What I am about to write will seem like a fantasy to some. It could be dismissed out of hand by others because it might come across as alarmist. To those who interpret the following either way, I offer the history of the last 100 years where nations, and believers within those nations, have faced a similar challenge. History has a tendency to repeat itself. Some within the Church have bought into the spirit of the age and are becoming willing mouthpieces of its propaganda, even demeaning and shaming those within their own ranks with whom they disagree. This is a setup for a sad and sorrow-filled outcome.

The old Soviet Union employed neighborhood informants who reported their fellow citizens to the authorities who did not toe the Party line and submit to its demands. I have a word of caution. We have entered perilous times where brothers and sisters will betray each other all for the sake of “the greater good”, a false sense of social justice, or simply out of fear of being aligned with an unpopular minority of dissidents. Just a few years ago, that possibility was hard to imagine. 

As this challenge progresses, the freedom of personal choice will be seen by the state and those who align with its worldview as a threat that must be stopped and eliminated. Free speech and the freedom to choose will be considered rebellious and even labeled as ungodly or unloving. This sad state of affairs has come to fruition because for decades we have been convinced our faith should remain private and not engage the public stage of culture.

The gift of the human will – the freedom to choose – is something sacred. It is a gift from God and must be protected even if we disagree with those whose gift we are protecting. Whenever a society has removed the freedom of personal choice from its citizens, the demise of that nation will soon follow. Even more important than preserving a nation is the preservation of our witness to the world. That witness is the testimony of a family who would never betray its members even when faced with the worst forms of social ostracization, persecution, or worse, death.