The Fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral Cannot Destroy the Church

UPDATED 5:30am Tuesday:

Fire out, organ intact but work ahead for charred Notre Dame

The fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral cannot destroy the church April 16, 2019  |  READ TIME: 4 minutes   DONATE   In The Daily Article today: The tragic Notre Dame Cathedral fire is a metaphor for religion today. The church is not a building but a movement. When we pay a price to follow Jesus, we join the church triumphant on earth and in heaven. The fire that devastated the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was an accident, according to the president of the Paris region. Donors have already pledged millions of dollars to rebuild the medieval landmark, one of the most iconic in the world. The Cathedral was begun in 1163 with the laying of the cornerstone and largely completed by 1345. The cathedral towers are both 226 feet tall. They were the tallest structures in Paris until the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889. Around four hundred firefighters battled the blaze for nine hours before extinguishing it. The cathedral’s iconic spire fell, but the towers were saved. People in Paris lined the streets as the cathedral burned, praying and holding vigils for the monument. The “emotion of an entire nation” The Notre Dame Cathedral is a significant metaphor for religion in our times. French President Emmanuel Macron described the devastating fire as the “emotion of an entire nation.” Thirteen million people visit the cathedral each year, making it one of the world’s most beloved structures. And yet, practicing Catholics make up only 1.8 percent of the French population. According to a recent study, “the practice of the immense majority of French Catholics is limited to life events such as baptism, marriage, death, etc. and to the major feasts of the Church.” The French are by no means alone in their view of the church’s relevance today. “Where is the church?” The oldest church building in the world is the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Begun in AD 327 by Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, it marks the location of Jesus’ birth. The second-oldest church building is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, also begun by Helena and intended to mark the location of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I have visited both many times over the years. Each time, I am struck by the beauty of the structures and the way they draw my attention vertically to the Lord they are intended to serve. However, the fourth-century decision to begin constructing church buildings across the Empire marked a major shift in the way Western culture understood the nature of the church. If you had asked a first-century Christian, “Where is the church?” he or she would not have known how to answer your question. It would be like asking, “Where is the Republican (or Democratic) Party?” or “Where is the pro-life movement?” Early Christians knew that they were the church. Buildings they used to gather for worship were just that—buildings. Jesus launched the church as a movement intended to attack the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18). The church is not a location but an army that marches on its knees as it makes disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” The fire that destroyed two-thirds of the Notre Dame Cathedral was indeed a tragedy. But fire cannot destroy the church of Jesus Christ. Jewish authorities tried to stamp out the church at its beginnings (Acts 4, 5). Nero blamed the fire that swept Rome in AD 64 on the Christians and mistreated them mercilessly. According to tradition, Peter and Paul were both executed during this persecution. Over the following centuries, Christians were blamed for causing natural disasters by refusing to worship the Roman deities. They were accused of immorality and black magic. By AD 325, as many as two million believers had been martyred for their faith. Over the centuries since, Christianity has remained the most persecuted religion in the world. But, as Tertullian famously declared, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” During my first visit to Cuba, I told one of the church leaders that I was praying for persecution to lessen against his people. I was surprised by his response. He asked me to stop, explaining that the persecution they endured was being used by the Holy Spirit to purify and strengthen his people. The apostles’ answer to our first persecutors must be our declaration today: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). What the book of Revelation means The Notre Dame Cathedral still stands this morning. Even if it had been totally destroyed, the church it represents would be just as strong and just as significant today. The strength of the church is not in her buildings but in her people. Our willingness to pay any price to worship and serve Jesus is the test of our faith and the foundation of our witness. When last did it cost you something significant to follow Jesus? What sacrifice will you make today in gratitude for the grace you have received? In response to the “mercies of God,” will you surrender your day and your life to your Lord as a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1)? Will you use your influence to help other people know and follow your Lord? If you do, you will join a global movement of believers across twenty centuries whose faith and witness circle the globe and advance the kingdom of God. And you will be part of a movement that cannot be destroyed by fire or persecution—the church triumphant on earth and in heaven. A seminary student was playing basketball with some friends at a nearby high school gym. He noticed the school’s custodian sitting on the steps of the building with a Bible open on his lap. He made his way over to the elderly gentleman and asked him what he was reading. “The Bible,” the man replied. The seminary student grinned and said, “I can see that. What book of the Bible?” The man responded, “The book of Revelation.” The student was surprised and asked, “The book of Revelation? Do you understand it?” “Of course I understand it,” the custodian answered. “What does it mean?” the seminary student asked. The custodian smiled and said, “It means, we win.” Share Tweet Forward MORE ARTICLES FROM DENISON FORUM >> DONATE

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Attacks on French Churches Constitute a Warning

Save the Persecuted Christians: Unless We Stand Up for Persecuted Christians, What Is Happening There Will Come Here

WASHINGTON—The faithful around the world watched in shock and horror as flames from the Notre Dame Cathedral lit up the Paris sky, marking at least the partial destruction of a religious, cultural and historic global landmark.

Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC), which advocates on behalf of hundreds of millions of Christians facing heavy persecution worldwide, says the tragedy is the latest in a string of church fires in France—a trend that should alarm believers worldwide.

Frank J. Gaffney, president and CEO of Save the Persecuted Christians, issued the following statement in the wake of the destruction.

“The fire that catastrophically consumed Christendom’s most beautiful cathedral in the heart of one of its most important capitals is a tragedy not only for Christians, but for the world,” Gaffney said. “While the cause of this particularly devastating loss remains to be determined, it comes against the backdrop of numerous attacks that have desecrated or destroyed Christian houses of worship across France.

“This pattern of attacks is a symptom of a Sharia-supremacist assault on Christianity in France, often enabled by the country’s intolerant secular left,” he continued. “It suggests that the kind of persecution that is now afflicting some 300 million followers of Christ elsewhere around the world is coming full force to Europe as well.

“Americans are on notice: Unless we counter the forces perpetrating such crimes against humanity in furtherance of the global triumph of Sharia, we will be subjected to similar predations here, too. Indeed, a leading indicator of the state of submission in this country is the self-censorship that seems to be precluding widespread reporting about the wave of attacks on churches in Europe, and anti-Christian persecution more generally.

“This phenomenon amounts to compliance with Sharia-blasphemy restrictions,” Gaffney concluded, “and only incentivizes its adherents to demand further concessions. We must stand up for Christians and Christianity in the face of those who would destroy, not just their houses of worship, but the faith itself, as well as its practitioners.”

Save the Persecuted Christians Executive Director Dede Laugesen also pointed to recent headlines about the burning, vandalism or destruction of churches in France:

• In March, the over 800-year-old Basilica of Saint-Denis in the now heavily migrant-populated suburbs of Paris was also vandalized, with the basilica’s organ being heavily damaged and stained-glass windows were broken, Breitbart reported.
• Just last month, a fire blazed at Saint-Sulpice, according to Reuters. Four people were inside but no one was hurt. The fire was later determined to have been deliberately set.
• The UK Sun reported that France’s Christian heritage is under attack from “militant secularism.”
• Breitbart reports: Twelve French Churches attacked, vandalized in one week
• CruxNow reports: “Vandals and arsonists have targeted French churches in a wave of attacks that has lasted nearly two months.” Saint-Alain Cathedral in Lavaur, south-central France, had its altar cloth set ablaze and statues smashed.
• The American media coverage of church vandalism in France is underwhelming, according to Get Religion.
• And perhaps the most disturbing coverage, this Newsweek headline: “Catholic Churches are Being Desecrated Across France—and Officials Don’t Know Why”

“Due to the extensive damage, we may never know the cause of the inferno that has destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral,” said Laugesen. “Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, and Phillipe Karsenty, a French elected official, were cut off by Fox News anchors when they raised the concern that this fire may in fact be tied to a string of suspicious fires and acts of desecration at churches and cemeteries all over France in just the past few months. These heinous, religious-based hate crimes targeting Christians demand attention. What happened at Notre Dame must be investigated in light of these recent acts of violence. They should be heard.”

Christian persecution worldwide is illustrated through Save the Persecuted Christians’ traveling exhibit called “The People of the Cross,” which displays heartbreaking photos and facts about several countries where Christian persecution is commonplace. Each of 24 banners feature images, facts and quotes from recent news stories about the persecution of Christians in multiple countries, such as North Korea, where Christians are tortured or worse; Syria, where Christian girls and women have been sold into sex slavery; East Africa, where terrorists are exterminating Christians with genocidal intent; and Nigeria where two of the world’s most violent terrorist groups surround and slaughter entire villages of Christians. A majority of the countries highlighted in the banners are high on the World Watch List.

The exhibit premiered in July 2018 at the U.S. Capitol as a side event to the first-ever U.S. Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Since then, it has toured the United States, reaching tens of thousands. “The People of the Cross” exhibit is available for churches, public venues and special events. To learn more about hosting “The People of the Cross,” contact Save the Persecuted Christians or visit the website, where panels are available to view online.

The mission of Save the Persecuted Christians is to save lives and save souls by holding the persecutors accountable and creating costs for their crimes against humanity. To that end, it will disseminate actionable information about the magnitude of such crimes and bring to bear a movement of concerned Americans determined to hold persecutors accountable for such crimes and create real costs for perpetrating them against those who follow Jesus.

According to Aid to the Church in Need, which released its biannual report on Religious Freedom in the World in November, over 300 million Christians experience persecution. According to Open Doors USA World Watch List, 245 million Christians are victims of high to extreme levels of persecution (i.e., torture, rape, sex-slavery, expulsion, murder and genocide), an increase of 14 percent over 2018. Open Doors also estimates 1 in 9 of the world’s Christians experience persecution and that every month: 345 Christians are killed, often in public and without regard to gender or age; 219 Christians are abducted and imprisoned indefinitely without trial; and 106 churches are demolished.

Because most of these crimes are not covered in the media, Save the Persecuted Christians developed a dedicated news aggregator—www.ChristianPersecutionNews.com—to capture current instances of persecution and to provide readers an easy way to share these heartbreaking stories with others.

With the recent spate of attacks in France and so much of the world’s Christian population being attacked, imprisoned and/or exiled for their beliefs, the need has never been greater for the sort of grassroots campaign STPC’s SaveUs Movement is working to foster. Its efforts are modeled after a miraculously successful one that helped free another population suffering from heavy persecution—Soviet Jews—by penalizing those in the Kremlin responsible for such repression. Through this movement, Save the Persecuted Christians endeavors to provide American policymakers with the popular support they need to effect real change worldwide and alleviate systemically the suffering being experienced by so many of those following Christ.