In the comfortable landscape of Western Christianity, the concept of a pastor or a church leader residing in a prison cell is often viewed as a radical anomaly or a sign of personal failure. However, for those engaged in global missions, particularly across Asia and the Middle East, the reality is strikingly different. In many parts of the world, loving Jesus and going to jail are like peanut butter and jelly; they simply go together. While this partnership between faith and incarceration sounds extreme to the American ear, it is a routine, lived experience for millions of believers worldwide. Understanding this connection is essential for developing a biblically wise and responsive worldview that honors the global “fellowship of suffering”.
The Global Normal vs. The American Exception
Our experience in the United States, where pastors generally operate without the threat of imprisonment, is the exception rather than the rule. For many global Christian leaders, sitting in a prison cell for several years is a “routine” part of their ministry calling. We have real, personal friends—people we have shared lunch with, prayed with, and supported—who are currently serving long-term prison sentences. For example, one leader is currently in the seventh year of a nine-year sentence simply for his faithfulness to the Gospel.
In countries like China, the connection between Jesus and jails is a constant reality. The recent arrest of the pastor at the Early Reign Church in Chengdu serves as a sobering reminder of this bond. When visiting such churches, it is not uncommon to find the sanctuary surrounded by dozens of policemen. In one instance, thirty officers arrived just as a teaching session on the biblical call to rescue the innocent was about to begin, blocking the building and preventing believers from entering. In these contexts, being interrogated or detained becomes a part of the routine of life, rather than a shocking tragedy. To live out one’s faith in these regions requires a willingness to pay the ultimate price, as believers must constantly swim against the stream of the culture.
The Biblical Precedent for Incarceration
The partnership between Jesus and jails is not a modern development; it is deeply rooted in the foundational history of the Church. The scriptures are replete with figures who were arrested not because they were “terrible people,” but because they were faithful. John the Baptist was arrested and eventually executed; Jesus himself is the supreme example of someone who was arrested despite having done no wrong.
The book of Acts records that the high priest and the Sadducees, filled with jealousy, arrested all the apostles and placed them in public prison. Peter was seized and imprisoned by Herod, and the Apostle Paul was arrested multiple times. In fact, Paul’s letters are often written from a place of incarceration, where he greets his “fellow prisoners” and encourages young Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of him, His prisoner. This “fellowship of suffering” suggests that incarceration for the sake of the Gospel is a testing ground prepared by God for His people.
Redefining Legality and Morality
A significant hurdle in the American mindset is the assumption that if someone is arrested, they must have done something wrong. This perspective fails to recognize that the law itself can be what is wrong, or that those enforcing the law may be acting contrary to the will of God. There is a dangerous inverse corollary to this: the belief that anything legal is therefore morally permissible. This is frequently seen in the pro-life movement, where opponents argue that because abortion is legal in much of America, it is morally acceptable.
However, the history of the faith proves that we must often obey God rather than man. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, many American Christians, including myself and my wife, were involved in nonviolent, prayerful sit-ins at Planned Parenthood facilities. We were routinely arrested and spent time in local jails for quietly sitting in front of doors to protect the innocent. While this appeared radical to our neighbors, it was a small reflection of the “routine” suffering for righteousness seen globally. Instead of assuming arrest indicates a flaw in character, we should ask if we are living a radically attractive and winsome life that is bold enough to occasionally get us into trouble.
The Psychological and Spiritual Reality of Interrogation
Suffering by faith is a process that requires both practical preparation and spiritual reliance. As a long-term missionary in Asia, I found it necessary to receive specific training on “how to be arrested”. This was not because we sought trouble, but because it was a practical planning guide for an inevitable reality. The training covered how to pray through an arrest, what to say, and what not to do.
The experience of interrogation is often a mixture of anxiety and miraculous peace. I have faced situations where local policemen, who were sometimes personal friends or dinner guests, were forced by their superiors to bully and push us around; one could see the sympathetic and apologetic air behind their facade of intimidation. Other times, the interrogation was more severe, with officers attempting to extract contradictory information by questioning husbands and wives in separate rooms.
The most intimidating experience I faced involved being suddenly pushed off a sidewalk by plain-clothes men into an unmarked police car. With my cell phone confiscated, the primary source of anxiety was not my own safety, but the worry that my family would be distressed and that my local contacts might be put in jeopardy. Yet, consistently, being faithful to Jesus comes with the grace and peace of Jesus. Generally, if one tells the truth without revealing unnecessary information, they can navigate these trials with dignity.
The Rising Tide of Persecution in India
The partnership of Jesus and jails is currently becoming more intense in Northern India. Persecution there is on the rise, driven by an increasingly Hindu nationalistic governmental platform and the implementation of anti-conversion laws. The leadership in India has paved a way for Christians to be persecuted without any means of legal recourse or protection.
In cities throughout India, Hindu nationalists now feel brazen and enabled to enter churches to berate and physically beat believers. They confiscate church property, including computers and offering boxes with money still locked inside. In these moments, the police are often absent or function as passive accepters of the violence, as the government generally approves of efforts to discourage Christian gatherings. Some activists have even been seen spitting on or poking believers with pins while the police look on, welcoming the discouragement of the faith.
Responding with Radical Love
The “Jesus and jails” partnership is most beautiful when it reveals the radical nature of true Christianity. When the police raided the church in Chengdu, the believers did not respond with hostility. Instead, they engaged the police with love, dignity, and humility, even offering to pray with the officers who were there to shut them down. They encouraged one another to return good for evil, demonstrating a winsome contrast to the aggression of their persecutors.
Jesus explicitly endorsed this ministry to the incarcerated in Matthew 25, indicating that when we visit those in prison and are not ashamed of them, we are serving Him directly. Prisons are dark places that desperately need the light of the Gospel. We must not treat the imprisoned as if they are part of a plague; rather, we should follow the example of Paul, who took pride in his “fellow prisoners”.
Conclusion: Becoming a Cross-Bearing People
As we look at the global landscape, we must commit to being a cross-bearing people. For those of us who are not currently facing the threat of a jail cell, our responsibility is to find creative ways to share in the suffering of those who are. This begins with a change in perspective: we must view the imprisoned not as wrongdoers, but as brothers and sisters who may be in bonds because the law itself is contrary to God’s will.
We are called to:
- Pray for the persecuted in all circumstances, asking for their peace and protection.
- Honor those who have suffered deeply for their faith, recognizing that their trials are a normative part of the Christian experience.
- Refuse to be ashamed of those in prison, recognizing the “fellowship of the suffering” as a badge of honor in the Kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to bear these burdens together. Whether in the streets of Northern India, the courtrooms of the United States, or the prisons of China, the partnership between Jesus and jails remains a powerful testimony. We should not look for trouble, but we must never run from it if it is the price of being faithful to our Lord.
This article is adapted from the episode transcript.