It seems every week offers up at least three or four new headlines that describe an attack on Christianity or Judeo-Christian beliefs in the United States.  If we include Canada, Europe, and the Islamic nations, then the marginalization of Christian belief is staggering.  By and large, Christians have quietly acquiesced to the erosion of our freedoms, and turned the other cheek to the vitriolic attacks on our “quaint, outdated” beliefs.  Are Christians really such a fringe-element of society, as the mainstream media would portray?  Should we do anything to defend our faith and freedoms, or should we simply “turn the other cheek?”  And if we choose to make a stand, can we really make a difference?

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One man, Michael Newdow, has sued the government over the “under God” clause in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, the congressional chaplains program, and the fact that President Bush’s inauguration prayer was offered “in Jesus’ name.”  He has made it clear he will go after other public expressions of religion, such as the motto “In God We Trust,” imprinted on our coins.  The ACLU has filed dozens of lawsuits attacking public displays of the Ten Commandments, and thousands more Decalogue monuments are undoubtedly in danger of similar suits.  States are withholding public financial aid from otherwise qualified students who wish to major in theology.  Schools are refusing to recognize Bible clubs, when other secular clubs are afforded official status.  Educators are indoctrinating public school children in the humanist doctrine of evolution (which lacks solid scientific basis), while excluding anything that remotely smells of divine creation.  Sex education in schools actively promotes homosexuality, pornography, and abortion, and slams parents who would disagree with those views – even on religious principles.  AU (Americans United for Separation of Church and State) is calling for the termination of a high-ranking U.S. military general for expressing his religious views in a private Christian church, even though it is his constitutional right to do so.  The list continues ad nauseum, but you get the point.  In a land founded by moral people, 90% of them Christian, the tide has turned.  Christians are made to feel like extremist perverts, while pornographers, pedophiles, and prostitutes are practically on the verge of having a commemorative coin stamped in their honor!

While Christians may feel like a moral needle in a secular haystack, the facts do not bear that out.  Let’s take a brief look at some actual facts.  In a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey taken in September 2003, 92% of American adults say they believe in God.  In the same survey, 69% of adults said they felt religion played too small a role in people’s lives.  Also in September, a Virginia Commonwealth University Life Sciences survey showed that 42% of American adults believe the Bible to be the actual Word of God.  Another 37% believe the Bible is the Word of God, but not to be taken literally in every case.  That’s a combined 79%!  Hardly a “fringe element.”  Now obviously those numbers include more than just born-again Christians.  But a still-significant number (34%) consider themselves born-again Christians, according to June 2002 CNN/Time poll of American adults.  Where do Christians and other adults stand on certain political/religious issues?  A September 2003 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll of Americans shows that 90% support the motto “In God We Trust” minted on our coins, 78% support the recitation of a nondenominational prayer at graduations and other school events, and 70% support the display of Ten Commandments monuments in schools or other public buildings.  While a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll in July 2003 showed that those who consider themselves pro-life are exactly even with those who consider themselves pro-choice, an ABC News poll the same month showed that 62% of Americans favored a ban on late-term (partial birth) abortions.  An Associated Press poll in August 2003 showed the majority of Americans are opposed to same-sex unions and homosexual marriage, and 54% of Americans favor a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.  These polls show clearly that when Jerry Falwell used the term “Moral Majority,” he was making an accurate statement about American society.  The amoral educators and media elites may marginalize Christians and other people who share in the Judeo-Christian morals and ethics, but the truth is just the opposite.  The majority is moral.  But the majority is also quiet. 

Should Christians remain silent?  Jesus did tell us to turn the other cheek, didn’t He?  Doesn’t that mean we should sit back quietly while the immoral and amoral take the reins of our society?  Actually, Jesus’ directive to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39) dealt with individuals acting in a retaliatory manner against those who persecute us.  This should not be construed as a directive to the church to remain quiet in the face of moral attacks against her.  After all, this is not about fighting Michael Newdow or Barry Lynn (executive director of AU).  This is that age-old battle against principalities and powers; against the forces of darkness and evil (Ephesians 6:12).  If we are to contend for the faith (Jude 3,4), the time to start is now.  In their efforts to minimize, marginalize, and even eliminate the voice of Christ on earth, the forces of darkness – working through AU, the ACLU, and other anti-Christian vehicles – have only served to disturb a sleeping giant. 

When the courts decided that Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore must remove the Ten Commandments monument from his courthouse, hundreds of Christians and Jews gathered on the courthouse steps in a peaceful protest against that decision.  This group was determined to show their support – not only for Justice Moore, but also for the Almighty Author of those commandments.  Another group has formed a Ten Commandments caravan to carry a replica of that monument to the U.S. Capital building in Washington D.C.  Why?  Because they are tired of God’s Word being attacked.  Because they have chosen to contend for the faith.  In a Reuters article dated October 14, 2003, journalist Paul Simao used the phrase “waking a sleeping giant” to describe what is happening among Christians today.  The article quoted Thomas Bowman, a participant in the aforementioned caravan: “‘This is a nation in decay and we have to do something about it,’ said Bowman, who recently joined a caravan of Christians on a five-state ‘Spirit of Montgomery’ tour to raise awareness of the Ten Commandments battle and to register voters. ‘We have to make our voices heard,’ Bowman said.”  At the start of the new Supreme Court session on October 6, 2003, hundreds of praying Christians gathered to protest recent legal decisions that erode the moral fabric of our society.  In an October 1, 2003 USA Today article entitled, “Church-and-State Standoffs Spread Over USA,” writer Larry Copeland said, “Many scholars and church leaders say a key factor in Americans' desire to carve out a public place for religion is the pervasive worry that the nation's moral values are eroding.”  Quoted in this article, Pastor Rod Loy, pastor of First Assembly of God Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas said, "The support (for religious displays) is deep, and I believe that response is a cumulative response.  People are seeing the abandonment of the values that our nation was founded upon. That's absolutely part of what's driving this response."

Indeed, Christians across the nation are rising up to make their voices heard.  Yet I believe the sleeping giant has only been mildly disturbed, and is not fully awake.  As I mentioned earlier, 34% of American adults consider themselves born-again Christians.  In a nation with a population nearing 300 million people, this means that nearly 100 million people are born-again Christians.  Can you imagine the impact of 100 million Christians loudly voicing their love for Christ and their opposition to immorality and sin?  Not even the secular media could ignore that!  Can you imagine 100 million servants of Christ praying, praising God, and contending for their faith in an active manner?  The thought warms my heart and sends shivers down my spine.  I can already hear some of you saying, “So what would you hope to accomplish?  You can’t turn the tide of secularism in this country.  What can we do besides just pray?”  Good question.  The answer lies in the power of God.  This is where it gets exciting!

In Joshua chapter 6, the Bible gives a prime example of the power of God using normal people to accomplish great things.  For seven days, the Israelites, preceded by priests with horns and the Ark of the Covenant and an armed contingent, marched around the walled fortress city of Jericho.  On days one through six, they marched around the city only one time per day.  On the seventh day, they marched seven times.  On the seventh time around the city, as the priests blew their horns, Joshua gave the command for the Israelites to shout at the top of their lungs.  In Joshua 6:16, Joshua is quoted as saying, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!”  And when the Israelites cried out as one, when they made a mighty noise for God, the walls of Jericho crumbled and fell.  This feat was not accomplished by the unique acoustic characteristics of the marching Israelites and the resonance effect on the stone wall.  No, this feat was accomplished by the power of God through ordinary men.  God faithfully executed His promise to Joshua when common men showed obedience to their Lord. 

Christians today are like those Israelites.  We are common people with no great power of our own.  Jericho is a good representation of amoral, secular society, be it in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, or the Arab nations.  If we are willing to overcome the notion that we are merely common men and women, and rise up with one voice – a mighty shout – like the Israelites of old, God will give us the city!  His power is boundless, and He is eager to use common people who are faithful and obedient to accomplish His purpose on earth.  A sleeping giant – collectively the children of the Living God – has been disturbed, but is not fully awake.  We must rise up together and give God the mighty shout of our praises.  We must contend together and let God use us to bring down the walls of Jericho.