What would you do if you came to church some Sunday morning and the doors
were padlocked? What if there were a sign on the door saying that it was
no longer permissible to hold worship services there by order of the
government? You've never thought about it? It's impossible you say?
Friends, that day could be much closer than you think!
If someone had told you 30 or 40 years ago that nativity scenes would no
longer be allowed on public property and that prayer and Bible reading
would not be permitted in our schools, you would have laughed in their
face. If someone had told you just a few years ago that it would be
unconstitutional to say "One nation under God" in the pledge of
allegiance, you would have told them they were crazy. What if someone
had told you that in only a short time it would be illegal to display
the 10 Commandments in an American courthouse?
Did you ever imagine that there would be major efforts to ban the phrase "
In God we trust" from public places and from our currency? Yet, all of
these things have come about in a few short years and we are hearing daily
of renewed attacks on Christianity and Christian beliefs. We are living in
a nation where millions of unborn infants are killed each and every year
and no one really seems to care. Have you ever noticed the protests that
PETA makes about killing animals and yet never says one word against the
killing of innocent babies.
This is America today. This is the America that is admired around the
world for the freedoms it offers. And while there seem to be more and
more freedoms for those wishing to espouse obscenities and sexual
permissiveness, the screws are slowly being tightened on those who hold
Judeo-Christian beliefs and express a desire for adherence to Biblical
standards and personal morality. With recent laws in some countries
making the quoting of Bible verses or statements against homosexuality
"hate crimes" one cannot help but wonder when such restrictions might
be placed on churches in this country.
In an unbelievable act, the California Supreme Court ruled that a Roman
Catholic charity must offer birth control coverage to its employees,
even though doing so would contradict the teachings of the church. Will
we soon see the time that Christian ministries will be required to
employ people whose lifestyles or beliefs go against those of the church?
While it is difficult to believe that the attacks against Christianity
can get any stronger, who believed a few years ago that we would see
marriage licenses issued to homosexuals and mainline denomination
ministers performing the ceremonies!
