Pray for Christians under attack in Jos

Another massacre raises the stakes as Nigerian Christians face temptation of hatred and revenge

“Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

In the early hours yesterday, a large group of militants attacked settlements near Jos, killing at least 500 people, largely the elderly, women, and children, who were unable to run away. The victims were hacked to pieces, burned or bludgeoned. The inhabitants were mostly Christians of the Berom tribe, and it is widely assumed that the attackers were Muslim Fulanis. While religion is far more important in this conflict than the major news services will admit (they prefer to characterize it as a dispute over resources), there is no doubt that tribalism is also a major factor.

Two months ago, during widespread riots in the area, a similar incident was reported not far from this one (Massacre at Kuru Jenta/Kuru Karama; see especially the update at the end of the article). That time it was Muslims who were the victims and, again presumably, Christians were the attackers.

The causes of the conflict are very complex, and certainly go beyond a simple jihad by the northern Hausa-Fulani Muslims against the Christian tribes of Plateau state. While the news media apparently want to deny the importance of religion, some Christian groups speak as if the fighting is a one-sided persecution of Christians. Neither is true.

As Barb and I have been speaking in our supporting churches in California, we have asked people to pray for the situation in Nigeria and especially around Jos. We need to pray in particular that the government will carry out its divinely-appointed responsibility of enforcing law and order, protecting the innocent and punishing violence.

There is a bigger threat to Nigerian Christians than persecution, however. It is the temptation toward hatred and violence. This, I believe, is the threat we should should be fervently praying about. After the January riots, I wrote a blog entry titled Time to Condemn Murder, saying that Christians, especially leaders, must unconditionally condemn the killing of innocents.

There are some voices calling on Nigerian Christians to follow the commands and example of Jesus in forgiving and loving their enemies. The message is not popular, and the voices are a minority, but they are there. In “KAIROS” NIGERIA: A Prayerful Call to Nigerian Christian Leaders (2006), prominent Christian leaders called on the Church to confront this problem head on and to avoid the trap of violence, saying

Christians killing Muslims is most certainly not the way of the Cross! Only we, Christian leaders, can prevent it.

Is this [call for revenge] not precisely what calls for Bible-based and Christ-centred leadership from us? “Fire for Fire” is not a quotation from the Bible. “An eye for an eye” was what the Law of Moses taught, but we are New Testament Christians. Should we not rather cast our vote with the Jesus Christ of the Gospels? Have we really tried Him and found Him wanting? If that is so, why do we still continue to be Christians? The real question is whether we think Jesus Christ wants us to win them or to kill them!

Professor Danny McCain, at the Byang Kato Lecture Series at Jos ECWA Theological Seminary last month, said,

I believe it is time for there to be a resurrection of our Christian prophets. They must declare unambiguously what God says about obedience and the consequences of disobedience. And they need to be specific in what it means to obey Jesus’ teachings about violence, retaliation and forgiveness. …

I believe it is time for our pastors and Christian leaders to become concerned about our combined Christian testimony and teach our people that every action and reaction they take is confirming or reversing the image of Christianity in the minds of our Muslim friends.

Reflections on the Christian Responses to Three Jos Crises (2010)

Professor McCain’s paper is very valuable reading not only for Nigerians but for Christians everywhere who are faced with or concerned about persecution. He not only spells out the biblical position on injustice, defense, revenge, and violence, but also gives suggestions about how we should respond, including

• We must rely on authorities for justice and not take it into our own hands
• We must be willing to suffer unjustly rather than disobey God’s commands
• We must develop genuine relationships
• We need positive actions, not just defensive dialogue
• We must engage in practical training, especially for our youth, in how to respond to violence

The violence in Jos is an example of how our battle is not against “flesh and blood” but spiritual powers. We certainly need to pray for peace and for physical protection of the Christians there, but we also need to be aware of the spiritual battle for the hearts of Christians, and we must pray that they will be strengthened to obey and to shine as a witness to the Gospel and not as another example of a cycle of violence.