Faith under fire

Measured by scale and severity, the 20th century stands as the darkest chapter of Christian persecution in history.  Of the estimated 70 million Christians martyred across time, more than half lost their lives during the last century driven by totalitarian regimes, ideological purges, and ethnic violence with no part of the globe left untouched.   

Despite the march of time, the first quarter of this century not much has changed. 

Tucked deep within Egypt’s Sinai desert, St. Catherine’s Monastery, has endured as the world’s longest-standing Christian sanctuary, offering uninterrupted worship for more than 1,500 years. Yet in May, an Egyptian court handed control of the monastery’s land to the government. The ruling threatens not just their autonomy but the very presence of the monastic community at this ancient spiritual oasis.

According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, Hindu politicians are weaponizing anti-conversion laws to target Christian communities across India. The laws prevent Christian conversions and are used to harass pastors, disrupt worship services, and criminalize expressions of faith.

Last month, ISIS carried out a string of attacks on four Christian-majority villages in Mozambique. Homes were torched, Christians beheaded, and over 46,000 were driven from their towns. The violence triggered mass displacements compounding an already critical humanitarian emergency.  Also in Africa, genocidal murder of Christians in Nigeria doubled since last year with four months remaining.

Unlike overseas, the erosion of American religious freedom has taken a more gradual decline unfolding through legal, cultural, and institutional shifts. Faith-based organizations have faced pressure to conform to government mandates that conflict with their doctrinal autonomy and moral teachings for opposing abortion, contraception, homosexuality and transgenderism.

Public expressions of faith like prayer and religious symbols have been restricted in certain schools, government spaces and at abortion mills like Planned Parenthood. This backlash of repercussions and marginalization raises concerns about freedom of expression and its future.

The Family Research Council reported 1,384 acts of hostility since January 2018.  You can add the transgender shooter who killed two children and injured 17 at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis this past Wednesday.

Last year, 383 churches endured 415 attacks across 43 states.  There were 284 acts of vandalism, 55 incidents of arson, 28 gun-related attacks, 14 bomb threats, and 47 incidents, of assault, disruption of services, and terroristic threats.  California led the nation with 40 attacks, followed by Pennsylvania 29, Florida and New York 25, Texas 23, and Tennessee and Ohio 19.

Throughout American history, religious freedom has been the cornerstone of the nation’s character enshrined in the Constitution’s First Amendment. The Founding Fathers understood the importance of protecting individual conscience and religious rights from government. Yet, this foundational right continues to be challenged from all walks of Left America. Christian business owners have been sued, high school coaches fired for praying, and Catholic hospitals forced to offer abortions.

Everyone paying attention realizes we are in the midst of an existential fight for our longstanding American values and way of life.  We are at a tipping point and engaged in a spiritual battle for our nation’s soul. The radical Left’s agenda is not just political, it is poison to freedom, hostile to truth and a direct threat to our God-given rights. Its grip is strangling our schools, courts, media, and government. 

The Christian ethos is losing influence and respect in American life.  The unchurched have increased by 12% over the last two decades and are indicative of the mounting cultural and spiritual crisis. The principle of religious liberty that was once a unifying ideal is now the center of polemical debate, raising somber concerns about the future of religious freedom in American life.

The Left’s hostility is about undercutting America’s biblical foundations. As cultural and political battles escalate, so too does the need for a vigilant and engaged body of Christ to defend the moral pillars upon which our country stands.

If we fail to speak out, we risk surrendering the very ideals that once made America a symbol of hope and liberty. The moment for silence is behind us. Our voices must rise today and at the ballot box in defense of faith, family, and freedom.

When our foundation is cracking – straddling the fence is complicity.