“Suffering is the badge of the true Christian. The disciple is not above his
master…Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is
therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to
suffer.”
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“There is no question here about who is in the right and who is in the
wrong. There is no suggestion from Jesus that a change in strategy might
palliate the adversaries of the church. There is none of this namby-pamby
nonsense suggesting that maybe if the Christians were less dogmatic, or
maybe if they were more open to the possibility of there being more than
one right way, they would not be suffering. None of that garbage from
Jesus. He recognizes who the enemy is, and it is clear that those who
oppose his people are diabolical. The devil is about to have them arrested.”
-James Hamilton

Suggested Reading:
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, John Foxe
Jesus Freaks, DC Talk
The Scots Worthies, John Howie
The Insanity of Obedience, Nik Ripken