Willing to die? Why Christians need to recover their moral courage

As a child, I watched films and books about the rapture that gave me nightmares. Movies such as the 1971 horror A Thief in the Night, taught me that the ultimate act of bravery was not to denounce Christ – even if it meant getting your head chopped off. Despite my faith in God, I feared that I would not – if it ever came to it – be brave enough to be a Christian martyr; that I would fail because of fear. 

Though some might claim Christians are persecuted in places like the UK and the US, we cannot even begin to understand the terror of facing death for our faith. The annual Open Doors World Watch List is a reminder of just how privileged we are. In North Korea – which again topped the list of countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian – owning a Bible is forbidden, believers keep their faith secret from even their spouses, and Christians can be killed instantly if their faith is discovered. Yet the Church thrives. One secret believer told Open Doors: “Despite these dangers, the underground Church in North Korea is alive. It worships not with sound, but with whispered prayers and memorised scripture. Believers continue to follow Christ with quiet courage, deep faith and a willingness to give everything for the sake of the gospel.”

Living in the comfort of 21st-century Britain, we will likely never be asked to give everything, especially not our lives, for the sake of the gospel. There are, of course, examples of people who put their heads above the parapet because of their Christian faith, and I marvel at some Christians’ bravery. People risk being ‘cancelled’ by one side or the other because of deep conviction. They lose friends, livelihoods or jobs. 

Moral courage requires us to make some sacrifice

In this moment of global instability, political turmoil and societal rupture, I have been thinking and reading about moral courage; reminding myself of those throughout history who – often spurred on by their faith in God – have taken costly steps towards speaking truth, working tirelessly for justice and equality, and putting themselves in harm’s way to live out the call to love God and love neighbour. I have been encouraged in recent weeks by seeing the mobilisation of faith communities and individual Christians in Minneapolis in response to ICE agents. 

The brave actions of ordinary citizens stand in contrast to much we are seeing in our political leaders around the world. Leaders with moral courage – who stood up for their convictions even when it hurt them personally – feel like a thing of the past. Who are the Martin Luther Kings and Mother Teresas of today? Where are the William Wilberforces and Josephine Butlers? 

Perhaps this is our calling as Christians during these turbulent times. You may not be called to literally give up your life, but you may be called to lay it down in the pursuit of the common good and the human flourishing that is an outworking of the kingdom of God through salvation in Jesus Christ. Perhaps when Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die” he meant it not only in the literal sense – as was the case for Bonhoeffer himself – but also in metaphorical ways, too. 

Perhaps moral courage requires us to make some sacrifice; to risk losing comfort, respect, status or friendships with those who hold power in an earthly sense. Moral courage can never be about following the crowd but, by its nature, means standing up and being counted. It requires a letting go, in pursuit of something greater.