Frontline Fellowship
  • Home
  • The Mission
    • About
    • Priority Projects >
      • Projects
    • Literature4Africa Online
    • Gospel Defence League
    • Africa Christian Network
    • Boxes with Love
    • Prayer Maps
    • In Memorium
  • Evangelising Extremists
  • Newsletters
    • Frontline News
    • Prayer & Praise Updates
    • Email Articles
    • Missionary Reports
  • Resources
    • Digital Resources
    • Video & Audio Gallery >
      • Audio Gallery
      • Frontline on Youtube
      • Frontline on Vimeo
    • Articles >
      • Articles
      • News
      • Africa
      • Animals
      • Animism
      • Bible Teaching
      • Christmas
      • Family
      • Gun Control & Self Defense
      • History
      • Islam
      • Missions
      • Persecution
      • Political & Social Issues
      • War and Terrorism
      • Film Reviews
    • Articles in other Languages >
      • Afrikaans
      • German
      • French
      • Danish
      • Chinese
      • Russian
      • Chichewa
      • Czech
    • Bible Studies
    • Answers to Critical Questions
    • Skeptics Questions Answered
    • Books published by Dr Peter Hammond
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • BWS & GCC
  • Books in USA

The Elim Massacre Revisited

8/2/2012

0 Comments

 
​On a recent visit to Zimbabwe, I took my family to visit the site of the old Elim mission station in the Vumba. As so much of my mission work is spent helping persecuted Christians, I wanted to show my children an example of how Christians suffer persecution. I also thought that it might help explain why I must travel away from home so often to serve those suffering for their Faith.

On 23rd June 1978, Marxist terrorists of Mugabe’s ZANLA murdered 9 British missionaries and 4 young children, including a 3 week old baby, at the Elim Mission station. I showed my children the school buildings and we walked onto the field where the missionaries and their children had been herded, then tortured and bayoneted to death.
​My point in explaining this atrocity was to illustrate the vicious hostility of communism for Christianity. However, the reaction of my children was quite different from what I had expected.

"Why didn’t the daddies protect the mommies and the children?" asked my oldest daughter, Andrea.

"Well these people were pacifists – they believed that they could never use any force to defend either themselves or their families," I answered.

"Then they couldn’t have been Christians!" declared my younger daughter, Daniela

" No, Daniela, actually these people were very sincere Christians," I explained. "They were very brave people who died courageously – even praying for the terrorists that they would be converted. They died as martyrs for Christ."

Andrea was horrified "How could any Christian father stand by and refuse to defend his own children? The Bible commands fathers to protect their family!"

"You are right, Andrea. They were very wrong not to fight to protect their children. But they were sincere Christians all the same!"

"Well I don’t think they acted like Christians!" Daniela was adamant.

A long discussion over parental duties, self defence, what constitutes a true Christian and all the related issues continued for days afterwards. Although Andrea was only 8 years old at the time and Daniela was 6, they were more concerned over the passivity of the parents than over the wickedness of the communists. Even our 4 year old son, Christopher, was deeply offended and genuinely horrified that there could exist any father who would fail to do everything necessary to defend his wife and children. "But if the bad people tried to hurt us you would shoot them wouldn’t you, Daddy?"

"Yes, Christopher", I assured him, I most certainly would.

We discussed some of the Scriptures that clearly teach a man’s responsibility to provide for the protection of his family:"If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Timothy 5:8

Obviously I, as a husband and father, cannot only provide my wife and children with housing, food, clothing, education and medical care. I must also provide spiritual guidance, love and protection." If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed." Exodus 22:2 "Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked." Proverbs 25:26 Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord Who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 4:14 From these and other Scriptures, it is clear that God holds men responsible for being armed and prepared to protect his family. In fact our Lord Jesus taught: ". . . if you don’t have a sword, sell your clock and buy one." Luke 22:36

Pacifist beliefs do not stand up to the harsh reality of our fallen world. Nor can pacifism be reconciled to the clear teachings of Scripture. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    idop.africa

    More Articles

    All
    20th Anniversary Of The Bisho Massacre
    70 YEARS OF COMMUNISM IN CHINA
    A Different Church A Strange God
    A Different Kind Of War
    American Foreign Policy Affects The Persecuted Church
    A New 'Gospel'
    A Response To "why Churches In Sudan Are Not Bombed"
    ARRESTED IN SUDAN
    A Tale Of Two Islands
    A Tribute To Dr. Nicolae Gheorghita
    Atrocities In Angola
    A World At War Against God
    BATTLE FOR THE AIRWAVES
    Being Prepared
    BILL BATHMAN – MISSIONARY TO THE PERSECUTED
    CHANGING THE COURSE OF HISTORY - BY PRAYER
    Christian Students Targeted In Nigeria
    Christians Under Fire In Ethiopia
    CHRISTOPHOBIA
    Churches Bombed In Nigeria And Burned In Ethiopia
    COMMUNIST LIBERATION - MYTH & REALITY
    Counter Attack
    Dealing With Pathological Antagonists
    Death By Government
    DEATH THREATS FROM MUSLIM EXTREMISTS
    DIED IN THE SERVICE OF CHRIST
    EAT YOUR BIBLES
    Ethiopia - Lessons In How To Run A Famine
    FATAL FLAWS IN THE 'FOUR FEATHERS'
    Forced Removals In Ethiopia
    Frontline Newsletter: Uprooting Terrorism
    Genocide In The Nuba Mountains Of Sudan
    God Help The Animals
    Holocaust In Rwanda
    Hostility To Christianity In Europe
    HOW CIVILIZATIONS COMMIT SUICIDE
    How The Enemies Of God Use The Church To Destroy Christianity By Dorothea Scarborough
    How Was The Greatest Century Of Missions Was Derailed Into The Worst Century Of Persecution?
    ICASA TARGETS GOSPEL RADIO
    International Day Of Prayer For The Persecuted Church
    IN THE LION'S DEN FOR THE WORLD'S GREATEST REVOLUTIONARY
    INVITATION TO JOIN THE LARGEST PRAYER MOVEMENT FOR THE PERSECUTED
    Islamic Persecution Throughout Africa
    Learning From The Persecuted
    Maputo Hell Hole
    Massacre In Mozambique
    MISSIONARIES MASSACRED!
    Mobilise Prayer For The Persecuted
    Mobilize Prayer For The Persecuted
    Peace In Sudan
    Persecution Continues
    Persecution Explodes As Muslims Come To Christ
    Persecution In History
    Persecution In The Bible
    Persecution Or Revival
    Please! (Worldnet Daily Interview: Peter Hammond)
    PRAYER & PRAISE UPDATE - MUGABE CLAMPS DOWN ON PRAYER
    PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED
    PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH PRAYER AND ACTION
    Praying For Justice
    PRAYING THE IMPRECATORY PSALMS FOR JUSTICE
    Reign Of Terror In Central African Republic
    RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS AT RISK IN SOUTH AFRICA
    RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND ISLAM
    Remember The Persecuted
    Remember The Victims Of The Holocausts
    Responding To Criticism
    SERVING THE PERSECUTED
    Slavery Today And Setting The Captives Free
    So You Want To Be Persecuted?
    Terrorism And Persecution
    THE ARAB SPRING TURNS OUT TO BE MORE OF A BITTER WINTER
    THE BLACK BOOK OF COMMUNISM
    The Christian Answer To The Present Crisis
    The Elim Massacre Revisited
    The Greatest Killer
    The Great Siege Of Malta
    The National Suicide Of Zimbabwe
    THE ST JAMES MASSACRE
    The TURKISH GENOCIDE Of ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS
    THE WORLD'S GREATEST REVOLUTIONARY
    THROUGH THE FIRES OF PERSECUTION - ANSWERS TO PRAY IN MOZAMBIQUE
    TRIUMPH AMIDST TRIBULATION
    Uganda For Christ
    Ugandan Tragedy Continues
    War Against Christians Intensifies
    What Can We Do To Help Persecuted Christians Survive This Tsunami Of Violence?
    What Dangers Should Watchmen Be Warning Against?
    What Every Christian Needs To Know About The Inquisition
    What Is A Caliphate?
    What Is Happening In The Middle East?
    WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?
    Where Are The Watchmen On The Wall?
    Why Forgive?
    Why Is There So Much Hostility To The Bible And Christianity?

    Archives

    April 2025
    July 2024
    October 2023
    August 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    October 2019
    November 2017
    September 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    September 2015
    May 2015
    August 2014
    October 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012

    RSS Feed

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
”
 Matthew 28: 18-20
Picture

P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town, South Africa

Tel:  +27 (0)21 689 4480 
Email: [email protected]
  • Home
  • The Mission
    • About
    • Priority Projects >
      • Projects
    • Literature4Africa Online
    • Gospel Defence League
    • Africa Christian Network
    • Boxes with Love
    • Prayer Maps
    • In Memorium
  • Evangelising Extremists
  • Newsletters
    • Frontline News
    • Prayer & Praise Updates
    • Email Articles
    • Missionary Reports
  • Resources
    • Digital Resources
    • Video & Audio Gallery >
      • Audio Gallery
      • Frontline on Youtube
      • Frontline on Vimeo
    • Articles >
      • Articles
      • News
      • Africa
      • Animals
      • Animism
      • Bible Teaching
      • Christmas
      • Family
      • Gun Control & Self Defense
      • History
      • Islam
      • Missions
      • Persecution
      • Political & Social Issues
      • War and Terrorism
      • Film Reviews
    • Articles in other Languages >
      • Afrikaans
      • German
      • French
      • Danish
      • Chinese
      • Russian
      • Chichewa
      • Czech
    • Bible Studies
    • Answers to Critical Questions
    • Skeptics Questions Answered
    • Books published by Dr Peter Hammond
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • BWS & GCC
  • Books in USA