Persecution in the Early Church and Nigerian Church

Abstract

The church has suffered much security challenges from people of opposing religious faith, who felt threatened by the unique presence of God, convincing miracles, dominating spirituality, unparalleled missionary spirit, as well as her particularistic doctrinal claims. The experience of Christians in the first few centuries of the Christian church was characterized by great persecutions. Also, Christian persecution in contemporary time is a serious challenge. Many faithful Christians who were unwilling to compromise their faith were martyred in the process in a most horrible manner. The current state of Nigeria is inherently reflected in the mirror of the early church. The contemporary Christians in Nigeria benefit a great deal from the early Church’s experience and response to persecution. Employing a descriptive methodology, persecution is analyzed in the context of the early Church mirroring the Nigerian Church.