Christians Under Attack

I honestly never thought I would see this in America in my lifetime. But here we are. Over the last couple of years it has been rather frustrating to watch the Christian faith come under attack the way it has. We have seen this happening in the courts as Christians have been tried and convicted for standing for their moral convictions. We have seen it in the marketplace as businesses try to expunge faith from Christian holiday seasons and companies overtly support groups which promote gross immorality. We have seen it in the media as media personalities have mocked Christians and Christian beliefs. We have seen it in the schools as school systems allow free speech to every group except Christians. And the list goes on.

But recently, the direct attack against Christian principles, and indeed the Christian faith itself, has taken on a new intensity. This is particularly evident as the president of the United States, himself, tries to implement bureaucratic rules designed to literally force us, as Christians, to participate in things which violate our consciences. What we have is the government, literally, trying to establish a religion, contrary to the first amendment of the United States Constitution. While the president, obviously, doesn’t see his decree as an attempt to force his religion on the people of the nation, this is exactly what he is doing.

The president has, from his initial presidential campaign, declared himself to be a Christian. However, it all depends on what you mean by the word “Christian.” If you mean that the church he attended had the word Christian in it, then perhaps he can claim to be a Christian on that basis. But if you mean that his actual belief system is based on the Christian faith, then he is no more a Christian than is Mitt Romney.

President Obama follows a religious belief system which is based on Liberation Theology. Liberation Theology is not traditional Christianity. Rather, it is Marxist ideology dressed in Christian terminology. When they speak of God, they are referring to a nebulous transcendent being who is focused on liberating people from material oppression, not the God of the Bible whose focus is liberating people from sin. They do not see human beings as fallen and in need of a Savior, but as material creatures who deserve to be free from the oppression of some oppressive force. They believe that the focus of this life is to achieve social justice (wealth redistribution from the oppressor to the oppressed), not to know a relationship with God. And they believe that the best way to accomplish social justice is through a socialistic or communistic political system, not by individuals following the leading of God in their lives. This is not Christian theology!

The result is a belief that asserts that it is okay for government to take from some and give to others – and it is the government leaders who get to choose. It makes no difference whether or not the consciences of other citizens are violated. This is an example of the president’s religion on display and how he is trying to force everyone else to adhere to it.

The truth is, it is not just Christians who are under attack, even though we are the recipients of this current assault. If this religious approach can be forced on the nation, there is no limit to what other decrees can be foisted by the government on the people, no matter their particular moral convictions. The people who are the beneficiaries of this round may be the victims of the next when new leaders step into office.

The only solution is for us to become grounded in our faith and stand up against the attacks on our consciences. If this is not done, and done now with strength and conviction, the past attacks against us will seem very mild compared to what is coming.