Here’s a recent text exchange with a good friend of mine…

My Friend: Does a lack of persecution in one’s life mean there is a lack of boldness for the gospel?

Me: I’d say that boldness (as embodied by Jesus of Nazareth) is primarily a radical commitment to be weak, vulnerable, and ‘powerless.’ Boldness is to STRIVE for the status of slave and servant. True greatness aspires to be last (not first). Even when being BOLD with words, we must embrace the insistence of the New Testament that – primarily our words must emphasis the inescapable WAY of WEAKNESS personified and preached by our King (e.g. 1 Corinthians 2:2); and we must always bear in mind that the eternal image of our LIONLY LORD is that of a LAMB who has been SLAIN (see Revelation 5:6). Our boldness (practiced and preached) must align with THIS FORCEFUL THEME of servitude, lowliness, and suffering as the joy set before us (e.g. Stephen in Acts 7). With that paradigm/definition of BOLDNESS in mind, I would say “Yes” lack of persecution in one’s life often (not always, but often …especially in the American culture and context) means there is a lack of boldness. The really interesting part about persecution in the Gospels and in the book of Acts is the fact that PERSECUTION is primarily coming from the conservative religious community (e.g. Jesus was persecuted [and ultimately crucified] by the Pharisees; and Paul was incessantly hounded and hassled by the Jewish traditionalists – see Acts 13:45, 50; 14:2, 19; 17:5, 13).