Christian Hostility and Harassment

One of the characteristics of the latter days will be the increase in hostility toward, and practice of, very clear biblical distinctives… religion will do fine, but Christianity will be attacked. Already we are seeing some rather dramatic displays of this aimed at Christians, Churches, and organizations that do not conform to the spirit of the age. Here are a few from hundreds of examples:

• An article in Newsweek on March 31 by John Murante (Nebraska State Treasurer) reported that JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank has engaged in “debanking” clients, both individuals and organizations, simply for what they believe. Murante writes, “The bank's cancelation of the National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), headed by former ambassador Sam Brownback, is a chilling example of anti-religious bias. Without any warning or rationale, Chase suddenly closed NCRF's account last year.” In fact, the bias is so bad that Nineteen Republican state attorneys general asserted a week ago this past Tuesday that JPMorgan Chase "de-banked" organizations for their conservative and religious tendencies, calling on the nation's largest financial institution to respect the viewpoints of their customers. Michael Snyder reports that the attorneys general stated in a letter to Chase that was provided to The Daily Wire, that the National Committee for Religious Freedom, a "nonpartisan, faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the right of everyone in America to live one's faith freely," had its Chase account nixed three weeks into starting a relationship with the company and was asked to provide a list of their donors to the firm.

• Recently, according to internal documents obtained last month by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio along with Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana it has been revealed that the FBI sought to infiltrate churches and cultivate sources within the church to use as source development regarding “domestic violent extremism investigations against Catholic Americans.”

• Governor Gavin Newsome of California on May 4th announced a new statewide “hotline” where people can report whatever they deem as “hate” acts by others. CAvsHate.org is the website launched along with the hotline phone number to provide Californians a way to snitch on their neighbors for hate acts, which the site makes clear does not always mean acts of violence. “A hate incident is a hostile expression or action that may be motivated by bias against another person’s actual or perceived identity. Perpetrators may be motivated by different discriminatory biases, including, but not limited to; bias based on race, color, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender, including gender identity. Some examples of hate incidents can include: derogatory name calling, bullying, hate mail, and refusing service.” Obviously, the hotline is not designed to protect Christians from hatred that is directed at them. But be careful… as Michael Snyder points out, if you accidentally misgender someone, you can get in serious trouble.

• Speaking of hostility toward Christians, The Family Research Council reports that in the past five years there have been more than 400 “acts of hostility” against churches involving “vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more." Almost daily there are acts of harassment and/or violence against Christians in this country that get no attention because corporate media really doesn’t want to talk about it.

In America, we have never experienced anything like this, and the pace is quickening at an astounding rate. Unless something happens, you can expect more hostility with greater censorship of Christianity. But then Jesus warned us of these things in John 15:18-21.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.”

And still, remember, God is always trying to take us someplace new.

I love being your Pastor… Speak and Live the Truth!

Pastor Ray