Tag Archives: religious freedom

November 13, 2024 · 8:58 AM

Will We Suffer Persecution For Our Faith?

Did the outcome of our recent election protect freedom of speech in America or endanger it? The political party we support will probably determine our answer to that question. What about freedom of religion? Are we holding our ground? losing ground? Not many would say that we are gaining ground on this vital liberty.

Whatever our beliefs about freedom of speech and freedom of religion at this moment in our nation, we should be aware of two things. Followers of Jesus continue to suffer persecution for their faith in other parts of the world. Christians in America may not join in that suffering anytime soon, but we should always be aware of the possibility.

David Lin is an American pastor who was recently released from prison in China. He was incarcerated there for almost twenty years. Hundreds of other American citizens are still imprisoned in China.

The Chinese government is using AI (artificial intelligence) and face recognition software to persecute Christians and other religious groups. The people have no religious freedom, despite the government’s claims. Instead, religious oppression and persecution are commonplace.

Sadly, some voices in the U.S.A. are casting doubts on our traditional beliefs in freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Some even want to scrap our federal constitution and replace it. They obviously want a governing document that does not include freedom of religion.

What should we do? As Christians, we should be exemplary citizens. We should be informed, vote according to our beliefs and values, and serve in government if and when God calls us to do so, representing him to the best of our abilities.

But how should we think about the increasingly negative attitudes about Christianity in our country and the persecution of believers abroad?

We tend to ask the question: Why does God allow his people to suffer oppression and persecution? Sometimes God uses governments to discipline his people. God used Babylon to discipline his chosen people Israel in the Old Testament.

But oppression is not always God’s discipline. God allowed Pharaoh to oppress Israel so he could demonstrate his power and convince Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the Israelites that he is the one and only true and living God.

What is clear, however, is the fact that God does allow governments to oppress his people. This is the testimony of Scripture from both Old and New Testaments. Why?

Sometimes God allows his people to be tested. Job was a man of extraordinary faith. Satan accused Job, saying that Job only trusted God because God protected him, making his life easy. Remove the protection, Satan challenged, and Job’s faith would collapse. God allowed Satan to test the strength of Job’s faith.

Revelation 13 reveals a time of great persecution against Christians at the end of this age, persecution that will be worldwide. God urges his people to be faithful when facing tribulation for their faith in Jesus despite the cost.

Persecution for faith in Jesus is as old as the church itself. In the early days of the church, Peter was arrested for telling people about Jesus. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, the same ones who turned Jesus over to be crucified, they threatened Peter and the apostles. And just to get their point across, they flogged them. These beatings were vicious. Sometimes people died.

Surprisingly, Peter and the apostles were rejoicing. Rejoicing! Why? Because they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus. They weren’t seeking pain or persecution, but if it came to them, they were honored to endure it to demonstrate their faith in Jesus.

Every follower of Jesus does not suffer persecution or oppression, but many believers have suffered for their faith over the past two thousand years and many brothers and sisters in Christ suffer today in certain parts of the world. Whatever our struggles may be, we tend to ask the same questions. When ‘squeezed’ we ask: Is Jesus really Lord? Should I keep my faith in Jesus? The answer from God’s word is emphatically, Yes!

God agreed to allow Satan to test Job’s faith, but he placed limits on Satan’s attacks against Job. Satan was not allowed to take Job’s life. At the end of this age, God will only allow the Antichrist to run amok for forty-two months. God decides the limits.

God is the ultimate power and authority. Satan can only go as far as God permits. We can be certain that God has not lost control, that Satan has not taken charge, that random forces have not become our master. And we can be certain that God still loves us and has a plan for us and wants the best for us. We can still enjoy his blessings now, sure that our struggles will give way to great glory forever.

May God empower us to remain faithful to him despite the cost,

Brother Richard

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October 27, 2024 · 9:44 PM

Too Many Rules!

Religion stifles personal freedoms, right? Too many rules. Too much of the thou-shall-not! mentality. If the human race grows up and dispenses with religion and all its suffocating rules, then we can finally be liberated to experience true happiness. So we are led to believe.

The recent trend in our nation has certainly been to omit religious influence in making public policy. Efforts to simply display copies of the Ten Commandments in public schools or government buildings are met with vigorous legal challenges. Obviously, there are forces in our country that wish to expunge all reference to God and religion from public spaces.

Those who crafted the founding documents of the U.S.A. distinguished our nation by promising religious freedom to the people. Citizens are guaranteed protection from State-imposed religious beliefs and practices. This bold stroke of liberty stood in sharp contrast to the generations of religious oppression perpetrated against millions by toxic collusion between corrupt religious and government institutions.

Let the Church be free from State coercion and let the State be free from Church manipulation!

Respect for the distinctive roles of Church and State finds support in the Bible, especially in the teaching of Jesus. When asked about paying taxes, Jesus said that we should give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. He made a distinction between government and religion. And he exhorted us to give to each its due.

Jesus made no effort to enlist the power of government to advance his spiritual agenda, nor did he use his message as incitement to violent rebellion against oppressive governments. He forbade his disciples from using violence, even to protect his own life.

Proper respect for the different roles of religion and government has long been expressed in our culture by the phrase “Separation of Church and State.” This separation, however, is interpreted in different ways by different groups. Some are more concerned with protecting the Church from the State, others are focused on protecting the State from the Church.

Those who desire a secular culture have found the idea of a separation between Church and State to be useful in promoting their vision for society. They perceive and promote the separation of Church and State as a wall, an impenetrable division that allows no meaningful dialogue or influence between the two. As a result, religion will have no voice in government if they have their way. And they seem to be making progress.

Nevertheless, progress at expelling religious influence from government has had some unpredicted results. First, it is not clear that freedom has been increased. Second, it is certainly not clear that the number of rules has decreased.

Our secular champions for freedom have produced a plethora of rules that encroach on almost every sector of life. They even dictate what pronouns we must use. They demand that we stop using words like “mother” and “father.” They insist that we agree with absurd notions (for example: men can get pregnant and give birth).

They constantly redefine the rules of language. Certain terms are suddenly deemed to be racist or something-phobic. Or you might be labeled a climate denier or an election denier or a birther or another type of ‘bad’ person. If we ask the wrong question, we are a threat to democracy or to science or to some other important institution, thus justifying government to abuse its power and silence our voice.

This often bizarre list of rules expands with alarming rapidity. It also changes arbitrarily. What you could say or do yesterday may be unacceptable today. (And yesterday’s actions are always judged by today’s rules.) Fear of saying or doing the wrong thing becomes its own pathetic prison.

This expansive and unpredictable secular law code makes the Ten Commandments look far more reasonable and sensible!

The Bible says we have a choice. To be free from righteousness (God’s commands) is to become a slave to sin (selfish destructive desires). Conversely, to be free from sin is to be a servant to righteousness. (See Romans 6:15-23).

The attempt to find freedom and meaning by shedding accountability to God is futile. Without God’s standards, there is no real meaning or purpose to our existence. Surprisingly, we find freedom when we choose to serve God. Why? Because God is more than rules and laws. God is love.

God’s love leads us to perfect freedom. How? God’s love does not depend on rules, but on faith. When we simply trust Jesus, we have God’s love. His commands are still helpful, but they are not the basis for earning his love. His love is his gift to any who will receive it by faith in Christ.

The world only loves those who follow its rules. If you don’t believe so, try using the wrong pronoun or asking probing questions about man-made climate change. See how the world responds.

In Galatians 5:1 we read that it is for freedom that Christ set us free. The verse goes on to exhort us not to submit again to a yoke of slavery. Jesus called on the weary and burdened to follow him, taking on his yoke, which is easy, carrying his burden, which is light (see Matthew 11:28-30).

When the world’s ways get too heavy, Jesus is ready to invite us home to God’s love and God’s ways. In him we find rest for our souls.

May the Spirit of God enable us to appreciate and experience God’s freedom to the fullest,

Brother Richard

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October 13, 2021 · 10:52 AM

Retreat From The Faith or Contend For It?

Some good friends invited me to attend a conference in Orlando, Florida in September. I agreed and went. I’m glad I did.

The conference was a meeting of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Many if not most of the attendees at the conference were licensed professionals with advanced degrees and real-life experience in helping people.

These counselors believe the science of psychology and psychiatry can be useful in guiding people to healing. They have taken the time and made the effort to acquire advanced skills so they can be effective in assisting those who have experienced traumas in life or who struggle with other personal battles.

But there is more. Note the name of this group: American Association of Christian Counselors. They believe that God’s word is the ultimate measure of truth; and they believe that God’s grace in Christ Jesus is the ultimate healing for humanity. While they value scientific understanding and insights, they measure all conclusions by God’s revealed truth in the Bible.

At the conference, the leaders of these Christian Counselors sounded a note of warning. Hostile forces in the academic and professional world of counseling are threatening to silence the voice of Christianity in psychology, psychiatry, mental health, and related disciplines. How? They are threatening to deny accreditation and certification to anyone with biblical convictions, especially about marriage and human sexuality.

Years ago, I noticed that academic institutions were coercing Christians into renouncing the truth revealed in God’s word. In some instances, they were told to change their beliefs or change their profession. They were denied the opportunity to follow their calling, to counsel people in need. Their degrees and certifications were being held hostage.

Unfortunately, attempts to silence Christianity in counseling are only part of the story. Our culture is changing its mind about religious freedom and freedom of speech in general. Any dissent from the dominant political doctrine is now being painted as hateful, violent, and worthy of being cancelled, that is, silenced.

Jude was a Christian. He was also a half-brother of Jesus. He wrote the short letter in our New Testament which bears his name. His message to his original readers was short and simple: Contend for the faith that was once-for-all entrusted to the saints!

Notice he writes the faith. He is calling on God’s people to do more than defend their personal beliefs, more than a generic ‘faith.’ The Christian faith is revealed in the Old and New Testaments. It is God’s revelation that the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ is his Son and our Savior. For this truth, we contend.

Why must we contend for the faith? Because the faith is under fire. False teachers from inside the church, hostile unbelievers from outside the church, forces that are committed to erasing God from public policy and discourse are active on all sides.

How do we contend for the faith? First, we must learn the faith. How can we contend for the faith if we don’t know what it is? The faith is not a matter of personal opinion, general consensus, or clever fabrication. The faith is a revelation from God recorded in the Bible.

Second, we must live the faith. Christianity is not merely a mindset; it is a lifestyle. Knowing about Jesus is insufficient. The faith tells us that we can know Jesus personally and walk with him daily through the presence of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts.

Third, we must proclaim the faith. Jesus has given us a mandate to make disciples of all peoples. Living the faith means sharing the faith. Someone told us about Jesus. Now we must tell others.

Once we know the faith, apply the faith, and share the faith, we will be faced with hostility from the enemies of the faith. These encounters require us to defend the faith. Defense of Christianity must not be surly or harsh, but it must be confident and unwavering. We speak the truth in love.

Jude calls this defense of the faith contending for the faith. Those of us who recoil at conflict may think we can simply remain silent. But each of us will eventually be forced to choose. Christianity is personal but it is not private.

Will we retreat or will we contend for the faith?

May God’s Holy Spirit give us the inspiration and the victory,

Brother Richard

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July 3, 2015 · 11:25 AM

Thinking about Gay Marriage on Independence Day

The Supreme Court of the United States of America legalized same-sex marriage. Will freedom be denied those of us who believe that same-sex relationships are sinful? What about the spiritual future of our culture? Can we get a word from our Lord about how we should respond?

In 1 Peter 3 we read that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears on their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those doing evil.” This is a quote from Psalm 34, which was written some 1,000 years earlier. Peter applies an ancient and established truth to current circumstances. The passage of time had not diminished the Bible’s truth.

This is a much-needed affirmation about the Bible and about the God of the Bible. Our circumstances will change, but God’s word and his character do not change. His holiness and righteousness, his love and mercy, they are established and they will never alter.

Leviticus 18 has not changed. Romans 1 has not changed. God’s design for human sexuality, for marriage and for family has not changed. God’s design for marriage is still one man and one woman committed to one another for life, raising their children together and enjoying their grandchildren. And more than that, Christian marriage is still meant to be a living parable of the love relationship between Christ and his church. None of this has changed. Nobody, not even the Supreme Court of the United States of America can change these fixed realities.

But our country’s definition of marriage has changed. It has moved sharply away from God’s design. Will those who believe in God’s design for marriage be penalized in this rapidly changing moral storm?

The text from 1 Peter 3 continues: “Who will do you harm if you are zealous for good? But if you suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed.” Jesus agrees with the notion of suffering for doing what is right. In Matthew 5 he says, “Blessed are the ones persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” But do American Christians actually believe that suffering is a blessing? In other countries, China for instance, Christians understand these frequent Scriptural statements about suffering for the truth. Because of our religious freedom, this aspect of the faith is unfamiliar territory in the U.S.

1 Peter 3 continues: “Don’t fear what they fear, nor be upset.” Fear is not the answer. Fear is never to be our master. God has not abandoned his people or his plan. He can still be trusted. Some may fall away, but those who believe will discover the anointing of God’s power enabling them to represent him faithfully regardless the cost.

So what should we do? Next, 1 Peter says, “Set apart Christ as Lord in your hearts, always be ready with an answer to everyone who asks you for a word about the hope which is in you.” Notice that it does not say that we should always be ready to defend our right to speak, but we should be ready to speak.

Christians in America have sometimes been quicker to defend a right than to exercise it. Tell believers that they cannot pray and they will line up for battle, rightly so. But do those same believers take the time to attend a prayer meeting? Instead of fighting for the right to speak, we must speak what we know is right.

But what about religious freedom? Is legal same-sex marriage not a threat to our religious freedom? Should we not fight for our religious freedom? It has become popular to call religious freedom our first freedom. But is this really true? Religious freedom is a great heritage, a right for which many fought and bled and died. Our first freedom as believers, however, is our freedom in Christ, not political liberty but spiritual freedom.

A person can be politically free and spiritually bound. It is also true that one can be politically bound and spiritually free. Given the choice, we would embrace both freedoms simultaneously. Forced to choose, we relinquish our political liberty in order to remain faithful to our Lord.

The kingdom of God has advanced for millennia, often without the benefit of religious freedom. In fact, sometimes religious persecution has spread the fire of the faith more effectively than religious freedom, which sadly seems to produce spiritual complacency.

We are instructed by 1 Peter 3 to be ready to give a word about our hope. What is our great hope? It is not freedom of religion, nor is it freedom of speech. Our great hope is not the Constitution of the U.S.A. Religious leaders who tell followers of Jesus that they should put their hope in freedom of speech, freedom of religion or the Constitution are at best confused and at worst false teachers.

The Bible tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, not our political freedoms or our political documents, as helpful and brilliant as these things may be. Our struggle is not a battle for religious freedom but a battle for spiritual truth. What should we do? We must set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts and be prepared to speak about him, nothing less.

Richard Foster, Grace Baptist in Camden, AR, July 3, 2015

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November 7, 2013 · 11:20 AM

Podcast: Freedom of Religion and the Old Testament II

Freedom of Religion in the Old Testament II – Listen

Are our freedoms in the United States of America eroding? If so, in what areas are they eroding? Why? Brother Richard discusses this issue in-depth in this message, “Freedom of Religion in the Old Testament.”

This is the conclusion of a two-part series on freedom of religion and the Old Testament.

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October 30, 2013 · 12:54 PM

Podcast: Freedom of Religion and the Old Testament


Freedom of Religion and the Old Testament – Listen

Freedom of Religion in the Old Testament – Watch

Are our freedoms in the United States of America eroding? If so, in what areas are they eroding? Why? Brother Richard discusses this issue in-depth in this message, “Freedom of Religion in the Old Testament.”

This is the first message in a two-message series.

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August 19, 2013 · 12:26 PM

Is Religious Freedom Still Important?

The Supreme Court of the United States of America has created bewildering confusion about where the line should be drawn between church and state. Sometimes public displays of the Ten Commandments are acceptable and other times they are not. Sometimes prayer is okay and other times it is unconstitutional. Sometimes a cross is legal and other times it must be removed. Nativity scenes are allowed here, but not there.

Why is religious freedom so difficult? Are decades of conflicting legal rulings evidence that religious freedom does not work? Are we in danger of losing a precious liberty for which so many have suffered and died?

After centuries of cruel oppression and harsh violence in the Old World, people came to the New World hoping to build a better life, one with liberty and justice for all. Even so, some people brought Old World ideas with them to America and oppressed their fellow citizens because of their religious differences. And even though we now have an amendment to the Constitution that guarantees our religious freedom, after more than two hundred years we still struggle.

Despite these persistent difficulties, religious freedom in America is truly ground-breaking and not something that we should abandon. Religious freedom is fundamental. Our cherished political liberties rest firmly on the foundation of our religious freedom. Without religious freedom there would be no political freedom.

It is true, Enlightenment philosophers made important contributions to the great American experiment in liberty, but religious freedom was and is the vital underpinning for political liberty. And religious freedom was championed by Christians who built the house of freedom on the firm foundation of God’s word. Specifically, the teachings of Jesus provide the basis for providing religious freedom to everyone.

Jesus revealed two cornerstone principles that undergird a uniquely Christian concept of religious tolerance and freedom. First, Jesus practiced religious freedom by allowing individuals to accept or reject his message without coercion from him, from religious institutions or from the state.

On one occasion a rich young ruler asked Jesus what he must do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus instructed him to go beyond following commandments and to sell his possessions, giving the money to the poor, and becoming his follower. The man could not bring himself to leave his riches and so Jesus, although he loved the man, allowed him to walk away. Jesus respected the man’s God-given freedom to make up his own mind.

Proponents of true religious freedom who came to America insisted on laws that kept religious and state institutions from punishing people for their religious beliefs and practices, or lack thereof. They insisted on laws that protected people from religious and state institutions that would force them to support any particular religious organization. They wanted everyone to have freedom to practice religion, or not, based on their own personal beliefs, not someone else’s.

Jesus’ second cornerstone principle is that two kingdoms co-exist in this age, both endorsed by God: Church and State. Jesus made some powerful enemies who constantly tried to trick him into saying something that would allow them to bring legal charges against him. In one such attempt they questioned him about paying taxes. After asking for a Roman coin and pointing out whose inscription was on the coin, Jesus told them, “Give the things of Caesar to Caesar and the things of God to God” (Matthew 22:21).

When Jesus was on trial he faced Pilate, the local Roman governor. Pilate had been told by Jesus’ enemies that he was a dangerous threat to the government. In his interrogation Pilate asked Jesus if he was a king. Jesus said yes, but of a kingdom that is not of this world, a kingdom that does not fight like this world’s kingdoms; a kingdom that instead relies on proclaiming God’s truth.

Jesus refused to use the power of the state, or any coercion whatsoever, to force people into submitting to his message against their will. After all, forced conversion is not true conversion. But Jesus also recognized the authority of the state to impose and enforce law and order, even to the point of his own execution (unfairly, I might add). He saw a clear division between Caesar and God, the state and the church.

Christians in America fought for religious freedom that is based on Jesus’ understanding of two kingdoms. The state has no God-given right to govern the religious beliefs and practices of its citizens. The church has no God-given mandate to enforce law and order. Or, from a positive perspective, the state should concern itself with law and order and the church should focus on religious beliefs and practices.

The state is allowed the sword of physical coercion in its task of enforcing law and order. The church has a sword, too, but not one of physical violence or political coercion. The sword of the church is the word of God. The power of God’s people is in proclaiming God’s truth.

So, is religious freedom still important? Perhaps for those of us who have never really endured violent religious oppression it is impossible to measure the true value of religious liberty. Perhaps Americans have grown somewhat complacent about the great worth of our freedoms because we have no memory of the stockades, the jail cells, the fines, the bloodshed.

Or, maybe Americans take religious freedom for granted, failing to entertain the notion that it really could be lost. But there are no guarantees that religious freedom gained will be religious freedom retained. The confusing court cases in the U.S. over the past few decades are evidence that our religious freedom is still a work in process, still open to conflicting interpretations by various groups who represent divergent points of view.

Ironically, despite their passionate belief in freedom, followers of Jesus have often referred to themselves as slaves. But the master is not the state, a political leader, or even a religious leader or institution. The Master is Jesus. It may seem counter-intuitive, but true and eternal freedom comes through following and serving the all-powerful and all-good Lord.

Religious freedom is precious, but in reality it has come and gone throughout history and its future is precarious. Nevertheless, a true and lasting personal freedom is available to anyone, whatever the direction of political or legal trends may be. Let’s not give up on protecting our religious freedom, but let’s not forget that our greatest liberty of all comes by God’s grace through our faith in the Crucified One; and no human lawmaker can take that away.

Richard Foster, Grace Baptist Church, August 2013

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