The Christian Crackdown Continues

The rise and rise of fundamentalist atheism, fundamentalist secularism, fundamentalist Islam, and other fundamentalisms which have declared war on Christianity continues unabated. This site regularly documents cases of anti-Christian bigotry and bullying.

In our topsy-turvy world, these fundamentalists are often seen as the good guys. Indeed, radical Muslims who want to take over the West seem to get a pretty good run. Militant atheists who want to eradicate Christianity entirely from the public arena are viewed as liberators.

Christianity is regularly and viciously mocked, ridiculed, vilified and spat upon by our opinion makers, media elites, leaders, and high-flyers. It seems that it is open season on Christianity, and any and all Christian-bashing seems to be acceptable.

Slowly but surely the secularists are grinding Christianity down, seeking to eliminate it completely from the public square, and then, perhaps from the private realm as well. A war has been declared against Christianity, and plenty of groups are quite happy to get in on the action.

I have documented one example of this after another on this website. All over the Western world we find cases of anti-Christian bigotry. Often the heavy hand of the law is involved in this crackdown. Two years ago I wrote about a home Bible study that was attacked by the authorities in San Diego California. Now a similar incident, also in California, is occurring.

Consider what is now transpiring in San Juan Capistrano, a city half way between Los Angeles and San Diego. Here is how one news outlet covers this story: “Chuck and Stephanie Fromm already have been fined $300 for holding Bible studies for their friends at their home, and they face the potential for additional fines of $500 for each study held, according to a legal team taking their case to court.

“The newest conflict over Bible studies in homes in America arose in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where city officials say city code section 9-3.301 prohibits religious organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit, a sometimes very expensive procedure. The code cites ‘churches, temples, synagogues, monasteries, religious retreats, and other places of religious worship and other fraternal and community service organizations.’ But a Bible study in a home?”

Not everyone was impressed with this decision. Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, which is working on the case, said this: “Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous. In a city so rich with religious history and tradition, this is particularly egregious. An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group’s religious freedom.”

Indeed, how ridiculous is this case? If a group of 20 people got together to play poker in someone’s home, would the city authorities crack down on it? What if 20 native American Indians got together to play cards? What if 20 Muslims got together to play checkers?

What if 20 Muslims got together to read the Koran? What if 20 secularists got together to strategise how to promote their secular religion? What if 20 Jews gathered to pray for Obama? What if 20 lesbians gathered together to write erotic religious poetry? What if 20 atheists got together to burn Bibles? What if 20 peyote smokers get together to do their thing?

What sort of madness is this? I doubt very much if any of these other groups would be targeted. But just dare to get a few Christians to come together in a home to pray or read God’s word, and all hell breaks loose. Then all of a sudden it looks like some horrible subversive activity is taking place.

Fortunately in America, unlike most other Western nations, there are a number of Christian legal defence outfits which exist to challenge idiocy and bigotry like this. A trial is scheduled for October 7. We need to keep these guys in our prayers.

This one case alone may not seem like much of a big deal. Nor would a few such cases. But the sad truth is, there are many of these cases occurring all the time in America and the West. It seems that an unofficial war against Christianity has been declared.

One small episode may not mean much. But many such cases result in a cumulative impact, where the steady, eventual erosion of the faith takes place. A bit here, a bit there, and soon before we know it, the faith is all but made illegal.

While such hostility and persecution is not surprising, we still need to stand firm and alert, and fight for religious freedom while we can. One day I will not even be allowed to write articles like this. But until that time comes, we all have a job to do. An eventual public closure of the faith may occur, but not on my watch. And it should not happen on your watch either.

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19 Replies to “The Christian Crackdown Continues”

  1. Thanks Bill for another good article. What is the world coming to? It is sad as I thought was under some sort of impression we were living in an age of tolerance and understanding. I guess I am mistaken. In cases like this, sarcasm is all I have.
    Carl Strehlow

  2. “It is sad as I thought was under some sort of impression we were living in an age of tolerance and understanding.”

    We are, Carl – for anything and everything *except* Christianity and Israel.

    Satan is very much on the prowl to see whom he might devour.

    Morris Otte

  3. I know, The trouble with tolerance is it is often very intolerant.
    Carl Strehlow

  4. That day may not be as far away as people think actualy Bill. The enquiry the govt has decided they need to do will in fact include blogs. They plan to see if they can actualy police blogs and close them down if they do not stack up to their standards, seeing the number of athiests, bob, julia etc, they won’t be leaving those evil Christians alone, especially if thier social engineering campain is questioned in the public realm.

    How long is it going to be, before jail time for the evil nasty crime of owning a Bible is enacted? 1 year, 2?

    But something to watch for is the health of the current saudi king. If he is assassinated or his health decreases watch out, its about to start, (taking iran’s pres at his word, they plan to start the next war in the ME as soon as he kicks it).

    Looks like we will be getting the chance to be martyrs much sooner than anyone thought.

    Neil Waldron

  5. Thanks Neil

    Sadly I believe you are right. I have been saying for some time now that things will get much worse in the West before they get better. This is largely due to a comatose church which appears to be sleeping though its own funeral.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  6. Compass last night is a good example of policing in Britain, Muslims protesting at the American Embassy, burning their flag while police look on, public protesting at muslim street pamphlet handout are arrested by police and taken away!!! A sure sign of the times ahead.
    Ian Brinkworth

  7. Yes, we need to keep praying for the underground church in China. Hang on a sec… did you say California??
    Jereth Kok

  8. Wow. This is scary. And in the USA. God help the church and Christians to remain faithful in the future times of trial. I suppose we can only hope that one day, the bankruptcy of secularism will be more widely understood. What a “topsy-turvey” world indeed.
    Simon Kennedy

  9. Do these imbeciles know for whom their city is named?
    St John of Capistrano, born in Italy in 1385, who became a great Franciscan saint, and is the patron of jurists.
    Coincidentally for our times, he was commissioned by Pope Callistus II to preach and lead a crusade against the invading Turks, gaining a great victory against them at the battle of Belgrade in 1456.
    Some of his spine-stiffening qualities are sadly needed by our lily-livered leaders today. We can only hope and pray that it will not be too late.
    Dunstan Hartley

  10. Hi Bill and team. We hear your welcome comments on Vision Fm radio. If you agree that persecution for the Saints will increase, will your prayer team join us as we pray that the Saints’ Faith will hold and that they will preach the Gospel.
    We also pray that Jesus will forgive the persecutors (as He did on the cross), and help them become preachers of the Gospel just like Paul did. eg. The persistent widow, and “We receive not because we ask not.”
    Regards, Leigh Lawrence

  11. I’d heard of that happening in Muslim countries. America was supposed to be land of the free wasn’t it?
    The fact that it can happen is huge. I wondered if it meant a huge police force to check but maybe Americans too aren’t studying Bibles so it is easy to police the few who do.
    We have really appreciated the Christian Democratic Party prayer meeting and it sounds like we’d better make the most of it whilst we can.
    Katherine Fishley

  12. I was struck by your 3rd paragraph, Bill. It reminded me of the treatment of Jesus, who said “a servant is not greater than his master. If they have done this to me they will also do it to you” [my semi paraphrase]. It is happening now here and has been happening elsewhere for a long time. Did we protest enough when we were not involved?
    Let us pray revival is the result of persecution as it has been in China so let it be in California, the UK, Aus etc.
    Katharine Hornsby

  13. Hi Bill

    The whole article is sad but true, but how about good old Oz?
    Tasmania possibly making gay marriage legal.
    Bible study being banned in south Oz schools
    No more crosses in churches or schools.
    Churches in Mildura Vic. calling for total unification with all religious beliefs.
    etc.etc. No wonder I don’t go to a a building called a church, I worship at home and do bible study at home. Oops, wonder how long for and is it legal?
    Brian Carrick

  14. Last night I took my son to Melbourne airport. On returning to my car, I took the lift along with 9 other people. Muslims! 5 women (in burqas) and 4 men.The lift door closed and I realised that I was the only Aussie woman! The conversation was extremely rapid and very foreign to me. As they were all smiling and I felt they were directing their comments to me, I felt very anxious. I constantly heard the word, burqa. As the doors opened I could not resist, I said, “I hope you were not talking about me!” They all laughed and looked at each other as if they were mocking me (played dumb and sweet but knew exactly what I was talking about!) It was then at that moment that i felt they were having a laugh at the fact that I was not wearing a burqa but soon would be! I have never felt so closed in, in that lift. I think the Lord was placing me there to experience this and then this would help me to warn others of the impending danger, it was scary being on my own. I almost felt as if I was in another country. And with the knowledge that I have acquired, this could be a taste of things to come! Please pray!
    Jane Byrne

  15. Brian, you need to get back into church. Lone Ranger Christianity is not Christianity.

    We need the accountability of the church to help us in our walk with Jesus. It is too easy to slip into pride when we attempt to do this walk completely on our own.

    Keep on searching until you find a church that is practicing what the Bible preaches. They do still exist!!

    God bless you.

    Mario Del Giudice

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