By Dr. Greg Cochran, ICC Fellow
Early in the 20th century, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) established a workforce to benefit people who wished to explore the natural world and partake of its awesome splendor. Yet, as with any new force, park rangers and government workers in the NPS spent time, energy, and money determining how all workers might organize and operate efficiently.
The early system of organization combined military-style rankings with insignia down the worker’s sleeve, noting the wearer’s rank through slight alterations in the natural elements pictured on the sleeve patches. For example, one holding the rank of superintendent displayed a sleeve patch with the insignia of three oak leaves with acorns, while the assistant superintendent wore a patch with two leaves with acorns. Similarly, the chief electrician patch displayed lightning bolts with three oak leaves, while the (non-chief) electricians wore patches with lightning bolts and two oak leaves. And the list of distinctions carried on in like fashion for clerks, supervisors, engineers, rangers, temporary rangers, chief rangers, assistant chief rangers, etc.
Within five short years, this patched-up ranking system was on the ropes, on its way to being knocked out completely. Why the sudden demise? The National Park Service ranking and recognition system disintegrated under the weight of light distinctions. Frank Pinckley — a chief ranger at the time — stated plainly, “The present sleeve insignia mean nothing to the public.” In other words, the system was built on recognizing distinctions that made no difference. Ranger Pinkley continued:
The force in a park is so small that each employee knows the status of all the others. The visitor doesn’t care whether the chief ranger wears a pair of crossed cactuses with a shovel rampant, while the ranger wears only one cactus and two shovels and the temporary ranger wears a pick couchant; what the visitor wants is a ranger, and he promptly picks him out by his shield-shaped badge and goes and pours his woes in his ears. The fact that it is the third assistant ranger he is talking to means nothing in his young life.
And so, under the weight of insignificance, the sleeve insignia system met its demise. Distinctions — if they are to be recognized — bear the burden of making a difference.
Throughout history, Christians have been people of distinction. Indeed, being Christian means being distinct from “the course of this world.” Christian identity — the distinct appellation attaching our identity to Christ — distinguishes nothing less than being those who partake of God’s blessing over the curse, truth over deception, power over vanity, love over selfishness, righteousness over unrighteousness, and life over death.
From the beginning, Christ emphasized the necessity of maintaining certain distinctions. One distinction Jesus insisted the church safeguard is the distinction of persecution. Not all suffering is persecution. Christians ought to utilize the term persecuted under the strict distinctions outlined by Christ in Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV):
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Christians through the ages have insisted on the distinction of suffering on account of Christ and his righteousness. The Christian cannot claim to be a faithful witness or a martyr whose suffering emanates from unrighteousness. This distinction makes a difference in the witness of Christ to the watching world, for the world might kill to enforce its version of truth and righteousness, but the Christian must abide by the terms set by God himself.
Augustine spent much time clarifying this distinction for Christ’s church. His clarifications have empowered centuries of Christian distinctions regarding persecution. For instance, Augustine notes that “the Lord himself was crucified with two thieves; but those who were joined in their suffering were separated by the difference of its cause.” (1) In other words, the state may charge the Christian with wrongdoing by its perverted sense of justice, but the Christian — and Christ’s church — cannot afford to err in the case of justice. Justice harkens back to the one who himself is just and true. And the church of Christ represents him on earth, shining his truth as light in darkness.
Just as Christmas marks the clearest revelation of God come to earth, so the ongoing presence of Christians marks the abiding providence of God working through his people to accomplish his redemptive purposes through time. Many earthly rulers and authorities like Herod of old (Matthew 2) prefer their righteousness to God’s. They work to keep their kingdoms, power, and glory. They oppose the righteousness of God. Thus, Christians will suffer injustice at the hands of governments, rulers, authorities, and even non-believing family members, but their suffering must be distinguished by its cause: Christ, his kingdom, and his righteousness.
Distinguishing persecution by its cause communicates to the world that truth and righteousness, power and glory, belong not to men nor their political and religious causes; rather, these great realities belong to God alone. His cause must be established on earth as it is in heaven. This is the great work God is doing in Christ. When Christians force this distinction, their work makes the most significant difference imaginable.
As Augustine noted sixteen centuries ago, this Christian distinction of maintaining the cause of righteousness even unto death delivers hope to the world of escaping destruction. God sets before mankind life and death, thriving or destruction. Christians make plain that this one distinction determines eternity. Christians are willing to die to speak life, while their persecutors will kill to empower death. So, Augustine notes, “the Christian charity of the Church endeavors to deliver them from that destruction, so that none of them should die, [but] their madness endeavors either to slay us, that they may feed the lust of their own cruelty, or even to kill themselves, that they may not seem to have lost the power of putting men to death.”
Like Christ himself, Christians will be marked not by crimes, political causes, or mere religious rituals. Christians will be marked by the cross, by sacrificial love like Christ himself — dying that others might live. Seeking no ranks, titles, or sleeve patches, Christians seek to be marked by Christ himself — his kingdom and righteousness. When Christians at a Christmas service singing praises to Christ are attacked and slaughtered, they are bearing witness that light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light. They maintain the only life-giving distinction available to humankind. When we join them in their cause, we, too, make a life-giving distinction to the world.
- Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, “A Treatise Concerning the Correction of the Donatists,” Epistle CLXXXV in Philip Schaff, Nicene Post Nicene Fathers.
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