Noting the obvious difference between Christians dying for their faith in countries like North Korea, Somalia, and Nigeria and being yelled at for their faith at a Baptist church in Minnesota, Dr. Alex McFarland says political and religious extremists are bridging the gap between the two.
He says the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution has provided enough protection for most American Christians for 250 years, but it has not completely protected everyone.
"I believe America is already a country of particular concern because while most Christians in America will never face physical violence, America is already a place of intense persecution against Christians in the classroom," McFarland notes.
"Already in the public square, we are a nation of what can only be called viewpoint discrimination and viewpoint suppression."
Recent elections have strengthened religious freedom, but he remembers it was only two or three years ago that Christians were censored and imprisoned.
President Donald Trump pardoned several of the pro-life activists who were arrested or convicted under FACE Act charges during the Joe Biden era, and he instructed employees at the State Department to report instances of alleged anti-Christian bias, including formal or informal actions due to opposition to vaccines or personal pronoun choice, that may have occurred during the Democrat's presidency.
Believing those days are only an election away from returning, McFarland is calling on pastors, especially those who have so far been silent, to stand in the gap.
"Pastors can preach on anything," he reminds them. "At some point young in the ministry, they promised themselves that they would never use the pulpit to say or do anything political. That is very naive and, frankly, very unbiblical."
"The time to protect religious freedom in the United States is now," McFarland insists.
