One of the most shocking details from the recent shooting in Roseberg, Oregon was that the gunman reportedly singled out people who said they were Christian for fatal shots to the head.

Turning Point Adventist Church sits a few miles from Roseberg’s Umpqua Community College, where a young man, who had earlier exhibited disdain for the Christian faith, took ten lives. The church’s pastor, Lonnie Wibberding asked his congregation that Sunday, “If he had been pointing that gun at you, asking you if you were Christian, what would you have said?”

Believing saint, you will probably never hear this question. But there are Christian martyrs.

Open Doors USA is an organization that works in countries that are highly repressive and restrictive toward Christians. Open Doors encourages and equips believers in these places for the persecution they face and advocates for them in the U.S. Open Doors’ President, David Curry says of the shootings in Roseberg, “Unfortunately this appears to be the latest example of growing hostility towards people who identify as Christian.” He hopes the tragedy will cause Americans to soften their hearts toward Christians around the world for whom this kind of persecution “is a daily occurrence.” And he said, “I would also urge all of us to consider the privilege of religious freedom that we enjoy in the U.S. and advocate for those abroad who do not have it.”

Here in the U.S. we don’t face that level of persecution, but there has been a decided rise in hostility toward Christians. It’s becoming sort of an official prevailing hostility — not producing martyrs — but yielding some ugly results. At the same time, believers suffering for refusing to deny the principles of their faith taste some of the grace God extends to those that are martyred.

The Bible refers frequently to martyrs. Think of Stephen whose stoning is described in Acts, chapter 7. Stephen testified of Christ and indicted the Jewish leaders of his day for rejecting God in the same way that their Old Testament ancestors had rejected Him. Verse 54 says they “were gnashing their teeth at him.” Why? Because Stephen was telling the truth about their rejection of God’s truth. Isn’t this at the root of today’s anti-Christian hostility. The gnashing of teeth toward Biblically faithful Christians is more and more public and increasingly emanates from powerful elites, even from government. It doesn’t result in deaths, but it affects livelihoods, and good works done in Christ’s name.

Acts 7:56 describes what Stephen saw as he was about to be martyred. Jesus was standing at the right hand of God ready to receive a hero into the kingdom. And Stephen exhibited a Christlike attitude toward his murderers saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Amidst this hatred and violence unleashed upon Stephen, the Bible says he “fell asleep.”

God’s eternal grace extends to the one who stands with Him.