Knows the Way Out of the Grave

“...what was true of the Early Church is true of the Church in modern times. Christianity was killed by the French Revolution, butchered by the guillotines of the Reign of Terror. It rose from the dead, the following century bringing forth a Catholic renaissance in French culture. Christianity was killed by the Russian Revolution and the seventy years of enforced atheism which followed. It rose from the dead, the past thirty years witnessing a miraculous resurrection of the Orthodox Church. It was killed by the communist revolution in China, insofar as it had ever really been alive in the seemingly Christ-forsaken East. The Church in China is now probably the fastest growing part of Christendom.

In terms of brute numbers, more Christians were persecuted and put to death by the powers of darkness in the past century than in all the previous centuries combined. And yet, also in terms of brute numbers, there are more Christians in the world today than there have ever been in the past. The Church is not dead, nor will she ever die, even though she is always apparently dying and has often been apparently killed. Echoing the words of Mark Twain, the reports of her death are greatly exaggerated. And reiterating the words of Chesterton, she has died many times and risen again; for she has a God, her heavenly spouse, who knows the way out of the grave.”
~Joseph Pearce