Former Archbishop Williams: Western Christians Complaining About Persecution Need to 'Grow Up' | Sojourners

Former Archbishop Williams: Western Christians Complaining About Persecution Need to 'Grow Up'

Former Archbishop Rowan Williams, Mark William Penny / Shutterstock.com
Former Archbishop Rowan Williams, Mark William Penny / Shutterstock.com

Former Archbishop Rowan Williams told Christians in the West who complain of mistreatment to "grow up" in a talk at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today. After years of meeting with others around the world who face "murderous hostility" for their religious beliefs, Lord Williams said complaints of persecution among Christians in the U.K. and the U.S. make him him "very uneasy." The Telegraph reports

"When you have any contact with real persecuted minorities you learn to use the word persecuted very chastely," he said.

"I think (Christians in the West) are made to feel uncomfortable at times. ...Don't confuse it with the systematic brutality and often murderous hostility which means that every morning you get up wondering if you and your children are going to make it through the day.

"That is different, it's real. It's not quite what we're facing in Western society. (That) level of not being taken very seriously or being made fun of — I mean for goodness sake, grow up. You have to earn respect if you want to be taken seriously in society."

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Image: Former Archbishop Rowan Williams, Mark William Penny / Shutterstock.com

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