Suffering from Fellow Countrymen

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind. -1 Thes 2:14-15
Every time I hear a story of Christmas trees being removed from the public square, or a kid being told he can't read his Bible in school, or another corporation banning the phrase "Merry Christmas," I'm shocked. I still believe the lie that Christians should be treated fairly. Well that's not really a lie--Christians should be treated fairly--it's just not going to happen. I'm not naive enough to believe Christians are treated fairly in communist North Korea, or muslim Saudi Arabia, or atheistic Sweden, but come on, this is the U.S.A. Home of the Free and Land of the Brave. The nation of Pilgrims, Puritans, and Abraham Lincoln.

I may never understand why people hate the good news that Jesus sacrificed himself to pay our penalty. But I will trust the Bible when it says I will suffer at the hands of my fellow countrymen. The Christmas child's countrymen crucified him for claiming to be God, so I shouldn't be surprised when my countrymen prefer celebrating Santa Claus to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.