I spoke last week about the precipitous climb of the “none’s,” those with no religious affiliation, especially
among our young people. I argued that they’ve left because the Church became too “same-y,” too like the culture around us, and we lost relevance. But I can also see some signs of hope. Let me explain.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” That was spoken by Tertullian, an early Christian. He
lived in a time when Christians were regularly persecuted and even put to death for their faith in Jesus.
Naturally, one would assume this would discourage people from becoming Christian. It’s life-threatening
after all! But the opposite happened. Precisely in those eras in which the Church has seen the most
persecution, she’s flourished. That’s because the Church of Christ doesn’t grow according to worldly
categories of power, influence, or popularity. We can leave those behind. Rather, the Church grows from
the heroic witness of personal holiness in the lives of the faithful. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of
the Church!”

What should our reaction be to our secular culture’s increasing hostility to the fundamental tenets of the
Christian faith? Not fear or despair. Hope! We hold up to the world the Cross of Jesus, the Cross of
persecution, rejection, and cruelty, and we say, “Bring it on!” The more we are pushed to the margins of our culture, the more powerful our witness to Christ becomes. Jesus is speaking to us today, “Never give up hope! Never abandon your faith! For the harvest is near.” Those early martyrs, Perpetua and Felicity,
Cosmos and Damian, Alexander, Marcellinus, Cletus, Lucy, Agnes, Agatha—all of them persevered and
painted for the world a bold and vibrant likeness of the Lord Jesus. Our faith endures to this day because of them. May we not be afraid to suffer a little for our faith, that new life may spring up!