documents we want, but we will never truly know the whole story. No amount of foreign aid will be enough to stop the abhorrent crimes happening throughout the country. Until the Egyptian government stands up for its citizens, torture will continue to be a means to get false confessions.