“Each year, an estimated 300 million Christians around the world are persecuted because of their faith in Jesus. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are beaten, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith,” said the International Christian Concern’s 2025 Global Persecution Index, released last Friday, which documents instances of governments denying rights to a share of the world’s estimated 2.38 billion Christians. “In many countries, it is illegal for them to share the Gospel.”
“The details of persecution you will read in our report are not isolated incidents,” clarified International Christian Concern President Jeff King. These repressive acts represent the reality of “Christians worldwide who face daily threats to their lives and religious freedom.”
The index, formerly known as the “Persecutors of the Year” report, ranked 20 countries based on the danger they pose to their Christian population: red (where Christians are regularly tortured or killed for their faith), orange (where nations “severely oppress” Christians), and yellow (“lesser offenders” who subject Christians to arrests, attacks, or oppression).
“2024 was a harrowing year for massive numbers of Christians worldwide,” said the ICC report, “[f]rom underground house churches in China to remote villages in Nigeria.”
ICC’s conclusions overlap with Global Christian Relief’s “2025 GCR red list,” which documents the 25 worst nations for Christian persecution, broken into five separate categories.
Four of the five deadliest nations for Christians are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Global Christian Relief: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, and Ethiopia. The ICC report’s red list also included Somalia and Eritrea, the Marxist dictatorship of North Korea, as well as Pakistan and Afghanistan, now dominated by the Taliban (but excluded Ethiopia).
The world’s two most populous nations, China and India, fall just below the worst level of persecution, making ICC’s orange list, with Iran and Saudi Arabia. ICC’s yellow list includes Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Russia, and Vietnam.
Both reports agree Christians face the greatest persecution in Africa’s Sahel region: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal.
Nigeria Becomes World’s Deadliest Nation for Christians After Biden Backs Off Criticism
“Nigeria is the most dangerous place on earth for Christians, where they face the most intense violence,” said Isaac Six, senior director of advocacy for Global Christian Relief, on “Washington Watch” Wednesday. “We documented 9,814 killings in a two-year period.” Nigeria also tops GCR’s list for anti-Christian abductions and assaults, with 9,311.
The safety of Christians has only eroded since President Joe Biden removed Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, which President Donald Trump applied for the first time.
“We were trending in a positive direction during the last Trump administration, and all that was lost,” lamented Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.
The Biden-Harris administration has instead exerted U.S. power trying to convince nations such as Sierra Leone to liberalize their abortion laws and created an economic boycott aimed at coercing Uganda to repeal a law that outlaws homosexual child molestation, knowingly having sex with others while carrying the AIDS virus, and drugging or coercing vulnerable people into nonconsensual gay sex—acts the bill describes as “aggravated homosexuality.” Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Christian population continues to testify of its faith even unto death.
“The stories coming out of Nigeria are almost unimaginable. And I think if the American church heard some of these stories on a regular basis, they would be shocked,” said Six. He highlighted the story of a Nigerian woman kidnapped by the Islamist fundamentalist terrorist group Boko Haram. “Four of her sons were executed in front of her as soon as she was taken captive. Then she spent another year and a half in captivity [before she] finally escaped and had nothing at all,” said Six. “One of the pastors we support there found her. We were able to provide her with a new home to live in, to be reunited with her children. We helped her start a new business and basically start her life again and get back on her feet.”
Six: President Trump Must Do More to Help Persecuted Christians, Starting on ‘Day One’
While private Christian relief groups can help Christians facing oppression, politicians must do their part, said Six. “We need to redesignate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern. President-elect Trump can do that on Day One when he steps into office,” said Six. “Nigerian authorities … need to understand that the relationship with the United States is going to deteriorate quickly if these mass killings and attacks continue.”
Redesignating Nigeria as a CPC would signal to all countries guilty of oppressing Christians that “the United States and others are extremely concerned about what’s happening, and it can open up these countries to economic sanctions and other measures,” argued Six. He believes such measures could exert needed leverage for the Nigerian government to begin protecting Christians. “It’s going to take a concerted, organized effort at the policy level and also at the ground level to shift the tide in Nigeria, but it’s simply been unaddressed,” Six emphasized. “The federal government and the state governments in Nigeria need to be put under a lot more pressure. … They probably have the resources, but they’re just not prioritizing protecting Christians.”
“It’s going to take political pressure as well, because a lot of these areas where Boko Haram and these other groups have come in and wiped out Christian communities, other Muslim groups have moved in and taken over their land and property, and they’re not planning to give it back,” Six explained.
India Engages in ‘Mass Suppression of the Church’
Property crimes are a key concern in India, which topped GCR’s list for targeted attacks on Christian property with 4,949 attacks. The ancient Christian community in the region of Kerala believe the Apostle Thomas planted the Christian faith during his apostolic ministry in the first century. But today, the Malankara Orthodox Church and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church face targeted assaults.
“This isn’t just random violence. Persecutors use violence to drive out Christians to take control and capture the culture in some of these countries,” said Six. “This is a decade of systematic, planned, organized occupation of some Christian areas. And it’s now at the point where every single rung of civil society and government is armed against impoverished Christian communities,” which “have no recourse.”
India engages in “mass suppression of the church,” observed Six. Yet Perkins said India is “getting a pass from many in the West, because of its growing economic power.”
Anti-Christian Persecution Fueled by Communist Dictatorships, Islamist Extremism
“From China, which has refined and exported this belief around the world, to Nicaragua, where the Catholic church is viewed as a political enemy of the state, dictators everywhere appear to be increasing their focus on controlling religion or eliminating Christianity altogether,” noted the ICC report. In Nicaragua, the Sandinistas’ “communist government increasingly surveils, detains, and forces Christian leaders into exile.” Communist nations of concern to ICC include China, North Korea, Nicaragua, and Vietnam.
Islamist persecution includes murderous raids from the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, al-Shabab in Somalia, and Boko Haram in Nigeria. “The growth of radical Islamist insurgencies in sub-Saharan Africa, the Sahel, and now deep into the southern and southeastern parts of Africa is uprooting things there. Mozambique is one of several places where there has been mass displacement of Christians,” Six told Perkins. “These are places where only 10 years ago, Christians and Muslims generally got along peacefully. There was not as much dissension. And that whole landscape is changing.”
Eritrea meets at the crossroads of Islamist extremism and socialist persecution. Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s People’s Front for Democracy and Justice “represents a radical left-leaning nationalist ideology that is completely closed to civil liberties and political rights,” said the ICC report. “Ideologically, Eritrea follows many of the patterns seen in Communist China. President Afwerki even traveled to China in the 1960s to study Maoism, returning inspired and ready to implement Maoist policies in his country.”
Although Eritrean Christians account for between 47% and 63% of the population, “[o]fficials enforce the narrow bounds of state-approved worship with severe penalties, including torture, imprisonment, and even death,” said the report. In 2022, the leader of the Eritrean Tewahedo Orthodox Church, Patriarch Antonios, died after 16 years of house arrest for resisting government interference in church affairs.
Persecution of Christians resumes or intensifies in areas of political, economic, or ethnic conflict. Sub-Saharan Africa contains “immense mineral wealth,” said Six. He estimated approximately 70% of global cobalt production, which is used in batteries, takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The situation may worsen in Syria, after the familial dictatorship of the Assad regime was toppled in December by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a “former” al-Qaeda affiliate that experts say continues to hold a jihadist worldview.
“These areas are riven by this conflict, so it’s going to have effects across the globe. And that’s why we need people in the church in America to become involved, because they can help us stand against this tide,” urged Six.
Murders, Displacements
After Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo experienced 390 documented murders of Christians, followed by Mozambique (262) and Ethiopia (181).
Russia ranked fifth, after Islamist fundamentalists targeted members of the Eastern Orthodox Church last summer.
“A lot of the numbers we verified are the result of an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus, in a region called Dagestan, which borders Azerbaijan and Georgia and the Caspian Sea. And so there we see Russian Orthodox Christians and others being targeted by Islamist violence,” Six told Perkins.
Members of the terrorist group ISIS-K killed 20 people (including a 66-year-old priest) and injured 46 in coordinated attacks on Russian Orthodox churches and a synagogue in Dagestan on the Orthodox holiday of Pentecost.
Armenian Christians suffered more displacements than any other nation, thanks to an invasion by a Muslim-majority neighbor. “Azerbaijan drove out 120,000 Christians in late 2023. They wiped out 1,700 years of Christian presence in an area called Nagorno-Karabakh,” explained Six.
Historians believe Armenia may have become the world’s first Christian nation, when St. Gregory the Illuminator brought Christianity to the nation in 301 A.D. The Armenian Apostolic Church, a part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, represents an estimated 92% of the population.
This conflict has occasionally bled into the United States. As Family Research Council scholar Arielle Del Turco documented in a comprehensive report, in 2023 vandals desecrated an Armenian church in Massachusetts with the message, “Artsakh is Dead, Karabakh is Azerbaijan.” Six hopes U.S. leaders will begin “pushing Azerbaijan to reopen that corridor, to give these people the right to return home—even if they’re not going to relinquish the territory.”
China arrested 1,559 Christians last year, more than any other nation, according to GCR.
‘The Blood of the Martyrs Is the Seed of the Church’
Despite the heavy hand of persecution, “Christianity is the fastest growing religion in Asia and seems to be flourishing, in a sense, even in areas where despotic rulers are working relentlessly to eliminate it. In the clerical Islamic theocracy of Iran, Christianity is growing at such a rate that some estimate the Iranian church may be the fastest growing church in the world,” noted the ICC report hopefully.
The report seems to verify the close paraphrase of early church writer Tertullian, an advocate of religious liberty, who wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
]]>Bible sales rose 22% through October compared to the same period last year, according to data released this month by Circana Bookscan. Total U.S. print book sales were only up 1%, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the trend.
“The religion book market has been a bright spot of growth within the total book market since the pandemic,” Brenna Connor, an industry analyst with Circana, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Bibles are leading that growth, but other subjects like Christian Life and Biblical Studies are also up, reflecting increased interest for Christian subjects in the U.S.”
I have never heard of anything like this happening before.
Bible sales have been rising since the first year of the pandemic, and this year they took off like a rocket…
Print Bible sales hit a five-year low of just under 8.9 million in 2020, according to Circana’s data, before beginning to tick upward again. Sales surpassed 13.7 million in the first 10 months of this year, Circana reported.
Interestingly, this is taking place at a time when the percentage of the population that identifies as “Christian” has hit an all-time low…
The share of Americans identifying with a Christian religion hit a low of 68% last year, according to Gallup polling. Half a century ago, 87% of adults in the U.S. identified as Christian, Gallup found. About 28% of American adults are now religiously unaffiliated, according to Pew Research.
As a society, we just don’t embrace institutional churches the way that we once did.
Last year, I discussed the fact that church attendance in the U.S. is now far lower than it once was…
In 1958, a Gallup survey found that 49 percent of Americans had attended church within the past 7 days. That number started to decline during the ensuing years, and by 1972 only 40 percent of Americans said that they had attended church within the past 7 days. From 1972 all the way until 2012, church attendance within the past 7 days hovered right around that 40 percent figure. Unfortunately, over the past decade it has started to fall once again. Just prior to the pandemic, a Gallup survey found that 34 percent of Americans had been to church within the past 7 days, and now a new survey has discovered that it is down to just 31 percent.
And according to an article that was posted on Faithwire last week, the proportion of U.S. evangelicals that are giving to churches has dropped precipitously…
“The takeaway is that there has been a change over the last three years in terms of the generosity of the evangelical community, both toward church and toward nonprofit organizations or charities,” Mark Dreistadt said. “We’ve seen a drop in giving across the board.”
Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research found the “proportion of evangelicals giving to church fell 13 percentage points from 2021, constituting a 17% decrease in giving,” according to a press release.
While 61% of evangelicals gave to their local church in the 12 months before the study, this was down from the previous timeframe, when 74% of evangelicals had done the same.
Fewer Americans consider themselves to be “Christians” than ever before, church attendance is way down, and giving is way down.
But Bible sales are soaring.
What in the world is going on?
I think that what we are witnessing is a move of God that is happening mostly outside of the institutional churches, and it appears that young people are at the forefront of it.
In 2024, an organization known as UniteUS held a series of revival meetings at college campuses all across the country, and at school after school the response was amazing…
Tonya Prewitt, founder of UniteUS, explained, “We started at Auburn University. We had 5,000 students show up, and over 200 got baptized. We next went to FSU – Florida State, the second biggest party school in the nation. We had 4,500 students come, and I believe about 350 students got baptized at that event.”
The movement then swept through the universities of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina, with numbers growing along the way. Tonya calls the mission a simple one: Bring hope to a generation.
College student Haden Smith shared his experience. “Just getting to be with your neighbors and friends as they pray with you for your struggles and being open with those you normally wouldn’t be open with – it was just overall powerful,” he said.
And sometimes revival has erupted without any big organization being involved at all. For example, NPR has reported on the revival that was initiated by football players at Ohio State…
Students and players deemed it a revival. The story made national news, including appreciative stories in religious publications and Fox News. Now, as Ohio State University’s football team prepares for the college football playoffs, players like Henderson have a bigger platform to share their Christian beliefs.
Could all of this be the start of something really big?
Could all of this be the start of the end times revival that I have been writing about?…
The Remnant of the last days is going to do things the way that Christians in the first century did things. Have you ever wondered why so many Christian churches today do not resemble what you see in the Bible? Well, the sad truth is that over the centuries churches got away from doing the things that the Scriptures tell us to do, but now God is restoring all things. Without God we can do nothing, but with God all things are possible.
Right now, we have such an amazing opportunity. During the first century, there were only about 200 million people living on the entire planet. Today, the total global population is somewhere around 8 billion. That means the population of the world is about 40 times larger today than it was back in the first century.
I believe that we are on the verge of the greatest move of God and the greatest harvest of souls in all of human history, and I encourage you to be a part of what is happening.
As wars, natural disasters, pestilences and economic problems shake the globe, people are going to be searching for answers, and Bible prophecy will become one of the hottest topics on the entire planet.
During the years ahead, so many will be consumed with despair as their lives are totally turned upside down by the cataclysmic events that are coming. Instead of giving in to fear like everyone else will be, it will be a great opportunity for the people of God to rise up and take the message of life to a lost and dying world.
For some reason, a lot of people in the institutional church associate revival with prosperous times.
But often it takes a tremendous amount of shaking to turn people back to God.
During the very difficult years that are ahead of us, the shaking will seem unbearable at times.
It will seem like the worst of times, but it will also seem like the best of times because of the tremendous awakening that we will witness.
God is calling for His Remnant of the last days to arise, and no force on Earth will be able to stop that from happening.
Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
]]>At least some of the top persecutors.
At the ACLJ website, he explains his family’s priorities for Christmas, what he calls a special time for family.
“But Christmas is also special to our family for another, even more important reason: As Christians, Christmas is a reminder that Light has come into a dark world. The miracle of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem changed the world forever, and I believe that He remains our greatest hope despite the many challenges we face today,” he said.
While Americans have freedom to worship, there are Christians in other nations who don’t.
“Our prayers should begin with Christian communities in Syria. During my time as Secretary of State, we brought to an end the horrific ISIS caliphate that had inflicted unimaginable crimes on Christians across Syria and Iraq, as well as on other religious groups. While the Islamic State’s territorial defeat was a major step, the remnants of its brutal persecution remain, and the fall of Bashar al-Assad is likely to invite even greater persecution of Christians in the country,” he explained.
That’s why, he said, “it is so important for the United States to continue working with Israel, the only truly pluralistic nation in the Middle East that offers full religious freedom.”
He explained, “In the first Trump administration, we prioritized religious freedom because it is deeply tied to global stability, prosperity, and freedom. Pray that Christians in Syria do not suffer further terror and hardship in the coming weeks and months, and pray for our leaders to defend the faithful.”
Next, he said, there are new challenges to religious freedom in Ukraine.
“While at home, Vladimir Putin has cast himself as a righteous defender of Christianity, his Russian military has actively sought to destroy the presence of the church in Ukraine. More than 500 churches have been destroyed or seriously damaged by Russia’s forces since the invasion began in 2022. Orthodox churches loyal to God, rather than to Putin’s regime, have faced closures, their clergy members have been arrested, and their worshipers have been intimidated,” he warned.
And he’s jailed “Protestant and Russian Orthodox clergy alike,” he said.
Then Pompeo said, there’s China.
There, “the suppression of religious expression has reached levels not previously imagined,” he said.
“The Chinese government has detained more than a million Uyghur Muslims in the largest concentration camps ever built. Simultaneously, Christian churches of all denominations face increasing restrictions.”
And the Chinese Communist Party allows only bishops “faithful to the communist regime” to be appointed.
“Many Protestant churches face the removal of crosses, demolition, and the forced integration of Communist Party propaganda into Scripture,” he said. “These actions amount to a deep, systematic effort to ultimately destroy religious freedom.”
Open Doors has reported that more than 365 million Christians in the world, that is one in seven, face high levels of persecution for their faith today.
The group’s World Watch List cites at least 50 nations where it is dangerous for Christians to live.
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]]>— Read More: harbingers.tv
Let’s Explain the “Palestinian Jesus” Syndrome
Who is the “Palestinian Jesus”? This emerging concept has sparked heated debates over the past few decades. For 41 years, as a Jewish follower of Yeshua (Jesus), Olivier Melnick defended His Jewish identity countless times. Historically, attempts to strip Jesus of His Jewish roots stemmed from ignorance or cultural bias. But this “Palestinian Jesus” narrative is something entirely different.
This movement is part of a broader agenda aimed at delegitimizing Israel and rewriting history. It’s a distortion of biblical truth, denying Jesus’ Jewish heritage in favor of a politically motivated identity. Let’s unpack what this idea represents and why it’s dangerous.
The Origins of the “Palestinian Jesus”
The claim that Jesus was Palestinian comes from a theological framework known as Christian Palestinianism. This ideology seeks to erase the Jewish identity of scripture, the Bible, and Jesus Himself. Unlike past cultural misrepresentations, this agenda is rooted in historical revisionism and political propaganda.
During the 2024 Christmas season, the Vatican received a nativity scene featuring Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. It was crafted from olive wood by a Palestinian artist and placed on a manger covered with a Palestinian keffiyeh, a symbol popularized by Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian leader. Though initially distributed online, images of Pope Francis admiring the scene were quickly removed following public backlash.
Christian Palestinianism is essentially replacement theology amplified. It aims to replace Israel and the Jewish people in scripture with a Palestinian narrative. This approach not only distorts biblical history, but also threatens the theological foundations of the Christian faith.
Why Christian Palestinianism is Dangerous
1. It Distorts God’s Word
Christian Palestinianism denies clear biblical promises. For example, in Genesis 12:1-3, God makes an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants, promising them the land of Israel. These promises have not expired, nor have they been transferred to another people. Scripture repeatedly confirms God’s unchanging covenant with Israel and its ultimate fulfillment.
Nevertheless, proponents of Christian Palestinianism cherry-pick or even reject portions of scripture. Naim Ateek, a known advocate, once stated that any biblical text not aligned with God’s universal love must be ignored. Such selective interpretation compromises the integrity of scripture, allowing ideology to override biblical truth.
2. It Rejects the Authority of Scripture
More than historical revisionism, this movement promotes outright rejection of God’s word. By undermining the Bible’s inspiration, Christian Palestinianism sets a dangerous precedent. It allows for an edited theology, redefined to support political narratives.
This mindset mirrors the Islamic concept of abrogation, where newer texts override older ones. The result is a shaky and subjective foundation that departs from the truth of God’s word.
3. It Promotes a One-Sided Narrative
Christian Palestinianism ignores key facts. It emphasizes allegations of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and colonialism against Israel while downplaying Palestinian terrorism, human rights abuses, and violence. For genuine reconciliation to happen, a balanced view is essential. One-sided reconciliation isn’t reconciliation at all.
Recent events, such as Hamas-led attacks on October 7, highlight the complexity of these issues. Christian Palestinianism, however, dismisses such acts under a politically biased framework, deepening division and hostility.
4. It Portrays God as a Covenant Breaker
For Christian Palestinianism to hold, Israel must no longer matter in God’s plan. Advocates often claim that God abandoned His promises to Israel, replacing them with the church or other groups. But this directly contradicts scripture.
God’s covenant with Abraham is described as everlasting, reiterated countless times throughout the Bible. If God could break His promises to Israel, His trustworthiness would be in question. Thankfully, scripture assures us that God neither lies nor changes His mind (1 Samuel 15:29).
5. It Demonizes Israel
Once Israel’s covenantal relationship with God is denied, critics find it easier to vilify the Jewish state. Anti-Israel sentiment often disguises itself as criticism of political policies, but it frequently devolves into antisemitism. Radical anti-Zionism is increasingly normalized in media, politics, and even some evangelical circles.
This demonization flips truth on its head. Victims are portrayed as oppressors, while aggressors are seen as the oppressed. Such narratives further inflame tensions, making peace even harder to achieve.
6. It Paves the Way for Islamization
Bodily rewriting scripture isn’t the end goal. Christian Palestinianism often works in tandem with Islamic narratives, bridging theological gaps to promote an “Islamic replacement theology.” This trend replaces biblical truth with agendas favoring Palestinian nationalism and Islamic ideologies.
Jewish elements are removed from scripture to accommodate this shift. The connection between the Old and New Testament is severed, leaving behind a reimagined theology that bears little resemblance to biblical Christianity.
Why the “Palestinian Jesus” Cannot Exist
Scripture provides overwhelming evidence that Jesus was Jewish. He descended from Jewish patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was from the tribe of Judah, a descendant of King David, and was raised in a Jewish household. He followed Jewish laws, celebrated Jewish festivals, and was even referred to as “King of the Jews.”
Here are just a few biblical examples affirming Jesus’ Jewish identity:
- Jesus had Jewish lineage: (Genesis 22:18, Matthew 1:1-2)
- He followed the customs of Judaism: (Luke 2:21, John 2:13)
- He was referred to as Rabbi: (John 1:38)
- Pilate called Him “King of the Jews”: (Mark 15:2)
The idea of a “Palestinian Jesus” ignores history, geography, and scripture. It begins with the false claim that Palestinians were a native people of the land now called Israel. But this premise falls apart under historical scrutiny. Jesus was not Palestinian; He was, and always will be, a Jew.
The Universal Gift of Salvation
Despite the distortions of Christian Palestinianism, one truth stands firm: Jesus came for all people. Though He came first for the Jewish people, His salvation extends to every Jew, Arab, and Gentile in the world.
Jesus’ death and resurrection are universal gifts. Those who trust in Him receive forgiveness and eternal life. This includes Palestinians and people from every corner of the globe. But to fully understand Jesus’ mission, we must accept Him for who He is—not through a political or ideological lens, but through biblical truth.
Conclusion
The “Palestinian Jesus” narrative is historically and theologically flawed. It rewrites scripture, distorts God’s promises, and promotes harmful agendas. As followers of Yeshua, we must stand firm in defending His true identity as the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world.
Jesus isn’t a symbol for political movements or propaganda. He is God’s eternal Son, born as a Jew, and came to reconcile humanity to God. Let’s celebrate His truth and share His message of salvation with all, untainted by revisionism or falsehoods.
Will you embrace the truth of who Jesus is today? Don’t wait—seek Him now. His invitation is open to all, no questions asked and no strings attached.
Article generated with the assistance of AI.
]]>“Christians are not tremendous voters in terms of percentage,” Trump said Wednesday at a Believers and Ballots Faith Town Hall in Zebulon, Georgia. “If they were, we would never lose an election.”
The president was responding to a question about a recent survey by George Barna at Arizona Christian University which found that “as many as 104 million people of faith are unlikely to vote in this upcoming election – and among those, 32 million self-identified Christians who regularly attend church won’t cast their ballots.”
“I think we’ve really energized a lot of people this time because they’ve seen how bad it is. This last four years has been, it’s been a horror show, an absolute horror show.”
He continued: “I think we’re gonna see those numbers goes way up. I’m almost sure of it, and I’m even hearing that from, statistically, because you see what’s coming in. And by the way, record numbers of votes are coming in. That’s supposed to be a good thing for us. … We want to make it too big to rig.”
He indicated the current administration has been targeting Christians for persecution, with some groups especially hard hit.
“I don’t know what’s going on with Catholics. Why are they after Catholics? The Catholics are being persecuted. Schools boards are being persecuted, parents.”
Trump said Democrats in power are “not a nice group of people.”
“They’re vicious people,” he said. “People are being persecuted, people of religion. And you saw little bit of it during COVID, where you’d have a service outside, everybody’s five yards away and they’re coming and arresting people. It’s very bad. But I think you’re gonna see a big change. I think you’re gonna see it now.”
He indicated religion is “like the glue that holds it all together.”
In addition to Christians, Trump noted gun owners tend to avoid voting.
“People that own guns, they vote in a very small proportion. If they ever voted, you could never lose. And in fact, the Democrats, the radical left, used to fear them and now they don’t fear them any longer because they don’t vote to the extent that they should.”
Trump was thankful for the presence of God in his personal and family life, saying: “When you believe in God, it’s a big advantage over people that don’t have that.”
Follow Joe on Twitter @JoeKovacsNews
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]]>As an evangelical Christian myself, I’d like to encourage my fellow believers to cast their ballots. I also ask pastors to tell their flocks to vote, without endorsing one candidate over another.
First, however, let’s explain the research.
George Barna, director of research at Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center, conducted two in-depth surveys in August and September. Online and by phone, Barna surveyed 2,000 adults who self-identified as Christians and said they attended church services at least once a month. He also did an online survey of 1,000 adults in the overall U.S. population.
The surveys found that only 51% of “people of faith”—those who describe themselves as affiliated with a recognized religious faith or as “a person of religious faith”—indicate they are likely to vote in the upcoming election. The U.S. voting-age population is about 268 million, and the survey estimated that about 212 million adults qualify as being in the “people of faith” category. Since 49% of “people of faith” in the survey indicated they would not be likely to vote, that amounts to approximately 104 million Americans “of faith” who are unlikely to vote.
Barna broke down these nonvoters into a few (sometimes overlapping) groups: born-again Christians, identified by their stated beliefs regarding sin and salvation (41 million nonvoters); self-identified Christians who regularly attend church services (32 million); voting-age adults who regularly attend an evangelical church (14 million); adults who attend Protestant churches (46 million); and adults who attend Catholic churches (19 million).
Likely nonvoters gave a variety of reasons for not voting: a lack of interest in politics and elections (68%), disliking all the major candidates (57%), feeling that no candidate reflects their most important views (55%), believing that their one vote won’t make a difference (52%), and saying that the election has become too controversial for their liking (50%).
Yet Barna’s research also found that these nonvoters may reconsider their apathy if their pastors encourage them to vote.
“This research underscores the fact that simply encouraging people to vote in order to fulfill their biblical responsibility would not only be seen as doing their job while helping the community, but an estimated 5 million regular churchgoers would be likely to vote as a result of that simple exhortation,” Barna said in a press release on the findings. “That, in itself, could change the outcome of the election.”
He also noted that the results of the 2020 presidential election, which were contested, came down to a combined total of 587,000 votes in nine battleground states.
“In that context, the 32 million Christians sitting in the pews each week who refuse to vote are a game-changer,” the researcher added. “It’s low-hanging fruit for pastors as they try to motivate those congregants to carry out their civic duty and honor God through their influence for things that matter in our culture.”
So, should conservative Christians vote in the 2024 election? Whether our votes will make a difference or not, what does the Bible say?
1. Honor the Ruling Authorities
Christians look with hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come, when Jesus will reign and wipe away every tear. In the meantime, however, both the Bible and Christian tradition are clear: We should honor the ruling authorities.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God,” the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 13:1. (I’m using the translation known as the English Standard Version for all Bible citations.)
Jesus proclaimed that he was the messiah at a time when the Jews expected a messiah to rise against Roman oppression, just like the Maccabees did against Greek oppression under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Jesus repeatedly told his disciples and the Roman authorities that he didn’t come to usher in political change, for “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).
So, in modern America, who are the “governing authorities?” The three branches established by the Constitution—the executive under the president, the legislative under Congress, and the judicial under the Supreme Court—certainly qualify. But each derives its own authority from the people, who exercise their sovereign will through voting.
I would argue that in modern America, if you are a citizen with the right to vote, honoring the governing authorities entails educating yourself on the major issues and casting a ballot in your local, state, and federal elections.
Paul also lays out the basic function of government: The ruler, he writes, “is God’s servant for your good,” to reward the good and punish the evil. Paul adds: “He is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:3-5).
At the most basic level, following the Apostle Paul’s directive here involves casting a ballot in the way that will best help the government be a servant of God’s ultimate justice while acknowledging that human justice is limited.
2. Seek the Peace of the City
Some Christians might object that casting a ballot represents an endorsement of flawed candidates or a flawed system, and therefore they should protect their consciences by not implicating themselves in a broken political system.
To these people I would point to Jeremiah 29, the letter that the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Although God inspired Jeremiah to write that letter to the Jewish exiles at the time, not to modern Christians today, Christians may look to Jeremiah’s advice for inspiration and guidance—especially as Christians find themselves in what feels like a hostile and post-Christian American culture.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce,” Jeremiah wrote. “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29: 4-7).
Christians live in a sort of exile on earth, as citizens of heaven. As St. Augustine wrote in his magnificent book “The City of God,” Christians should work for the peace and prosperity of the earthly city in which we live, while longing for the heavenly city where our true citizenship and fulfillment reside.
This means voting in elections, sometimes for the lesser of what may seem to be two evils, because our votes will make a difference and can help the health of the earthly city where we currently dwell.
3. Instruments of God
Ultimately, God decides whether nations rise or fall, and whether he will give them prosperity or judgment.
This should come as great encouragement to American Christians who fear for our country. It is not up to us to determine whether the Constitution endures, whether the deep state will be defeated, or whether an immoral person takes the reins of the U.S. government.
Our votes can make an impact, but God determines the course of history, and he inspired Paul to write to the Romans, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
This “good” does not always mean earthly prosperity—all things ultimately worked together for good for Stephen when he got stoned for preaching the good news about Jesus (Acts 7-8). It does mean, however, that we can put our ultimate hope in God, and look at the struggles in this world as a testing ground, a “vale of tears” before we reach the summit of everlasting joy.
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will,” Solomon writes in Proverbs 21.
The prophets ring with the message that God sometimes chooses judgment for his people, the Jews, and he used both the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and the Persian King Cyrus to accomplish his will. The first served God by delivering judgment on the Jews—destroying Jerusalem and carrying the Jews off into exile. The second served God by returning the Jews to Jerusalem, paying to rebuild the temple and the walls of the holy city.
When we vote, prayerfully and wisely, we are taking our own small part in God’s ultimate governance of human affairs. We won’t always get it right, but he will.
]]>Yet how many actually read it? Two years ago, Christianity Today noted: “The data said roughly 26 million people had mostly or completely stopped reading the Bible in the last year.”
Meanwhile, as of this writing, the education department of the state of Oklahoma is planning to purchase 55,000 Bibles for the public schools. I’m sure the left is gnashing their teeth over such a plan.
But historically, the Bible was the reason education for the masses was developed in America in the first place. The Puritan forefathers created schools for the masses (a forerunner to the public schools), so that children could learn to read, so they could read the Bible for themselves.
Someone might argue, “Well, that was the Puritans. But surely the Founding Fathers didn’t agree with that.”
But actually, they did argue for that in 1787 and in 1789 when the founders adopted the Northwest Ordinance. As new territories became states in the newly formed United States, they were to follow the same basic template.
Here’s what Article III of the Northwest Ordinance had to say about schools, which were voluntary at that time and often run by churches: “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary for good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
The Bible was the chief textbook in one way or another for the first 200-300 years of America – and that’s when the children could read, because of it. It was the Bible that gave birth to Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown and so on.
It was only when the schools explicitly went against the Scriptures that American education went off the rails. Now there are major portions of society who can’t read, despite years of schooling.
Meanwhile, is there a correlation between reading the Scriptures and human flourishing?
Many social science studies have shown that church is good for society, that attending church on a regular basis lengthens your life (on average) and that attending church often improves the quality of your life as well. Dr. Byron Johnson of Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion has spent years assessing studies on the impact of applied religion (generally, Christianity) leading to positive personal and societal improvement. Dr. Johnson even wrote a book showing how Christian belief and practice helps lower criminal behavior. The book is appropriately titled, “More God, Less Crime.“
But what about Bible-reading? A recent study Dr. Johnson wrote, along with M. Bradshaw and S.J. Jang, is entitled, “Assessing the Link Between Bible Reading and Flourishing among Military Families.”
Before exploring their results (which were positive), the study mentions earlier related findings: “Previous research shows salutary associations between multiple dimensions of religiosity (including reading sacred texts) and different aspects of flourishing (e.g., physical health, psychological well-being, character and virtue, social connections and support).”
The abstract of the study noted: “Bible reading may promote overall mental, physical, and social well-being. Implications and limitations of these preliminary findings are discussed.”
The researchers list three of their findings on how the Bible fosters human flourishing: “First, Bible reading is likely to promote psychological well-being by helping individuals develop a close relationship with a loving and caring God who engages in the lives of individuals.”
They continue: “Second, Bible reading may facilitate feelings of divine control that help cope with stress. Third, positive and encouraging messages in the Bible may also promote purpose in life and guidance seeking, which may also enhance flourishing.”
When I started reading the Bible for myself as a young man I found that it was such a great source for knowledge, for wisdom, for direction, for personal relations, etc.
The Bible was important to great Americans like George Washington, whose writings and speeches are filled with biblical phrases, such as “And everyman shall rest under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make them afraid.” This was Washington’s vision for America.
Even Jefferson, wisely or unwisely, collected many of the teachings of Jesus (including a few miracles) in a document for Native-Americans, so they too (like us) could benefit from them. People mistakenly call this unpublished work “The Jefferson Bible.” But as Jefferson noted once, the morality of Jesus is the most sublime and greatest moral teaching of all time.
President Lincoln called the Scriptures, “the greatest gift the Savior gave the world.” Indeed, great Americans through the ages were very familiar with the Bible.
As Ronald Reagan once said of the holy book, “Inside its pages lie all the answers to all the problems that man has ever known.”
To promote human flourishing, spread the message of the Scriptures.
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