While I would not say it's always easy to be a Christian even in Houghton, I think the fact that it is not particularly hard makes it easy to become complacent and just live like those around us. It can make it hard to maintain that spiritual fire. Strong opposition can sometimes make a Christian back down, but I think it also has the power to help the person rely solely on God for strength, something that can be hard to do when life isn't all that tough. Not that I invite persecution, but God does promise more reward in heaven for staying true to God, even through persecution (Matthew 5:10-12)
Good point...