Lifeway Research’s latest survey revealed that 54% of 1,005 Americans think religious freedom is under threat. Furthermore, 59% said that Christians are being treated less favorably than others and that intolerance for their beliefs is growing.
These statistics are confusing. Relevant Magazine responded to these findings in a recent article. Relevant Magazine argued that Christians in America aren’t being persecuted the same as Christians in other countries.
Conservative Christian groups [in America] have a lot to celebrate. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and delivered a big win to Christians who want to pray in public schools. These are big, historic decisions and they don’t square with a narrative of diminishing religious liberty for Christians. This is especially true on a global scale. Open Doors USA’ World Watch List keeps track of the countries where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian, and the stories on their meticulously detailed database are heartbreaking. Christians in places like Afghanistan, North Korea, and Somalia can be imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for their faith…. Persecution against Christians is real and we should be talking more about it. But it’s not what the American Church is facing, and conflating what’s happening in other countries with an online backlash and political spats in the U.S. does a disservice to that conversation.
It is, indeed, nonsense to argue that Christians in America have it anywhere near as bad as Christians in, say, the Muslim world, where the overwhelming majority of persecution against Christians takes place. The same World Watch List referenced above found that the “extreme persecution” meted out to Christians in nine of the absolute 11 worst nations in the world comes from Islamic oppression or is occurring in Muslim-majority nations. Similarly, the persecution Christians experience in 39 of the 50 nations on the World Watch List is also either from Islamic oppression or is occurring in Muslim-majority nations.
It’s not about losing religious freedom but losing the war on vibes. While Christians might not enjoy being faced with opposing views or being forced to make room for others in a diverse setting, it does not mean that they are being treated with intolerance. This simply means allowing others to have the same freedom as you.
This reasoning is a straw man argument. It fails to consider that America was founded by Christians as a Christian nation. It is a slippery slope, and it’s not good for the future.
Relevant makes the absurd argument that Roe V. Wade was overturned is a “big win for Christians”. Christians can also pray in public schools. It is not true that Roe V. Wade was ever a thing. Nor was there ever any question about Christians praying publicly. This is a sign of the great loss Christians have suffered in this country.
Essentially, if American Christianity were as influential as the Relevant articles suggest, there would never have been a Roe v. Wade or questions over public prayer. Nor would any other cultural “values,” which directly contradict Christian principles, have much impact on Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist nations whose values are undisputed.
Consider a line or continuum that runs from 1-10. The number 1 is for nations that place religious principles first, while the number 10 represents those who have abandoned religion completely. The majority of non-Western countries, especially those that are Muslim, fall between 1 and 3. This is where the U.S. stands in relation to its founding faith. Maybe between 6-8? Perhaps worse
This placement is not a big win for Christianity in America. It also does not suggest that conservative Christian groups have much to celebrate, as Relevant claims. It is a sign of how insignificant Christianity has become.
You can expect to see an increase in actual and real persecution as America approaches 10 and the number of Christians in America continues to decline.
As history will record, the story of America is one long slippery slope. The individual bumps are subtle and gradual and so imperceptible. It leads to destruction.
This is the story of The Boiling Frog.
