An Historical Perspective: Persecution and Criticism of Christian Movements Through the Ages
The study of Christian  church history is one of the most fascinating studies that can be undertaken by anyone interested in Christianity.  This article assumes some familiarity with the major milestones and issues through the years. To the reader of this article lacking in such familiarity, I would recommend Dr. Bruce Shelley's "Church History in Plain Language" (see the review on this site). The author is on the faculty of Denver Seminary and has written a readable and worthwhile discussion of the topic from an evangelical perspective.

Movements and Criticism
Those familiar with church history will recognize that two processes seem to dominate history. Those processes are renewal and apostasy, and indeed these are even recognized in the history of the Jews. These are the beginning and end steps in a cycle of spiritual life, sandwiching the stability and faithfulness God has always desired for those who would follow him. Whenever the church was stagnant or corrupt, sooner or later there would be movement by some within the church towards the renewal of some neglected doctrine or practice, or the rejection of some current doctrine or practice. Thus some in the church react to the status quo and seek changes.

It is a natural consequence that those seeking to change and those seeking to maintain the status quo would be in conflict. Each side considers itself "right" and opposes the other side who is "wrong." No matter what the issue, all should be able to recognize  this dynamic at work-- both in the pages of history and in our day.

It Can Get Ugly
As a result of the humanity of those involved (not to mention the possibility of worldly motives of those involved), nasty and bitter criticism and persecution of men of faith from other "men of faith" smear the pages of history. In fact, the most fertile and evil imagination could not devise all of the evil and cruelty that has been practiced in this regard. All sorts of vicious attacks-- from insults to slanders to imprisonments and cruel and merciless executions-- have been done by men claiming to "defend" the faith. They were happy to "let" others die for their faith or for their associations.

In our day, persecutions involving physical violence and imprisonment are rare. The more common persecution in the present-day United States is the smearing of individuals in a group with pejorative labels-- lukewarm, dead, tradition-bound, antiquated, stagnant, cult, mind controlled, brainwashed, and the like. Truth, half-truth, and distortions are often employed to these ends.

Check the Issues
The only way to know which side in a dispute is right is to examine the issues-- being on the receiving end of criticism means nothing in terms of determining what is right. Sometimes criticism is deserved, sometimes it isn't. Being in the majority or the minority means nothing. Being criticized by upstarts or those in positions of power or influence means nothing. All the criticism means is that someone is trying to change the status quo or resist changing the status quo, and somebody else doesn't like it.

Both in history and today, it is possible for both sides to be partly right and partly wrong, complicating matters all the more. This is why it is so important to examine the issues at hand carefully.

Don't Be Naive
Criticism exists whenever there is disagreement; its mere existence only testifies to the conflict. It says nothing about righteousness. Criticisms and defenses from biased sources need to be recognized as such. Similarly, criticisms that appear to be from neutral sources (like the media or some seemingly neutral organization) often have hidden biases or are fanned into flame by biased individuals. Simply buying into defenses or criticisms without recognizing these dynamics is naive.

Links to Major Sections and Eras
To put a "face" on some of this history, I have taken excerpts from Shelley's "Church History in Plain Language" to provide samples of the type of disputes and criticisms that have darkened the ages since the apostles walked the earth. Certainly other works are available which provide even more detail for the interested reader, and other instances besides these cited could also illustrate the points.

Something that should be obvious from considering these items is that criticism is as ancient as the faith itself. It is my hope that reading these would give perspective to those considering criticisms of faith in our own day. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun:

That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Jump to citations from "Church History in Plain Language"