The mad Emperor Nero burned down the city of Rome, and blamed it on the Christians. Thus began a horrific and bloody persecution of the early church. So savage were the atrocities committed against the followers of Jesus that the populace, hardened though they were to the suffering of the church, began to have pity on the believers and voiced their outrage over the injustice of their treatment.

Now the winds of persecution are also blowing against the church in our once “Christian America.” A frightening shift has occurred in our nation that bodes ill for the followers of Jesus. Again, the populace is being stirred up against the Christians. Following the murder of abortionist George Tiller in Kansas last Sunday morning, those with pro-life convictions and Christians were judged guilty by some writers in the press—as guilty as if every born-again believer had pulled the trigger and killed George Tiller. Perusing the comment sections under the news articles, you will notice flashpoint terms that are used to describe pro-life Christians: “American Taliban,” “Domestic Terrorists,” “Right-wing Fascists”—you get the idea.

Why such anger and hatred toward the Church? It goes much deeper than the outrage against the killing of a famous and controversial abortionist. Once, our nation had a strong Judeo-Christian ethic. Our spiritual roots have eroded the last few decades through lawlessness and immorality because we, as a nation, have turned away from God. What was once known as sin is now repackaged as “choice,” “freedoms” and “consensual relationships.” Our modern culture is not fighting over its “rights” as much as it is trying to redefine truth, censoring all dissent and criticism. However, there lies deep within every person a God-given conscience, though many drown out the voice of reason that lets us know when we are crossing the line of right from wrong. As long as we can admit that we are doing wrong, then there is a chance of turning away from wrong and finding redemption. By silencing the voice of conscience, wrong will never be acknowledged and the seeds of redemption are cast away. We defend our depravity at our own peril.

Our nation has been sinning against its own conscience for many years, a conscience that has been seared against all feelings of remorse. When a statement of truth such as “Abortion is the killing of innocent human life” is told to a person whose conscience is hardened, it compels that person who is at war with his own conscience to silence the voice of truth. Anger and hatred are aroused because a dying conscience is revived. It is not enough to justify one’s own sin; all opposition must be silenced. This is the root motivation behind the so-called “Hate Crimes” legislation being pushed in our government. Shut up all of those narrow-minded, bigoted Christians who don’t agree with abortion, homosexual rights, same-sex marriage, the social engineering of school children, etc. Ironically, that which is called “hatred” by those who are in rebellion against their Creator is actually true love—a love of the Truth that desires the saving of another’s soul. It is the truth that makes men free, not intimidating citizens to agree with immoral lifestyles through oppressive legislation.

Liz Wahl Andre

Lutcher