If you listen to liberal media or follow the hateful propaganda on many forums and social networks, you won’t hear much about the war on Christianity or the persecution of Christians around the world. You’ll hear of the end of freedoms and privacy as it relates to everyone, but all three Abrahamic religions are under deeper scrutiny. What can we do?
One of the biggest challenges that we all face is the hypocrisy of tolerance that fills the rhetoric of the most vocal groups. Those who stand against the Word of God and promote agendas that are anti-Biblical demand that their freedoms are expanded, but at the same time they label anyone in their way as bigots. I don’t want to generalize by saying anyone who is pro-abortion, supportive of gay marriage, or in favor of expansion of the separation of church and state are all anti-Biblical, but the lines are being drawn and the majority are falling clearly on one side or the other.
To know how to combat it, how to fight back appropriately, we must take a look at history, acknowledge where things went wrong, look to the Bible for guidance, and establish a gameplan that focuses on our Father and His only begotten Son.
The Rise of a Payback Stance Against Evangelical Christians
Throughout history, Christians have found themselves on the wrong side of many debates. We don’t have to go back to the early days of the church, the Crusades, or ancient persecutions perpetrated in the name of Christianity to find these. Our recent history in America is enough to gain an understanding of this fact.
During the civil rights movement, the most vocal people in America who were against equal rights were often Evangelical Christians. Conservatives often banded together to fight the likes of Martin Luther King. They were wrong. A Biblical worldview did not establish this. The only separations from a Biblical worldview between people was the separation between Jews and Gentiles. There were God’s people and there was everyone else. Yeshua’s resurrection and the inspired teachings of Peter and Paul opened the door for salvation given to the Gentiles, but the separation has been and always will be in place.
Amongst Gentiles, we are all given the same potential for salvation. Political or civil rights were never meant to be separated the way they were, but many conservative Christians failed to see it like that. I’m not going to say that there weren’t liberal atheists who were against the civil rights movement, but the percentage of conservatives who fought it was higher than the percentage of liberals who did.
In nearly every battle fought politically in our country, there have been those who act on our behalf who represented us wrongly. As a group, we can be against abortion, but that doesn’t mean that we condone bombing abortion clinics. Still, those representatives are there. As a group, we can be against gay marriage, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to go out there and harm or murder homosexuals. Still, there are many who have done just that while claiming an Evangelical Christian mindset as justification.
What’s the point? If we can understand the mindset that attacks like these can impose on people, we can get a better grasp of why they’re so passionate and often militant with their views. It wasn’t too long ago when the concept of gay marriage was very unpopular in our country. Six years ago, President Obama did not support it. The tide has turned and it seems that gay marriage will likely be available to anyone in the country in the near future. However, the scars are still there from the times when the movement was not as popular and when proclaiming one’s homosexuality put their health or even their lives at risk.
The point is this: we aren’t fighting against beliefs that allow room for compromise. Battles over gay rights, abortion, the country’s Christian roots, separation of church and state, freedom of speech, or any of the other religiously charged topics of our day are not being fought so that everyone is equal. They’re fighting for supremacy. Whether they admit it or not, this is a payback stance that they’re putting together. For nearly two centuries, the Christian worldview pushed our country’s agenda. There was plenty of good in that worldview, but there were also things done in the name of being a Christian nation that led to us being on the wrong side of various debates.
In short, our fight isn’t just against the rise in popularity of a non-Biblical agenda for the country. We’re also fighting against our own errors from the recent past that have generated an extremely tenacious and unmerciful opposition.
Regarding Privacy and Security
A universal threat in modern society is the depreciation of privacy and personal security around the world. It comes in degrees with the largest atrocities perpetrated in places like North Korea, Iran, or Africa where privacy and security are practically non-existent. It is expanding in Europe, Australia, and South America. In the United States, the long-held fight against the concept of a police state is starting to lose its bite.
We are all watching our freedoms erode. We’re seeing a government that is growing more obtrusive. We are seeing conspiracy theories of FEMA detainment camps, militarized law enforcement, “Big Brother” surveillance, and indefinite detention all heading away from being crazy tinfoil hat ideas and entering into the realm of reality.
If you are on a phone, sending an email, or surfing the web, you can and should assume that the government (and possibly other entities) are watching. There are drones flying over America. There are law enforcement agencies that can see through walls into your home. We’ve even seen the concept of being patriotic turned on its head to make people willfully release their freedoms for the sake of security.
Some say that our liberties are eroding. Unfortunately, the concept of erosion is one that takes time to fulfill. We’re not seeing erosion. We’re seeing our liberties demolished as quickly, purposefully, and violently as World Trade Center building 7. It’s happening and the majority of Americans are sticking their heads in the sand, falling to the sin of idolatry and allowing ourselves to be distracted by the world.
The Willingness to Fight
We are faced with two imperative but conflicting truths in all of this. On one side,we have a duty to our country, the world, and ourselves to fight the rise of tyranny. Things are bad in many countries of the world with ISIS, Boko Haram, and oppressive governments across the world. Domestically, we’re witnessing the dismantling of the constitution and the degradation of the American way of life.
On the other side, we have our commitment to God our Father and our Lord and Savior Yeshua to be diligent with our faith and to spread His Word. Some would say that this is not a conflicting truth, but it is at its purest form since the problems of the world are not the problems of a true Christian.
Colossians 3:2 (KJV)
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Our love for freedoms and the American way of life run contrary to the idea that our love must be focused on worship and service to our God. However, there is a life strategy that we’ve found can be used to achieve both.
Focus on doing what the Lord has laid out for you. That starts inside with the giving of complete belief and servitude towards loving our Creator and living the life that Yeshua charged us to live. We are to reach the nations. We are to spread the Word. These are both concepts that begin by wearing the Armor of God and believing through our minds and actions that tasks put forth for us to accomplish.
Once we are established in a purely Biblical mindset and promoting the true Christian worldview, we are able to expand our influence to those we can reach. It is hard when the world is against us, but it was against Him as well and he overcame the world. We will not be able to overcome the world, but if we are secure in our hearts to live the way that Yeshua has given us, then certain fears can be easily overcome.
Prepare yourself for any situation. Think about it. Know what you would do if given the choice between watching horrendous atrocities performed on you or your family. Would you denounce Christ if faced with beheading? Would you put aside your faith to save yourself in this life? Would you be willing to face any persecution, torture, or even death in order to stay true to the Word of God?
If you go in knowing that they can take nothing from you of importance, nothing that can deny you of the salvation our Lord has offered us, then you will find the fights we want to wage offer a clear path.
We are at war. For this, we should rejoice! It was seen by the prophets. It was foretold by our Savior. Make certain that servitude and love towards our Lord and Savior guide all of your actions and none of these problems can be too hard to handle.
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