I read a fascinating article by Terry Mattingly recently where he told the story of Shahbaz Bhatti. Bhatti was a member of the Pakistani Cabinet. He was the Minister of Minority Affairs, and the only Christian in the Cabinet. Bhatti had asked for a bullet proof car because he had been receiving death threats in response to his stated belief in Jesus Christ. Bhatti got in further hot water for speaking out in favor of a Pakistani woman who was being tried for blasphemy. Her crime? She defended her Christian faith in public.
Bhatti died in a hail of machine gun fire into his car. Pakistani authorities had denied his request for the armor plating.
Closer to home–Wisconsin to be more precise–lawmakers who voted against allowing collective bargaining for school teachers have received death threats. FOX News and CNN have reported on this multiple times, according to an Internet article I read, but other major media sources have not. This silence is especially interesting given all the attention paid to violent rhetoric after a lawmaker in Arizona was shot recently.
The world is a dangerous place for those who live out their convictions.
Do we shine a spotlight on injustice, or do we pretend it isn’t there?