Rev Bill

St. Polycarp of Smyrna was a second century Christian martyr — killed because he refused to confess that Caesar was his lord.

Vernon Boyles raises a question in an interesting article in this month’s Presbyterians Today — what is the church doing today to “unmask the idolatries” in today’s society?

Here is a portion of the article:

St. Polycarp of Smyrna stood alone in the Roman arena, charged with atheism for his unwillingness to declare, “Caesar is Lord.” He knew that he would be executed if he did not declare that he and his fellow Christians were, in fact, atheists. Polycarp surveyed the hostile crowd and testified to the 86 years Jesus Christ had been his faithful Savior. He gestured in a way that encompassed the whole crowd, including Caesar, and shouted, “Away with the atheists!”

The eternal dilemma for Christians has been to discern who “the atheists” are.

He goes on to name some “idols” in our society that we tend to overlook. I would add others — such as abortion — but I believe the article gives us all something to think about!

You can read the article here.

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