I found this article interesting. It is true that Christians are commanded to avoid being contentious and “quarrelsome,” especially in today’s current political climate, but often a point of view which is contrary to some is perceived as insolent because of the substance of the opinion. When Our Lord admonished the religious leaders, He was often accused of being quarrelsome, if not blasphemous. Whether He was scolding the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, or explaining the law and attributes of God’s word, He would be seen as the troublemaker. Likewise, Paul was referred to as the “babbler.” So then, what is a Christian living in America to do? Whether your words are spoken kindly or with perceived rancor, the result will be social disdain. Not easy to be a Christian, is it? Persecution results when your opinions are Biblically based, and do not convey compliance with the world. I was once told by an agnostic woman that Christians should not be permitted to express their faith publicly. She actually believed religious beliefs must be kept private. And this happened to me only a couple of years ago. This type of thinking permeates all generations. If we should fail to speak because of fear of offending the culture, the church becomes useless. In communist China, where censorship is practiced by the government, and penalties imposed for evangelizing, there are still 44 million Chinese Christians who stand up for Christ. Can we do less?