Save America Ministries

Narrator: This is Viewpoint with attorney and author Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is a one-hour talk show confronting the issues of America's heart and home. And now with today's edition of Viewpoint, here is Chuck Crismier.

Chuck Crismier: Anti-Christian violence and legal pressure is rising in Europe, so-called Christian Europe. Experts and diplomats warned at the United Nations Human Rights Council that anti-Christian violence and legal pressure affecting religious freedom are increasing in Europe and require stronger protection of freedom of religion worldwide. Notice it's not threats in Islamic countries. It's not threats in China. It's threats in Europe. Anti-Christian violence and legal pressure rising in Europe.

The warning emerged during a side event titled Standing with Persecuted Christians, Defending the Faith and Christian Values, held in Geneva, Switzerland. Several European governments have targeted individuals through criminal procedures for peacefully expressing their religious beliefs. More than 760 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in Europe in 2024. And according to another record from the Vatican, they said they documented 2,200 violent incidents affecting Christians across the continent during the same year. So, there is a lot of persecution in Europe.

Some incidents involve direct violence, others involve legal actions against individuals expressing religious beliefs. There was the 2024 killing of an Assyrian Christian in France during a live stream of his religious testimony when it was attacked. Legal proceedings against the Finnish member of parliament, Päivi Räsänen, over a Bible citation in a public debate on social issues is another consideration. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief said the event that violence against Christians often involves wider violations of fundamental rights and should be understood within the broader system of international human rights protection.

She said Christians do not and should not stand alone. States carry the primary responsibility to protect religious freedom and ensure that individuals can profess and practice their faith publicly or privately without interference. Nearly 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, and that is about one in seven Christians around the world. Nearly 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith last year, an average of 13 a day. Well, that is the opening statement here on Viewpoint today. Today, we are going to take a look at this matter of persecution in a rather different way, a different light that may surprise you.

For instance, that article talked about anti-Christian violence in Europe. But how about this one? Europe didn't lose Christianity overnight. The church gave it away. Does that have anything to do with setting up Christians in Europe for persecution? Maybe it does. We will take a look at that here on the program today. Also, another article tells us that a weak Western church is hurting the global church. What is the Western church? That includes America and Europe. A weak Western church hurting the global church.

One of the ways they say among six is a diminished advocacy for persecuted Christians and religious freedom. The spiritual decline of Western Christianity also carries a moral and political cost in democratic societies. Churches have often formed part of the constituency that demands conscience protections and defends religious liberty, not only at home but abroad. But when Western churches grow timid, fragmented, or captive to partisan habits, global advocacy weakens.

The consequences are tangible. Persecuted believers lose visibility, governments face less pressure to intervene diplomatically, hostile regimes learn that there is little price to pay for repression, and small churches in hard places suffer the consequences of large churches everywhere that are losing their voice because the Western church is weakened. So, today on Viewpoint, we are going to take a look at this broader picture, not only around the world, but we are going to take a look at it here in the Western world, not primarily in America, but primarily in Europe.

I have in my hands also a report from Israel National News today. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, PLO, is denying the historical and religious Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and warns against plans to perform the Passover sacrifice during the upcoming holiday. This is another form of persecution. We call it anti-Semitism because it relates to the Jewish people. The PLO stressed its false claims that the entire Temple Mount area is an exclusively Islamic place of worship.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, going back to about 1000 BC, we know that King David purchased the Temple Mount at that time. He purchased the Temple Mount to make a sacrifice to the Lord. It was not given to him. He said, "I will not offer to the Lord that which does cost me nothing." David, the second king of Israel that God said was a man after his own heart, actually purchased the Temple Mount. So, the Temple Mount was purchased by King David on behalf of Israel, and Israel has owned it ever since. Israel hasn't been in possession of it ever since but has owned it ever since. Nobody else has purchased it.

One of the leading rabbis of Tunisia spoke in favor of ascending to the Temple Mount in accordance with Jewish law, after ritual immersion and removing one's shoes. He also called on the Israeli government to cancel existing restrictions there in order to allow the Passover sacrifice to be offered at its proper time already this year. Well, things are moving very seemingly slowly but on another hand seemingly rapidly in terms of history to make the way for observant Jewish people to ascend to the Temple Mount and indeed ultimately to make the requisite sacrifice required by the law under the scriptures, the Torah.

So, you may say, well, what does that have to do with Christians? Well, directly it has nothing to do with Christians because it is Jewish, but they are still under the law. Why are they still under the law? Because they never received Yeshua, Jesus Christ, as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior. Therefore, they are necessarily still under the law, and the law requires that they make the ritual sacrifices, the Passover lamb, and so on.

And so, with Passover coming up, together with the Christian observance of Palm Sunday, the dramatic entrance of Jesus at the Temple Mount and then also the resurrection following that, we are at a point in time right now where this is being tested and indeed the matter of persecution against Jewish people is now front row center again, again called anti-Semitism. With that, we go back to Europe and we will be back in just a moment.

Persecution against Christians has to do primarily with three areas. One, attacks against the message. Two, attacks against the messenger. And three, attacks against the Master as Messiah. And so, Christian persecution or persecution of Christians involves all three. The weaker the church becomes, the less the persecution. In fact, to a certain extent, it is almost that we are becoming weaker in order to avoid persecution.

The Bible clearly portrays religious persecution against genuine Christians who refuse to shrink from their faith without being cultural or Christian chameleons. And there are at least nine ways or expressions of overt persecution. One was like beatings. Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John were beaten. Stoning, Paul, the Apostle Paul. They tried to stone Jesus as well. Mocking, Jesus and Paul. Insult, Jesus on the cross. Paul accused of being mad and so on. Slander against Jesus, Paul, and Silas. Ostracism, the blind man healed and his parents thrown out of the synagogue. Intimidation, Peter and John. Remember they were threatened by the religious leaders, "Don't speak in this man's name anymore." Imprisonment, John the Baptist, Peter, John, Paul. And death, Jesus, Paul, Peter, all the apostles with the possible exception of John, also many of the prophets including Isaiah, who was placed in a log and sawn asunder.

So, those things are not exactly things that attract us. On the other hand, Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. Why do you think you should be different than your Lord?" Jesus said, "Whoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my father which is in heaven. But whoever shall deny me before men because of persecution or threats, him will I also deny before my father which is in heaven. He that does not take up his cross and follows after me is not worthy of me."

Now, as I was thinking about this today, I got to thinking, why is it that Muslims, true Muslim believers so to speak, not believers in Christ, but Muslim believers, why is it they have no fear of death? Have you noticed that? They don't have any fear of death. In fact, they celebrate it. They say, why would we fear being, fear death? And so, they actually run toward it. They actually run toward it for what purpose? Well, the cause of Islam. They believe and are sold to the idea of pleasing Allah, their name for God. Christians are sold to the idea of having God please them.

Have you noticed that? The weaker the church becomes, the less we are interested in pleasing God and the more we are interested in God pleasing us, whether you want to call it the prosperity gospel, an entitlement mentality, it really doesn't matter. It takes on many forms, but the Western view now has become not us pleasing God, but God pleasing us. And so, we see that there is a calling in Islam that seems to be attractive to an awful lot of people. They believe that it is a legitimate cause because they are true believers.

Are we true believers? Well, one wonders. And when persecution comes, perhaps that is going to be the ultimate test. So, this is not something to be taken idly, it is something to think about, particularly as we go through the program here today. I want to make the book available to you, When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times. If you do not have this book, you really owe it to yourself and your family and your congregation to get it. You can also use this book in a very significant way in small groups.

It is perfect for that. Every chapter is followed by provocative questions that help to apply and discuss the issues. And when you start discussing it, then all of a sudden it becomes real and it becomes meaningful to you, and that is exactly why the book is presented, not for the purpose of terrifying people, but for the purpose of encouraging, strengthening, and preparing people. I really believe that God moved upon my heart to write this book as an act of his mercy to professing Christians in this unique moment of history. It is an act of mercy.

You see, the Bible actually says that God's mercy is extended only to those who obey him. Did you know that? That is what the Bible says. His mercy is extended only to those who obey him. Therefore, it is very important that we are living in such a way that we are able to stand even amid growing persecution. Are you able to stand? Do you think so? This book will encourage you in that regard, help you to be able to stand and having done all to stand, to stand.

So, let's go back now to Europe. The Christian Post gave us a piece today. Europe didn't lose Christianity overnight, the church just gave it away. And this is worth sharing with you in a major way because of its importance. You see, most of us here are European by heritage. Whether you came from Spain, whether you came from France, from Germany, from England, from Scandinavia, it really doesn't matter. They are all European, and Europe was known as Christian Europe.

In fact, it was Charlemagne that tried to establish the Holy Roman Empire in 800 AD and for that tried to establish the first global Christian world, a global one-world Christian order in Europe. Charlemagne, didn't work all that well, but that is what he had in mind. But where does Europe stand today? As this article says, Europe didn't lose Christianity overnight, the church just gave it away. Europe didn't wake up one morning and decide to stop believing in God. The old story is too neat, too flattering, too modern, secularist, and too convenient for the church.

Let everyone pretend the crisis was caused by science or liberalism or moral decline out there, of course. But the harder truth is this, in Europe Christianity did not only get pushed out, in many places it hollowed out from within. And that is why the crisis of Christianity in Europe is not mainly a story about atheists winning arguments. It is a story about churches losing credibility, losing seriousness, and then losing the right to be heard. The same thing is happening in America, just slower. Europe's taken the lead and now we are following in its jet stream.

The cathedrals are still there, political leaders still invoke Christian values when it suits them, millions still tick Christian on their census forms, but much of this is Christianity in ruins. Christianity is nostalgia, it is inheritance without discipleship, memory without obedience, identity without repentance. And that kind of Christianity can't save Europe. In fact, what is happening in the UK, the UK is becoming radically Muslim. The new head of the United Kingdom public education system is a dedicated Muslim cleric. Can you believe that? England. It is astounding.

So, this kind of Christianity can't save Europe. For centuries Europe did not merely host Christianity, it was shaped by it. The church taught Europe how to think about sin, mercy, law, human dignity, suffering, death, and yes hope. The faith was not private, it structured the world. But that success carried a poison inside it. Once Christianity became civilization, it became harder to tell the difference between Christ and culture, gospel and power, baptism and belonging.

The church gained influence but often at the cost of clarity. And that is when decline began, not when the church was attacked, but when it became comfortable. And when it becomes comfortable, then it is vulnerable to attack. And therein lies the reason why I am bringing this up in the context of persecution because the same thing is happening in America, it's just a little slower, but it is happening.

A church can survive externally long after it's weakened spiritually. It can fill buildings and empty the faith. It can defend doctrine while neglecting holiness. Europe had Christianity as custom, Christianity as state tradition, Christianity as national memory, but what it lacked was costly discipleship. And that's why Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you remember him, coined the phrase cheap grace. This still hits us like a hammer. Europe learned to offer forgiveness without repentance, belonging without obedience, religion without Christ.

It produced a church that could talk endlessly about Christian civilization while growing strangely silent about the cross. And then came the great exposures, the corruption of institutions, the wars of religion, the compromises with empire, the nationalist idolatries. A church that confuses faith with cultural dominance should not be shocked when the culture eventually spits it out.

Christians have their own evasions. They imagine the answer is accommodation, soft doctrine, lower demands, apologize for certainty, become as unthreatening as possible. But Europe doesn't need a gentler irrelevance. If Christianity in Europe is dying, it's not because it has been too Christian, it's because it has not been Christian enough. And that's the real provocation, and I might indicate that's our problem here in America today.

That's why when the Lord spoke to my heart in 1992, saying, "Son, you've been pleading the cause of men as a trial lawyer long enough and I want you to plead my cause in the land as a voice to the church, declaring vision for the nation, America's greatest crisis hour," I said yes sir. And the whole purpose of this ministry, Save America Ministries, has not been primarily with regard to lifting up an institution called the United States of America, but rather the people that make up the United States of America, we the people. That's the real nation.

The real nation is not the one that was born 250 years ago through the Declaration of Independence. The real nation is the one that was born in 1630 and 1620 with the Pilgrims and the Puritans. That's when the real nation was born. The real nation was the spiritual heart of the nation. Ultimately, that metastasized into a political entity in 1776 through the Declaration of Independence and ultimately the United States Constitution. But that doesn't have any meaning anymore unless the spiritual still takes precedence. And so we're very weak. We're becoming weaker and weaker and weaker.

Donald Trump is doing everything he can to try to strengthen the country in his America First position. And yes, indeed, he is doing many things to try to strengthen a refocus on God. But then again, Satan believes in God too. So the issue is not God, the issue is Jesus Christ. That's the real issue. Persecution doesn't come because you believe in God, persecution comes because you believe in Jesus Christ and live according to him and according to his precepts. Do you see the problem?

So, in wrapping up this article that is so prescient, it says Europe does not need a church ashamed of its own gospel. The answer to secularism is not theological embarrassment, it's conviction without arrogance, holiness without performance, public witness without coercion. Europe has had enough of weak sermons, vague spirituality, and moral platitudes. It has enough of that already from politics, therapy, and advertising. What Europe lacks is a church that believes what it says, a church that worships as though God is real. And yes, in Europe Christianity has come and virtually gone. Now what? It's subject to persecution. Weak, very weak, and the same thing is happening in the United States of America on the edge of our 250th birthday.

Again, it's a delight to join you here on Viewpoint today as we confront the deepest issues that touch America's heart and home and go all the way back to Europe, where most of us came from in one way or another. My background is half Swedish and half Alsace-Lorraine, in other words, a mixture of French and German. What is your background? Is it Spanish? Is it Portuguese? Is it German? Is it French? What is it? I don't know.

But what I do know is that the majority of Americans have their heritage coming out of Europe. And when they came from not-so-jolly old England in 1620 and then again in 1630, they made their way first to Holland because of persecution. But it didn't work out well for them. They were there for about 11 years, and it didn't work out well, so in desperation, they decided, "You know what, we're going to go to the new world, we're going to take the risks that are necessary to go to the new world and carve out a new place."

They called it a new Israel. It was like a new Israel because they were leaving the house of bondage in Europe in not-so-jolly old England, and they were coming over to allow God by his spirit to give rebirth to the Word of God, the will of God, and the ways of God in the new world. That's why so many of the streets and places in, on the East Coast are named after biblical names. That's the reason. And so, there's a tremendous rootedness there.

But the places that were the strongest places historically where those events took place have gone liberal. For instance, if you go to Massachusetts, where the Pilgrims landed and then where the Puritans landed, the whole state of Massachusetts has gone profoundly liberal, both spiritually and politically, embrace things that are radically contrary to the Word, will, and ways of God.

So when we hold our annual or semi-annual breakfast there in Massachusetts, it's as if it's a life-giving water hole, so to speak, for people who are desperate, literally spiritually desperate, for answers and for strength and for encouragement. That's why we go up there. The same is true with regard to the Ukrainian, Russian, and Slavic churches there, where we're invited to go as often as we possibly can to speak there in those large congregations. And we'll be doing that again this year on November 1st.

We'll also be holding our breakfast up there on October 31st. So for those of you who are up there, you'll know you can mark your calendar that we will be up there on October 31st for that wonderful breakfast time that we share together. And there are, believe it or not, there are kids that have been raised on listening to this program in New York and in Massachusetts, and I'm not sure where else, but I know kids raised on this program listening when they were young people. And now they're grown, and I just received a report that two of them got married because they met at our breakfast and they were both, both the male and the female were raised listening to this program during their younger years. Go figure. So things are happening. It's a good thing. It's a good report.

So, we go back now to Europe, and now we're going to Scandinavia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Today we go to Finland. A member of parliament, Päivi Räsänen, is going to testify, in fact today, she's testified before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington. Why? Because she's speaking about speech restrictions in Europe and Finland's prosecution of her Bible verse tweet. Can you believe that? A conviction could lead to increased prosecutions for similar expressions across Europe.

Now, here's the interesting thing about this gal. She's awaiting a Supreme Court ruling in a criminal case over a Bible verse tweet. As I said, today to speak before Congress. She's 66 years of age. And as part of the hearing on foreign censorship beginning at the Rayburn House Office Building today, the hearing is entitled Europe's Threat to Speech. It will examine how speech laws in the European Union and individual countries are affecting innovation and democratic expression in the United States.

So, here's a gal, Päivi Räsänen, who actually only quoted a Bible verse. I think it was on, it was a tweet. The Supreme Court of Finland heard arguments in the case in October 2025 after lower courts had twice acquitted her for the cause. What did she write? Male and female he created them. That's what she wrote in 2004, and they're still going after her. She served as Finland's Interior Minister from 2011 to 2015.

And the charges against her were based on three instances of expression: her tweet, a pamphlet that co-authored with another woman, and remarks during a radio interview. She's refused to retract her statements, saying she acted out of her religious convictions and quoting scripture cannot amount to a criminal act. She said, "I stand here not only to defend my own right to speak freely but to defend the freedom of every person to express deeply held beliefs without fear of punishment." Her legal defense team argues that punishing her for citing the Bible violates both Finnish constitutional rights and international human rights law.

In a previous interview, she recalled being disturbed by her church's participation in the 2019 Helsinki LGBT Pride March. She said her tweet drew swift complaints from citizens, prompting a prolonged police investigation. She and another woman underwent repeated interrogations over the tweet and a pamphlet that was made including the statements. Prosecutors used these materials along with radio comments to pursue the case. If convicted, both defendants face financial penalties and potential content censorship.

Now, here's the problem. It's gone to court three times, and all three times she's been acquitted. So how is it that it's now before the Supreme Court of Finland? She says the ordeal has given her more opportunities to speak publicly about Christian teachings, including in court, with the police, and through the media. Sounds like the Apostle Paul, doesn't it? The more they arrested him, the more they persecuted him, the more opportunities it gave him even to go before Caesar.

She's warned that a conviction could open the door to similar prosecutions across Europe. She said, "If I would lose, it would mean starting a time of persecution of Christians in Finland and also all across Europe." What do you think? Would you be willing to stand as this 66-year-old woman has done for about 15 years now? This is amazing. It shows you that it's not just Islam that's out to persecute Christians. It is Christian haters who have rejected the God who made and preserved them nations, and so they hate the Christians who stand for the truth. And they'll do anything they can, using the law as a weapon, as a means to persecute. They don't go out there with swords and staves, they're not burning your house down, they're just burning your life down legally. That's how they do it.

And that's how they're doing it in the United States too. Let me give you another illustration. This comes back to the United States. It was last month when this happened, Thursday, February 12th, 2026. Nancy Kraus announced she called Child Protective Services on conservative students forming a Turning Point USA chapter in Maryland. The headline of this article: Her level of fanaticism used to be fringe, and now it's not.

What happened here? Well, she opposed the formation of a Turning Point USA chapter. That was apparently not enough for some left-wing activists. One woman told the school board in Maryland that she proudly reported conservative students looking to start a chapter to Child Protective Services. Wow. This woman, Nancy Kraus, a retired nurse, admitted making the report, claiming that the USA club, the Turning Point USA club, had banned adults that were not volunteers from an event featuring two members of the Board of Education.

Before Kraus came to the microphone there at this public schools event, a student who was president of the Turning Point USA affiliated group addressed the board to discuss any potential concerns. "Good evening, y'all," the student began. "I'm a student at Calvert County Public Schools and also the president of Calvert County Club America, which is affiliated with Turning Point USA chapter. It's not affiliated with the Calvert County Public Schools. It's separate, not politically involved in a partisan manner, and we cannot endorse any candidates nor parties. We invited the board to discuss what they do and what their policies are. All students that were there were in attendance with parental permission and all publicly advertised. However, we received much hate, and we posted online that we would not be allowing any adults that are not volunteers or parents because of the hate." We'll pick up on that after the break, friends. You talk about viciousness. Nancy Kraus calling Child Protective Services on conservative students because they were forming a Turning Point USA chapter? You've got to be kidding me. We'll be back.

Narrator: Have you ever considered what the early church was like? Many people are developing a hard longing for a greater fulfillment in our practices as Christians. A recent study showed 53,000 people a week are leaving the back door of America's churches in frustration. What is going on? Why has there not been even a 1% gain among followers of Christ in the last 25 years? Could it be that God is seeking to restore first-century Christianity for the 21st century?

Jesus said, "I'll build my church." Is Christ by his spirit stirring to prepare the church for the 21st century? The early church prayed together and broke bread from house to house. They were family and it was said by all who observed, "Behold how they love one another." Incredible. But the same can be found right now. Go to saveus.org and click Cell Church. We can revive first-century Christianity for the 21st century. It's about people, not programs. It's about a body, not a building. That's saveus.org. Click Cell Church.

Chuck Crismier: Again, I welcome you back to Viewpoint. I'm Chuck Crismier, and we're reporting now on an incident that occurred exactly one month ago there in Maryland, the Calvert County, Maryland, the school board. So the group of students, high school students now, were forming a USA Turning Point USA chapter and doing so, it's not part of the school curriculum and they were entitled to do this. There was nothing about it that was contrary to school rules or law or the school board or anything else. But one woman hated what they stood for. And so this is the form that her persecution took.

So the student that stood and testified before the school board said that we're not affiliated with the Calvert County Public Schools, it's separate, not politically involved in a partisan manner, and we cannot endorse any candidates nor parties. So we invited the board to discuss what they do and what their policies are. All students that were there were in attendance with parental permission and all publicly advertised.

However, she said, we received much hate and we posted online that we would not be allowing any adults that are not volunteers or parents. In other words, we're not going to allow people to come in and try to disrupt our meeting. So Nancy Kraus, part of the school board, followed the student and indicated to the school board these words.

In December of 2025, Turning Point USA hosted an event marked to high school students with food and beverages advertised as an incentive for attendance. While community building opportunities for students are important, this event raises serious concerns, she said, related to student safety, parental rights, and governance oversight. Event materials indicated that adults including parents and legal guardians were not permitted to attend and that supervision would be provided by unnamed volunteers. That was absolutely not true, by the way.

She continued, "Excluding parents and guardians from a student-focused event creates a lack of transparency and undermines established best practices for youth safety. School-affiliated or school-adjacent activities should adhere to clear supervision standards, background check requirements, and defined accountability structures." By whom? By her. "I'm also concerned about a potential conflict of interest involving Board of Education members serving as guest speakers at this event." Well, what is she doing? She's a board member and she's opposing it publicly.

She board members are entrusted with fiduciary and ethical responsibilities and participation in events targeting students, particularly when parental access is restricted, warrants careful review to ensure compliance with district policies, ethic guidelines, and public trust obligations. She goes on to say students are widely recognized as a vulnerable population. They're in critical developmental stages and especially susceptible to influence.

For this reason, safeguarding measures, parental involvement, and transparency are essential. All Board of Education members in this room are mandated reporters, she said, under state law, as I am, because upon the circumstances surrounding this event, a report was made to Child Protective Services to protect these high school students from forming a club for Turning Point USA that was non-partisan, not promoting any candidates, trying to stand for the truth that Charlie Kirk had been standing for.

Well, Mark Fisher, a Republican member of the Maryland House, shared the video of that meeting, which he called shocking. He said Turning Point USA high school chapters are student-led groups focusing on entrepreneurship, limited government, and traditional American values, he said. But that didn't stop Ms. Kraus from labeling participation abuse because she views normal conservative ideas as inherently harmful. Her level of fanaticism used to be fringe, he said, but has become all too common with the left. By the way, you want to find where you can find this in Virginia? You can find it up there in Northern Virginia.

The battles are continuing up there in the counties, Fairfax County and so on, Northern Virginia, the same kinds of issues. This is the state, the Commonwealth of Virginia, that formed the first religious freedom laws. Not anymore. So Congressman Mark Fisher said, "Let's be clear. This isn't about protecting kids, it's about silencing conservative voices, Christian voices, parents, students, and patriots. Share this if you stand with free thought in our schools. Let's protect the next generation from ideological bullying." What this really is, is persecution, friends, under color of law. That's how it's happening in the United States, and that's how it's happening in Finland, and that's how it's happening in the UK, and all over Europe. That's the Western version of persecution until it gets more vicious than that.

Now, we'll go afar now. We'll go away from the Western world, we'll go to India. India's toxic anti-conversion laws. In a significant legal case that could shape the future of religious freedom in India, which is the country with the largest population in the world now having exceeded China, the Supreme Court there recently issued notices to 12 states regarding a petition challenging the constitutionality of anti-conversion laws.

The petition, filed by the National Council of Churches in India, argues that these laws incentivize violence against religious minorities, particularly Christians, and create a chilling atmosphere for the free exercise of religion. Indeed, they do. They said the stakes are high, as the case has the potential to not only redefine the legal landscape for religious freedoms in India but also serve as a precedent for other nations considering similar legislation. India's religious diversity is one of its greatest strengths, yet it is also a source of tension, largely because of its president, Modi.

While the Indian constitution guarantees the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate one's religion, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Anti-conversion laws have been passed in 12 states with the intention of curbing forced conversions. But the laws have been criticized for their potential to marginalize and target minority faiths, particularly Christians.

So the misuse of these anti-conversion laws is fueling violence and vigilantism. The petitioners' primary argument is that these laws encourage vigilantism, allowing individuals and groups to take matters into their own hands. The laws, purportedly aimed at preventing forced conversions, have instead created an environment in which religious minorities, especially Christians, are subjected to harassment, intimidation, and violence.

And the consequences are grave. In states with anti-conversion laws, Christians have faced mob violence, accusations of forced conversion, even arrest for simply practicing their faith. And these actions are carried out with the tacit approval or at least indifference of local authorities. So it's a very serious thing in India. Now, the problem in India is that Mr. Modi has declared that India will be an exclusive Hindu nation. So he has, in effect, created a situation and an atmosphere that undergirds and gives tacit approval to these anti-conversion laws and also to vigilantism to enforce his view that India should be totally Hindu.

It's a serious problem. If the Supreme Court in India rules in favor of the anti-conversion laws, it could embolden other nations to adopt similar restrictive laws undermining religious freedoms worldwide. And that's where things are going. Now, you can stand against persecution. You can stand for religious freedom and stand against persecution, which is something that we should do. On the other hand, it's not sufficient just to stand against the curbing of religious freedom. It's not sufficient just to stand against persecution because that's all out there somewhere. In India, in Pakistan, in China, in Russia, in Iran, throughout the Middle East, wherever it happens to be.

But how about where you are? How about where you live? How about even in the Commonwealth of Virginia that gave us the first religious freedom statute? You see, what's happening is this spirit of resistance to Christian authority, that by authority I mean the authority of God and his Word. The whole idea of Christianity as exclusionary, that is, Jesus being the only way, the only truth, and the only life, is unconscionable to those who have no fear of the Lord anymore. And that's half of America, at least half of America.

So the problem is not just out there, it's right up front in our face and personal. Now, the reality is that religious freedom is a cornerstone of a democratic society, but it's under threat in India, it's under threat in Europe, it's under threat in America. It's under threat in American cities and states: California, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado. It's unbelievable, friends, how it's moving. And it's under color of law. And once it gains hold under color of law, the rest will become history.

The question then becomes not are you going to protect against persecution, but how are you going to deal with it when it's right up front and personal? When it becomes more and more intense, which it's going to do. It is. That's why I believe the Lord prompted me to write the book, When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times. It's not an idle book. It's not designed to make money. It's not designed to sell books. It's designed to get a message out. That's all it is, it's a message.

It's a message to prepare professing Christians for the times that are not only just coming but are already here. And they're coming in more quickly, like the fog rolling in. And when you're completely surrounded by it, you can't see. The time to prepare is now. The time to prepare your kids is now. The time to prepare your congregations is now. You can't punt. There is no place to punt.

The spirit of this kind of persecution is going to invade families. It already is. Many a Christian family is testifying to how it's invaded their families. It comes through the educational system. It's pretty amazing. Whole families broken up. Get a copy of the book When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times. It's a $25 book, yours for I think it's $18 on our website. Whatever it is on the website, if you're writing a check, write the check for $18 plus $6 postage and handling or go to the website saveus.org or call us at 1-800-SAVE-USA. That's 1-800-SAVE-USA. Very, very important, I cannot overestimate the importance of it. Not because I wrote the book, but because the message is so critical.

There's no other book out there like this. Never has been, because there's never been a time like this. We're right on the near edge of the Second Coming. Don't know how soon that's going to be, but people get ready. Thanks for joining us. Become a partner, friends. Send your gifts by faith to Save America Ministries. Don't delay, do it today. These are serious times. Be sober-minded. God bless you and be a blessing.

Narrator: You've been listening to Viewpoint with Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is supported by the faithful gifts of our listeners. Let me urge you to become a partner with Chuck as a voice to the church, declaring vision for the nation. Join us again next time on Viewpoint as we confront the issues of America's heart and home.