with Brian Tubbs
Persecution of Christians
Jennifer Keeton and the Decline of Religious Freedom
064 days
Jennifer Keeton, a graduate student with Augusta State University, is yet another casualty in an ongoing war against Christianity and religious freedom. While pursuing a degree in counseling at Augusta State, Keeton was forced to undergo a “remediation plan,” due to her biblical worldview. Keeton, you see, is a Christian. So long as Christians set the Bible aside or water down their views or keep them private, there’s no problem. Not yet anyway. But when a Christian actually takes the Bible seriously, particularly on an issue like homosexuality, and then dares to express her biblically based views, well, quite a few people do have a problem with that….as Ms. Keeton is learning.
When Keeton was assigned this remediation plan (which reportedly included a requirement that she attend a gay pride parade), she filed suit. A U.S. judge ruled against Keeton, saying that the remediation plan was “academically legitimate.” With support from the Alliance Defense Fund, Keeton appealed. Now, a three-judge panel has upheld that ruling, dealing Keeton another setback. Her attorneys have now filed for an appeal with the Circuit Court.
Keeton probably believed that, because of the Bill of Rights, she had the freedom, even as a graduate student, to believe the Bible and express her religious views. Unfortunately, Keeton is learning that when those views come in conflict with an agenda that modern society has declared politically correct, then religious freedom takes a back seat in an increasing number of places in American society today, including Augusta State University.
I have no problem with a university teaching its students to be sensitive and compassionate in how they express their views. If Keeton were abrasive or hateful in her comments, then I can certainly appreciate the need for Augusta State University to deal with that accordingly. But, according to what I’ve read, this was not the case. Keeton simply said she believed homosexuality was “morally wrong,” a position that is certainly in line with Scripture. This case has wide ramifications. For example, now that gays and lesbians are serving openly in the armed forces, will chaplains (including evangelical, Bible-believing chaplains) be required to counsel gays and lesbians in ways that conflict with their biblically held beliefs? There are already indications that the answer to this is yes.
Must Bible-believing Christians operating in academic, military, and government settings be required to jettison their beliefs or openly work against them in order to pursue successful careers and make a living for themselves and their families? If the answer is yes, then religious freedom is perhaps seeing its last days in the United States of America.
Is Tim Tebow a Victim of Christophobia?
0113 days
Is society becoming Christophobic? One writer thinks so, and believes Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is the latest victim!
Without trying to be melodramatic, there are signs that North America is becoming less friendly to evangelical Christianity. Not only do we have statistics to show that fewer Americans associate themselves with Christianity today than Americans did in decades past, but there are a growing number of accounts of men and women of Christian faith being ostracized, fired, or ridiculed for their beliefs.
Of course, we in America need to be careful not to raise the “Persecution” banner too high, when we consider what’s happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ in places like North Korea, China, Sudan, Cuba, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and many other places in the world. The United States of America, comparatively-speaking, is still a land of religious freedom with a history and culture that’s largely friendly to Christianity. Comparatively speaking, that is.
Even so, NFL quarterback Tim Tebow seems to be among the latest examples of Christians being publicly ridiculed for their faith. And one writer says that the hatred of Tebow is yet another example of “Christophobia” rising in America.
“Hating Tim Tebow” by Marcia Segelstein
Perhaps Ms. Segelstein is overstating it. Perhaps Christophobia isn’t anywhere near the level of alarm that some are claiming. Then again, maybe Segelstein and others aren’t far enough. Remember Frank Turek. Whatever the case, make no mistake. The USA is not as friendly to Christianity as it was 20 years ago. Times are definitely changing, and one wonders where things will be 20 years from now.
Modern Day Persecution of Christians in America: What a Florida School Teacher’s Suspension Tells us About the Future
3184 days
When a public school teacher is suspended for expressing his Bible-based opinions on Facebook, you know that religious freedom in the United States of America is beginning to falter. And the greatest threat to that freedom today stems from the national “culture war” over marriage. Make no mistake. It is the goal of homosexual activists to make opposition to the homosexual agenda unacceptable in every way. If homosexual activists get their way, Christians who speak out against same-sex marriage will face social, economic, and legal consequences. Momentum is clearly on their side. If things continue as they are now, Christians will be living in a far different America a decade or two from now. Think I’m exaggerating?
Pressured by homosexual activists, the federal government, local school districts, and private businesses alike are taking steps to curb any opposition to same-sex marriage. At the federal level, Congress has thrown its support behind legislation that essentially defines opposition to homosexuality as “hate.” The Obama administration, with encouragement from liberal activist judges, has cleared the way for gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. When conscientious Christians serving as chaplains in the Armed Forces raised concerns that they might be pressured to support or provide services to homosexual couples (which would be against their biblical convictions), they were told basically to change their beliefs or get out of the military! Recently, a business consultant saw his contract cancelled by Cisco, even though his performance ratings were high. His offense was that, on his own time and completely outside of his relationship with Cisco, he wrote a book in favor of traditional marriage! And now a Florida public school teacher, one who was named “Teacher of the Year” recently, was suspended. Why? Because he took a position on Facebook that he was for traditional marriage! If you think these are isolated situations and that this doesn’t reflect an alarming trend, you are naive.
Remember that persecution of Christians in history has almost always been driven by cultural, political, or economic considerations. While Jesus’ crucifixion was of course divinely ordained, the human motive behind his execution was a threat to the power of Caiaphus and his followers and the desire for Roman governor Pontius Pilate to maintain order. The apostles were often persecuted in Acts, because their preaching the Gospel brought them into conflict with the economic interests of pagan cultures or the political goals of governing authorities. In the Roman Empire, the worship of their gods was a measure of patriotic unity and often commitment to the emperor in power. Whether we’re talking the Roman Empire or the Middle Ages or the modern era, Christians are persecuted when their actions (not so much their beliefs) bring them into conflict with society’s prevailing cultural, economic, or political agenda. Right now, the growing consensus for America is postmodern relativism and social (and sexual) libertarianism. And Bible-believing Christians (at least those who act on their biblical beliefs) are a direct threat to that consensus. It’s the recipe for persecution.
For the record, I completely support the moral and legal right of school districts, companies, the federal government, etc. to remove people that engage in genuine hate speech. I abhor gay bashing. It has no place in society and certainly not in the church. Someone who calls for violence against homosexuals deserves to lose their job and should be liable for appropriate legal remedies. But to say that someone is guilty of hate speech simply because they say that homosexuality is a sin (as the Bible does) or that marriage should be restricted to a man and woman is something else entirely. If I disagree with someone, it doesn’t follow that I hate the person. To equate disagreement with hate is a very troubling development in our society.
I understand that the history teacher in question, Jerry Buell, expressed his views rather strongly and did so in a public forum. I understand that it’s not entirely fair for Mr. Buell to categorize his Facebook posts as “private.” When you post something on the Internet, we’ve moved beyond the private sphere. But does the First Amendment only apply to private speech? Isn’t the whole point of the First Amendment’s free speech guarantee to make sure that citizens can speak out freely on even the most controversial issues without facing government penalty? If Mr. Buell had specifically targeted gay students with his comments or had called for some type of violence against gays and lesbians, I would completely support the school district’s action. And even in this case, I can understand the Florida school district asking Mr. Buell to issue some kind of public clarification of his comments that assures students that his views on gay marriage will have no bearing on his treatment of students (whether they be gay or straight) in his classroom. But to suspend him or possibly fire him for expressing an opinion on a public issue is something else entirely.
What if he opposes polygamy? I’m sure he does, by the way, since his views on marriage are derived from Scripture. Does it follow that a person who opposes polygamy hates polygamists? What if the debate were over polygamy instead of gay marriage? (It’s really not that far of a stretch, you know. If we’re not going to define marriage by gender, why should we define it by a number?) Would pro-polygamy activists have the moral right to equate Christians who oppose them with “hate groups”? Would a public school district have the right to suspend a teacher for saying on Facebook that polygamy was morally revolting? Where does this end?
I’ll tell you where it ends. It “ends” with those in power deciding what speech is permitted and what is not. It “ends” with those in power deciding what behaviors, lifestyles, and agendas are off limits for civic discussion or political debate? When that happens, free speech and free religion will, for all intents and purposes, no longer exist. And Christians in America will be staring at a bleak future.
Christians need to wake up and stand up if they want to avoid seeing themselves and their children face some of the same persecution that many of our brothers and sisters in Christ face in different parts of the world today or that the apostles faced in the first century Roman Empire. There’s still time, but there won’t be for long.
Why Was Frank Turek Fired From Cisco? And What Does it Say About Persecution of Christians in America?
5202 days
Bible-believing Christians in America need to sit up and take notice. Frank Turek, a Christian author and speaker, was fired from his contract with Cisco as a result of beliefs he publicly expressed outside of work. That a Christian would lose his or her job because of political or religious views expressed outside of work is deeply troubling to say the least. It’s certainly understandable that an employer would prohibit, limit, or regulate religious or political speech or activism within the workplace. It’s not only understandable, but perfectly reasonable. However, when an employer terminates an employee’s position or vendor’s contract over political speech or activism that takes place outside of work hours and off campus, that is something else entirely. And that is precisely what happened with Frank Turek.
Turek is a widely known Christian author, speaker, and ministry leader. Until recently, he was also a corporate consultant and trainer, using his expertise in leadership and management to supplement his family’s income. Turek was careful not to mix the two spheres, keeping his political and religious views out of his corporate work. That was not good enough, however, for a self-described gay manager at Cisco. In spite of the fact that Turek received high marks for his training and performance, this particular manager was appalled at Turek’s writings and public advocacy for traditional marriage. He complained. And Turek was fired.
What’s the big deal, you say? Simply this…if it happened to Frank Turek, it can happen to you. In fact, this kind of thing has long been happening in academia, especially on liberal college campuses. Now, it’s happening in corporate America. The bottom line precedent that’s being set right now is this…Christians can be fired from their secular jobs if they publicly write or say things outside of work that are deemed offensive by co-workers.
Professing Christians who pick and choose which parts of the Bible they’re comfortable with and/or who avoid taking any kind of stand on moral issues need not fear. Those types of “Christians” will be the last to face persecution, since they are not much of a threat to anyone. (Though even these Christians may find themselves passed over for promotion or undermined in subtle ways if they are associated with churches or pastors that DO take a stand).
For this blog post, I’m writing mainly to true followers of Jesus Christ. True followers of Christ will always be considered a threat to the Enemy as well as to a morally perverse culture, because they stand for the principles and precepts of God’s Word. Fortunately, for most of American history, Bible-believing Christians have enjoyed a wide amount of latitude in the free exercise of religion and in their free speech rights. Note the past tense of that statement, however. For if the story of Frank Turek is indicative of what’s on the horizon, the days of enjoying a high level of religious freedom in the United States may be numbered.
