If you are from another planet, you may not know that Christianity is under siege in America.

Otherwise, you are probably aware that a person may say or do virtually anything against a Christian with impunity because Christians are unlikely to retaliate. Its that, “turn the other cheek” thing Jesus talked about.

Though I bring it up, I am not really complaining about the attitude of many toward Christians. Jesus forewarned us about it, it has been the norm throughout the history of the church, and I actually understand why we are often hated and scorned.

My point is, however, that there are consequences that will come to the persecutors down the road, and there will be serious fallout to the culture and society as well if Christianity’s influence is diminished, as many desire.

Someone has said,

“beware of what you wish for!  You might just get it!”

And those who wish to see Christianity marginalized in American culture might get their wish, but the consequences may be radically bad in a variety of ways.

First, I would suggest that many people’s idea of Christianity is highly inaccurate. A skeptical media and Hollywood paint Christianity as hateful, ignorant, and destructive. On one hand they scorn us as weak and even cowardly in that we don’t retaliate when attacked but then simultaneously declare that we represent the “greatest threat to democracy.”

So, which is it?

What teachings of Christ and Christianity are so dangerous? Is it the part about doing good to all, even those who hate you? Is it the part where we don’t kill, lie, commit adultery or even covet other people’s possessions? Is it the words of Christ to go the extra mile for someone who asks you to go one mile with them? Or maybe it’s His statement that there is no greater love than that of a man laying down his life for another! (Which, by the way, is precisely what Christ did for us!)

I suppose what really riles up the critics is the Bible’s honesty regarding us. It states the obvious:

“there is none righteous, no not one.”

That does explain it all: the violence, the wars, the unrest, the oppression and abuse, and even the unhappiness and depression. The Bible is oblivious to our feelings and speaks the truth. We are all under the sway of sin! Yes, maybe that is the most difficult truth to swallow?

(But it is also a major point of Scripture that God has provided the solution for our sin. We cannot change the fact that we are sinners, but we can change our future by taking responsibility for our sin, repenting of it and accepting His forgiveness!)

Second, the American Constitution, culture, and laws, are based upon Christianity. To eliminate Christianity or weaken its influence would be to cut off the branch upon which we all sit! Allan Bloom, in his excellent book “The Closing of the American Mind,” noted that while he was not personally committed to Christianity, he dreaded the day when America lost Christianity as its unifying cultural philosophy. He warned that such would be disastrous, and he was emphatically accurate.

John Adams wrote,

“the Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

Noah Webster noted,

“no truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”

And George Washington himself stated,

“let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.  Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in the exclusion of religious principle.”

In simple terms, to seek to maintain a nation founded on Christian principles without a common acceptance of those principles is like trying to make a car run on sugar water.

Among many other things, the constitutional prohibition against the government simply arresting and imprisoning whoever it wishes is based upon the biblical principles, such as that found in I Corinthians 13, that we are to think the best of others, giving them the benefit of the doubt and to, in essence, consider them “innocent until they’re proven guilty.”

This important tenet of our canon law of course depends upon the majority of citizens being innocent, not committing crimes and generally governing themselves, being held in check by wisdom, personal character and integrity. These are notably Christian virtues, and the novel notion of “limited government” is dependent on most people not needing someone watching over them every minute of the day!

It is not an accident that liberties we as Americans have enjoyed only grow in the seedbed of a Christianized culture.

It is duly noted that too many individuals have taken advantage of America’s “hands off” approach to governance in order to do wrong. I would suggest that this is a failure of parents to raise their children to be good citizens rather than a failure of Christianity, or the Constitution.

Third, many of the problems people blame on Christianity are caused not by Christianity, but rather by people’s failure to live up to its principles! Interestingly, issues such as slavery, racial inequality, abuse of women and children, and so on, were not considered problematic until Christianity’s morality appeared! But, because America has not reached the bar that Christianity set, Christianity is to blame?

It is peculiar that many of those who hate Christianity appear to agree with the standards that Christianity uniquely proclaims, criticize Americans for not meeting those standards, and then turn their wrath against Christ and the Bible which created the standards in the first place! Very, very strange!

Fourth, because the Bible and genuine Christianity project high standards of righteousness, self-sacrifice, and compassion, its leaders are generally held in high regard. Such people naturally attract a following; and therefore, envious and greedy self-serving imposters, and charlatans parade as good people, but are in fact wolves in sheep’s clothing taking advantage of their followers; yet critics are quick to blame genuine Christians and Christianity for the evils of these imposters.

Jesus warned of false teachers and threatened them with judgment, but their numbers only seem to grow. Channel surfing one can find them on the air around the clock; and their followers are myriad, their victims innumerable, because most of us are followers. The Bible and Jesus Himself call us sheep with good reason, and we need shepherds.

However, do not allow yourself to be taken in by the hucksters and charlatans, but don’t become cynical, either. Good “under-shepherds” fill the pulpits of thousands of churches across the country. Most of them are not flashy but simply proclaim the Word of God faithfully Sunday after Sunday.

I am quite confident in saying that Christianity and good churches are a fundamental necessity to a tranquil and successful culture in America, regardless of what the critics say, and regardless of the imposters who fill so many pulpits and the airwaves. You can do your part in combatting the damage done by false teachers by getting deeply involved in a church that stands firm for the Word of God, the testimony of Jesus Christ, and points people to His cross.

And if you are sincere in your desire to know God better, I expect you will find such a church near your home!