Book Review: When Christians Face Persecution
Màiri is a Mission Strengthener at Edinburgh City Mission and a former MTh student in Missiology at Edinburgh Theological Seminary.
Theological Perspectives from the New Testament
By Chee-Chiew Lee
InterVarsity Press (2022), 224pp, (£16.99 ivpbooks.com)
As the global church continues to grapple with the task of defining what truly constitutes persecution in the 21st century, Chee-Chiew Lee’s latest work When Christians Face Persecution: Theological Perspectives from the New Testament serves as a timely reminder to utilise biblical theology for contemporary issues.
Lee introduces her work with an attempt to define persecution and delineate its scope, using the definition given in the Cambridge English Dictionary as her basis. The term “persecution” is subsequently distinguished from the terminology of “opposition”, “suffering for Christ”, “conforming to social pressure” and “martyrdom”. Lee only provides a simple definition of persecution of Christians in the second chapter of the work, although she simultaneously cites a distinction between the plural “persecutions” and “official persecution”. This could prove to be either confusing or could simply allow for a more flexible reading of the term which can be adapted for various contexts. Additionally, Lee argues for a wider reading of a “theology of facing persecution”, presenting the opportunity for practical and contemporary application of what is learned from the Bible, rather than an overly theoretical “theology of persecution”.
Such a foundation of theologising for those who face persecution appears to also allow for a wider reading of biblical texts. In chapter one, Lee presents the historical background of the New Testament writers, explaining the worldview of the time which insisted on a consistent intertwining of its social, religious, and political elements. Lee also helpfully distinguishes between the perspectives of “insiders” (those facing persecution) and “outsiders” (those partaking in persecution at the time, e.g. authorities, Jews and pagans), which allows for a more fully-formed understanding of the reasons behind persecution. This then leads to descriptions of persecution, both “unofficial” and “official”, as found in the New Testament in chapter two. These vary from threats to be cast out of the synagogue to violent punishments. Lee consistently cites New Testament authors throughout this work and does so while laying great emphasis on their intentions and the literary techniques which they use. This emphasis is evident in Lee’s presentation of Christian responses to persecution in the New Testament, as she for instance compares texts in Mark, Matthew and Luke addressing apostasy and assimilation, which is one of the multiple responses to persecution. Due to the different language used by New Testament authors to address the issue of persecution, Lee argues that while these authors have a variety of opinions on the same topic, these opinions are not contradictory and instead reflect diversity. This conclusion is refreshing and can be seen as a reflection of Lee’s own perspective as a Majority World author and Langham scholar, who wishes to encourage unity in diversity.
The third and final main study of this work focuses on the New Testament authors’ aims to persuade Christians to persevere and empower them to do so. This study leans heavily on the examination of rhetoric in the Greco-Roman world of the New Testament, in particular the techniques of appealing to ethos, logos and pathos, and utilising the language of honour and shame. The study then goes on to address eight separate sections of the New Testament and how each author persuades the Christians to persevere in their faith. Although helpful in its distinct elements, this study can be seen as somewhat cursory due to the short sections dedicated to each author or book of the Bible. Small sections of hugely enlightening teaching addressing topics such as fear and God’s protection run the risk of being overlooked as the reader is swept up in the author’s haste to move on to the next sub-study. The 170-page book benefits from the brevity of this study overall, as the book is certainly accessible in its length, however, more dedication to each sub-study in the third chapter would not have been unwelcome.
The conclusion to this work is two-fold, with a section to address the arguments made in the main studies and a section of practical contemporary application. In the preceding chapters, the conclusions for the studies are placed under the heading of “Summary of theological perspectives”; these summaries are hugely helpful and give excellent overviews of the preceding text. They also help to refocus the reader on the topic of biblical theology and its practical application, aligning with the purpose of the book. It is therefore in keeping with the work that the conclusory section of the book is engaging and thought-provoking. Lee warns against a simplistic understanding of persecution in the 21st century, which could follow one extreme of not identifying any persecution to the other extreme of identifying any kind of opposition as persecution. She calls for sensitive application of biblical teaching which acknowledges cultural differences. Moreover, she calls for empathy towards those who are facing persecution, highlighting how the global church can benefit from a variety of perspectives and reflections which have been developed in various contexts across the world. It is a challenge in the church context of the United Kingdom to consider that a practical application of biblical theology is an emotional response rather than an organisational initiative or a local church programme.
Overall, this work is of great benefit to the global church due to its consistently coherent usage of scripture, and its impactful study of the social, religious, and political contexts of the biblical authors. The book’s format of designated sections means it could easily be used alongside a larger work such as a bible commentary to give a different and refreshing perspective on New Testament passages. We thank Chee-Chiew Lee for this work and we continue to pray for our brothers and sisters who are facing persecution due to their faith in Jesus Christ.
Reviewed by Màiri MacPherson
Mission Strengthener at Edinburgh City Mission and former MTh student in Missiology at Edinburgh Theological Seminary.
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