Persecution of Christians in the U.S.

When we think or speak of Christian believers being persecuted, the first thing that would occur to us is persecution in the Middle East, where ISIS has murdered a large number of Christians in the name of Islam, or perhaps in Nigeria, where Boko Haram is abducting young Christian girls, bombing churches and killing Christians, or in Libya where 21 Coptic Christians were recently beheaded, staining the beach with their blood, the blood of martyrs, or perhaps in some other country such as Iran, Cuba or North Korea or even China, where Christianity is persecuted and silenced. In some of these places, we might understand some of the persecution in that missionaries are there attempting to convert some of their citizens to the Christian faith and away from Islam or Communism. I am not excusing any persecution in these countries. News sources are daily telling us of terrorist attacks against foreigners, such as in Tunisia, and many of these attacks are related overtly or covertly against Christianity. But to think of Christian persecution, here, in the U.S. may seem too many as unthinkable and made up. But it is not, it is very real, Christianity and our Christian values are under attack even here in the U.S.

The following two stories have greatly alarmed me and are the reasons why I am writing this blog on Christian Persecution in the U.S.

A judge in Washington State authorized the “personal ruin” of a florist whose Christian faith prevented her from promoting a same-sex wedding and who was sued by both the state and the homosexual couple. Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom granted a summary judgment in the case against Barronelle Stutzman, that is a judgment without the benefit or the judicial right to a trial. It was Ekstrom who said last month that Stutzman personally was liable for the claims against her, placing her business assets, her home and personal savings at risk.

The judge ordered that the state and the homosexual plaintiffs, each of whom filed lawsuits, could collect damages and attorneys’ fees from Stutzman. “The message of these rulings is unmistakable: The government will bring about your personal and professional ruin if you don’t help celebrate same-sex marriage,” said ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom) Senior Counsel Kristen Waggoner.

All that Stutzman, the flower shop owner, wants is the right to live in peace and in accordance with the precepts of her Judeo-Christian values. She declared, “America would be a better place if citizens respected each other’s differences and the government still protected the freedom to have those differences. Instead, the government is coming after me and everything I have just because I won’t live my life the way the state says I should. I just want the freedom to live and work faithfully and according to what God says about marriage without fear of punishment. Others have the freedom to say or not say what they want to about marriage, and that’s all I’m asking for as well.”

You might think that the Constitution of the U.S.A. and the First Amendment of said Constitution would protect this flower shop owner to exercise her religious liberty, but no, not according to this judge. According to arguments in the case, Washington officials believe the state’s statutory protections for homosexuals trump the Constitution’s protection of religious liberty. So even the personal assets of Stutzman can be taken from her. It almost seems as if she had no rights to own anything in this country if she doesn’t abdicate her faith in the Holy Scriptures.

The second story is as follows: Chaplain Wes Modder is a highly decorated, greatly respected and deeply praised officer serving in the Navy's Chaplain Corps. His 19-year career has spanned honored assignments such as serving as chaplain of the Navy SEALs. Just a few months ago, Modder’s commander called him “the best of the best” and a “consummate professional leader” worthy of an early promotion. Then came what appears to be a “set-up” by a homosexual activist to destroy the career of Chaplain Modder because of his biblical view on sexuality and marriage.

In 2014, Modder’s assistant, a “married” homosexual, covertly searched through Chaplain Modder’s confidential counseling files and then forwarded pirated copies of them to the Equal Opportunity reps as evidence of “discrimination.” In those private counseling sessions, Modder had called homosexuality “sin.” As a result, the base commanding officer at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, Captain J.R. Fahs, removed him from his unit, told him to clean out his desk and forbade him to minister to the spiritual needs of military personnel.

On appeal, Chaplain Modder reminded Captain Fahs that the Navy upholds the rights of conscience of chaplains and service members afforded in the FY13 and FY14 National Defense Authorization Acts to express their sincerely held beliefs. For a second time, Captain Fahs denied Chaplain Modder his right to religious liberty! Read the full story and see the official military documents of this case here.

If the Navy does not reverse this injustice, then every chaplain in the military is at risk for the same punishment for following the religious dictates of their conscience. Congress has passed laws protecting Chaplain Modder and other chaplains from religious discrimination, yet the Navy is ignoring them.

When will these forms of persecution reach our doorsteps? Could your assets be taken from you simply at the whim of the state because you uphold your Christian faith and choose to live in accordance with the Word of God? Could you lose your job simply because you are a Christian and choose to behave in accordance with your Christian values? Could you lose your liberty and end up in prison because you place Jesus ahead of the government and because you choose faithfulness to God above all other allegiances?

I am reminded of the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, at the conclusion of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”