I heard in a Christian news clip that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Christian schools only having to hire teachers who identify as being Christian; they are not required to hire someone who is not a Christian. My understanding is that the case came about after two non Catholic teachers in California sued the Catholic school they worked for after being fired. According to the news clip, Supreme Court Justices determined that it was not discrimination on the school's part, but that it falls under freedom of religion in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.
This got me thinking about religious freedom and what that really means, and how not having religious freedom might impact my life, and the lives of the average American Christian. Not that anyone wants to hear what I think or what my opinion is, because my opinion is not any more important than anyone else's. I just want to throw this idea out there, in hopes of getting Christians to think about this issue on a much grander scale than our own personal well being or preference, and hopefully to give thought to our brothers and sisters living in other less privileged countries around the world, the future of the American church and making Jesus known to the ends of the earth.
Under the First Amendment, Americans have the right to worship freely. I would have to read it to refresh my memory on exactly what it says, but I think the general gist is that it allows EVERYONE, NOT ONLY CHRISTIANS, but EVERYONE, to worship whoever and however they please, within the boundaries of the law of the land. My understanding is that the First Amendment was included in the Constitution primarily so that the government could not intrude upon religious gatherings or dictate how a religious organization operates or worships.
Unfortunately, there are forces at work, that are trying to remove these rights. However, in light of eternity, and the sake of God's Kingdom, is that such a bad thing, considering the apathy of the American church, which continues to be in decline and loses more Christians every year than it is producing? I'm not trying to sound harsh, but I don't think it's a secret that the church is suffering.
In Acts, Jesus's followers were instructed by him to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth after they received the Holy Spirit, but they didn't leave Jerusalem until persecution broke out after Stephen was stoned to death. Even then, the apostles stayed, while the rest of the church scattered. Is it possible that the same thing could happen today in America? I think it could. People are coming to Christ and the church is growing in countries such as India, Iran, China, and recently Pakistan, where Christian persecution is "as normal as the sun rising in the east", like Nik Ripken was told by a Chinese Christian during an interview.
Two things come to my mind that I consider to be most important when I think about how the loss of religious freedom would affect my own life and the lives of other Christians: 1) gathering as the church, and 2) sharing the gospel. Other issues may be important, but they are only secondary to these two items, which I think are the priority for God and His people. Everything else is only a privilege that American Christians have become accustomed to, and are maybe even spoiled by, because of the comfort and convenience that they provide. No other country in the world has the same rights and privileges that we have here in the U.S., yet the gospel continues to go forth in many of those places, while conversely, Christianity is losing ground in the U.S.
Covid-19 has caused governments to place restrictions on church services throughout the U.S. and around the world. My hope is that Covid-19 would be used as a learning experience for Christians to gain wisdom and knowledge on how we operate our churches, and how we even define church. The Biblical church is a gathering of believers, with Jesus at the center. The church is the body of Christ. Many Christians believe that church is a building that we go to in order to be fed by a professionally trained and educated Bible teacher. This is an entirely different topic, but Christians should be discipled to be self-feeding by reading the Bible for themselves, being taught by the Holy Spirit, and hearing and listening to the Holy Spirit's guidance. To get back on topic, simple church gatherings who use this definition of church, and who operate without buildings and large budgets can continue to function during times of government restriction, just as the underground churches do in other countries. Following a similar model would be greatly beneficial for the church in America, because then, if we do lose our religious freedom, and restrictions are placed on Christians and churches, the church will not be forced to shut down and bow to the government's mandates, or shut down because it is not receiving the financial support that is needed to keep it's doors open. Without financial burdens or pressure from the government, the church will have the freedom to rise up and be the powerhouse that God intends for it to be.
Ever since I've become a Christian, I've heard a lot about the importance of religious freedom, especially on Christian radio. It seems to be so ingrained in our minds and maybe into the American Christian culture, that many Christians, I believe anyways, define their Christianity by fighting for it with everything they have. Some Christians have occupations of fighting against those who are attempting to remove it from the U.S. This is good on them for fighting for our rights, but I often wonder if they are working just as hard, or even at all, to fulfill the Great Commission for the glory of God.
Freedom of religion is at the core of American Christianity, and without it, I think that many Christians believe that Christianity is going to die, or at least be severely crippled. I've always heard it and therefore have always believed it since becoming a Christian, but recently my mindset has been shifting. I'm not at all convinced that Christianity is going to die if we don't have it, and I'm not convinced that we need all that religious freedom provides in order to serve Jesus. We do have the right under the Constitution, but I don't see in the Bible where Jesus or his disciples are modeling fighting for religious freedom or against the government's laws that were imposed upon them, and they lived in a much more hostile culture than the U.S. I recently read through a list of commands that Jesus gave to his followers, and no where does he command us to spend our time fighting for religious freedom or against the culture. His commands and the Bible, teach his followers how to conduct themselves while living in such cultures.
We live in a world that is currently ruled by Satan. Evil is going to continue to increase the nearer we get to the end. Our commission is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey everything that Jesus commands us. If we are doing everything else, but we are not doing this, then we are being disobedient to Jesus.
A concern that I have is that Satan is using all of this stuff to distract us from our commission to make disciples. For many it seems, fighting against the culture is more important in their Christian lifestyle than the Great Commission is. They will fight tooth and nail for our rights of religious freedom, while completely ignoring the Great Commission. So, are they fighting so they can freely make disciples of all nations, or so they can continue in their life of comfort and convenience?
Maybe it's God's will for the U.S. to lose its religious freedom so that its Christians are pressed to get back to the basics - love God, love others, and make disciples until the whole world hears.
When we make disciples, minds, attitudes, behaviors, and lives are changed for the better. Evil people with evil plans become good people with good plans as they follow Jesus and God's ways. That is how the world is changed. Jesus is the only hope for change.
Maybe my thinking is wrong and I've become a heretic. But if not, I just want to throw this out there in hopes of getting others to at least think about it, because I do think that many American Christians have made religious freedom the main thing, when it didn't seem to be a priority for Jesus or the early church, or something that they were even concerned about.
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