The problem was that Christians could not worship Caesar because they knew there was only one God. To worship other gods (which are not gods at all), along with God Almighty was an affront to God Himself and was seen by Him as idolatry. This immediately put Christians at odds with the “state,” the Roman Empire. It meant being put on trial for crimes against Rome (treason), and ultimately punishment by execution in the most heinous ways possible.

As time progressed and came up to the Middle Ages, we also know that many men known as “reformers” stood against the vestiges of Rome and refused to follow in lock step with the wishes of those who had married the government with religion. Men like Luther, Swingli, Tyndale and a host of others were seen as enemies of the “state” (Rome) and were hunted and if/when found, put on trial, found guilty and executed, usually by being burned at the stake.

Throughout our history since the first century, Christians have faced an uphill battle to try to worship in peace while evangelizing the world. This often created tension between governing bodies (whether secular or religious), resulting in persecution of Christians, with many becoming martyrs for their faith in Jesus.

In the world today...