There is general optimism that the case is weak. Lutheran bishops worldwide have issued a statement protesting the trial. Six members of the United States Congress criticized Finland’s attack on religious freedom and called for sanctions. And ten university professors wrote a letter to United States Commission on International Religious Freedom calling for protests and sanctions. The defendants themselves have expressed confidence in their ability to beat the case.

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A more insidious and problematic aspect to post-Christian thinking is its attitude towards religion in general. I am not talking about secularism, which sees any religious belief as irrelevant to life today. I’m talking about inter-faith principles: the notion that all religions are equal paths to God, and everyone has the right to pick one. Again, that sounds reasonable from a humanistic point of view, but it is out of sync with the worldview of most of the world religions it seeks to protect, especially Christianity. The problem is that by declaring all religions equal you imply that it is wrong for any of those religions to “proselytize,” meaning to convince others to turn from their beliefs and embrace yours. Proselytizing in that context is considered a form of intolerance, because you’re basically implying that your religion is right, and the others are wrong. That view of proselytizing is especially a problem for Christianity, which is driven by the conviction that faith in Christ is the only legitimate path to God and the Great Commission to preach that gospel and make disciples from all nations.

I myself have come face to face with inter-faith policies as a chaplain in law enforcement, fire service, and municipal environments. Chaplaincy in the public arena must be inter-faith, lest the agencies get sued by the ACLU and other anti-discrimination watchdogs. As a result, I often found myself having to search out ministers from other religions and sects in order to counsel inmates or traumatized citizens, police officers, or firefighters of the same beliefs. I was not allowed to share the gospel with anyone in need of a relationship with God lest it be seen as proselytizing. National Day of Prayer observances in public places I was called upon to organize had to be inter-faith as well. I often came under attack by clergy of other religions for being too “Christocentric” in organizing those services.

Dave Kubal, our President and CEO, has frequently warned that religious freedom in the US is under attack like never before, especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (For example, in his oped in The Stream). And an opinion piece on the Fox News website by Rep. Church Roy and Tony Perkins states that the Finnish trial may be a harbinger of what is to come for the US. I agree. But it should not entirely surprise us, even though religious freedom is written into the US Constitution. Perhaps our founding fathers did not foresee that it would open the door to lots of other religions to flood the country besides Christianity. Religions that would over time turn against the Christian faith for its bent to consider them false worship and idolatry and for its mission to draw away their worshippers into a relationship with Christ. I think that the “religious freedom” we espouse in the United States is turning into a tolerance for those religious expressions that seem to be non-threatening to personal freedoms and intolerance against any beliefs it deems as a threat to personal freedom. A government that heads in that direction will claim to defend religious freedom, but in practice it will only allow religious expression that toes the line of what it defines as acceptable, not unlike the Three Self Movement in China, which allows “freedom of worship” under strict government regulation and indoctrination.

That kind of one-sided tolerance is what we saw happening in Finland this week, even to the point of declaring what Christians consider speaking truth to be a crime that can be prosecuted in a court of law. Closer to home in the good old US of A, we have seen examples of that as pastors have come under fire and Christian publishers have been sued for declaring homosexuality a sin. In that same vein, a Christian Fire Chief in the Atlanta area lost his job, allegedly because he violated department policy, but in reality, because he wrote a book about Christian manhood in which he stated that the Bible considers homosexuality to be a sin. In response to a different kind of attack that dates as far back as 20 years ago, pastors at several Pastors’ Prayer Gatherings asked for prayer because city councils were attempting to change zoning laws for residential neighborhoods in order to prevent home fellowships from meeting and to restrict the number of churches that could be built or planted within city limits. And more recently, during the pandemic, churches and pastors faced fines and arrest for defying state orders to not meet in public in defense of the aforementioned religious freedoms.

These instances of attack on our freedom to live out biblical Christianity puts us right at the heart of the post-Christian thinking that drives law and public policy. And it is coming, even if another Great Awakening halts its progress. It is coming because Jesus announced it would as He warned His disciples (and us) about the End Times: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away  and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9-14, ESV)

All that said, we should not fear! Instead, let us be watchful and get ready for a post-Christian society where lawlessness abounds, elevating the rights of an individual to do as he pleases above the overall good of society; where love grows cold because it no longer sees the needs and desires the well-being of all; and hatred of Christ causes people to turn against those who embody His presence here on earth. Let us take to heart the words of Peter to the persecuted church in Asia Minor: “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:9).

How do we resist him? By effective, victorious intercession!

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to awaken His Church to vigilance, to the need for a strong daily walk with God that leads to victorious faith, loving community, and compassionate outreach even as hatred for Christ increases.
• Pray for God’s people to train in spiritual battle, discern the signs of the times and the schemes of the enemy, and resist him.
• Pray for practical and spiritual preparedness for times of trial, and for meaningful connections with Christians around the world who can teach us to thrive under opposition and persecution.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to help us understand how to live out the gospel with love and uncompromising adherence to biblical truth in a post-Christian society.
• Pray for a Great Awakening to yet sweep our nation to gather up the lost, the last, the least, the left-behind and the left-out into His Kingdom and to stem the tide of anti-Christian sentiment.
• Pray for a revival in the public sector, elected officials from city councils to national government, as well as law enforcement and fire service, in order to turn the tide of decisionmaking, legislation, and law enforcement away from its post-Christian slide and towards a desire for God’s wisdom.
• Pray for the people of God to increasingly be salt and light in the seven mountains of society and culture and thus to continue to shine light, speak truth, and draw people from all walks of life into a saving relationship with Christ.

Will you join us in praying? Share in the comments!

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