One of the earliest records (I'm sure there are others) we have of persecution existing in the church was when Manasseh of Judah was King. This dude "shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end." (2 Kings 21:16) Why? Because godly people opposed his evil practices of building altars to Baal. It was during Manasseh's reign that Isaiah was sawed in two. Psycho!Anyway, persecution isn't a topic that is talked about much in the present day church. But it's an issue that is real, that isn't simply "something that happened back...