(Newswire.net — September 16, 2013) Thornton, CO — Kenneth Michael, pastor of The Church @ Thornton says “These attacks against Christians are a reminder of the warnings Jesus gave us about persecutions to come, and how grateful we need to be to our Lord that we are so blessed to live in a nation where we are able to practice our religion without persecution.”
The attacks in Egypt are said to be the result of the ouster of the government elected after the “Arab spring” revolutions of 2010. The attacks on Christian Churches include burnings of some of the most ancient of Christian Churches, including one in Minya, Egypt that needed to cancel church services for the first time in 1600 years. Islamist supporters have been choosing Christian churches as targets of violence because Christians have been a popular scapegoat and the Islamists believe that Christians support the military intervention. Christians in Egypt are a minority, and they make up 10% of the population of nearly 90 Million.
Many media outlets have told the story in such a way to blame the diverse Muslim population of Egypt for the violent actions, but Pastor Michael says “It is very important that we remember Christ’s message to us at the Sermon on the Mount. We must turn the other cheek and love our enemies, and in a revolution it is not always clear who your enemies are.” He believes that in seeking out the sensational aspects of stories like this the media misses the point “The message that we need to take from this situation is that we are blessed to live in a country free from violence against our faith, and we must live a life of gratitude to God for the blessings and abundance in our lives. We need to be in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters, putting aside the differences in nationality and denomination to pray for the salvation of our fellow Christians.”
Kenneth Michael is the Pastor of The Church @ Thornton in Thornton Colorado. Services are held at 10 AM every Sunday and there is an evening Prayer Service at 6:30 PM every Tuesday. For more information about The Church or Pastor Kenneth Michael visit http://www.thechurchatthornton.com/index.htm