Ann Rice, author of Interview with a Vampire and many other novels, is reported as saying she’s had it with Christians, but is still a follower of Christ. A Roman Catholic, apparently she doesn’t agree with the moral positions taken by the Church on issues such as homosexual behavior.

In some ways, I understand her concerns. She’s quoted as saying, “I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” Certainly she’s correct that Christians should do a better job of loving one another, as Jesus commanded in John 13:34. I, for one, confess I don’t always follow His command, and am sometimes quarrelsome, hostile, and disputatious (just ask my wife and kids). So rejecting organized “religion” that doesn’t truly reflect the love of Christ is commendable. But the very next verse in John 13 says that people will know we are Disciples of Christ by our love for another. Ann Rice cannot truly be a follower of Christ and not love Christians.

What I suspect is really going on is she’s attempting to mold Christianity to her worldview and experiences. Though she came back to her childhood faith later in life, she married an atheist and has a son who engages in homosexual conduct.  (Regrettably, her husband passed away, but in writings attributed to her, she indicates that she still has atheist friends.) Her relationships with her family and friends probably would be much easier if the Bible didn’t condemn sexual immorality and call atheists fools.

If Christianity and the Bible are merely inventions of man, then we can change them to fit our changing wants and desires.  Pastors feel the pressure to do exactly that when they address topics like abortion and homosexual conduct, which also happen to currently be political issues. This pressure can come from parishioners, but our concern is when it comes from government officials and laws.  For instance, Erik Stanley recently blogged on a pastor in England who was arrested for merely preaching what the Bible has to say about homosexual behavior.

This brings us to the whole reason ADF launched the Church Project – to protect the right of Pastors and Churches to continue to proclaim all of God’s Word as Truth. The good news is pastors still have that right in America, but we see attacks on it almost every day.

Professing Christians like Ann Rice need to conform their beliefs to what the Bible says, and to what their pastors say the Bible says. Not what they wish it said. And if she’s really concerned about the hypocritical behavior of Christians, she should join the rest of us hypocrites and work to change it by being part of the Body of Christ, not giving up on it.

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I read with interest the news reports on Comedy Central’s potential new show called “JC,” which would depict Christ as a modern day partier.  Several religious groups have rightly pointed out that even consideration of this show by the network demonstrates a double standard.  It recently censored shows that would be offensive to Muslims.  One columnist goes so far as to say this amounts to “Christophobia.” If there really is an irrational fear and hatred of Christians in this country, we shouldn’t be surprised. Christ Himself warned us that “all men will hate you because of me.”

There certainly is some evidence of “Christophobia” when it comes to recent treatment of the Church. ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt lists several examples of churches being defaced and vandalized in his 5/27/10 blog.  This also shouldn’t be a surprise, since the Church is the Body of Christ. But it is disturbing in a land where Religious Freedom and churches have been the foundation for all other freedoms and our very way of life.  George Washington had it right when he said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.  …And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” We would do well not to forget our First President’s wise words.

ADF’s new Church Project is dedicated to encouraging and defending churches that heed Washington’s advice and are embracing their role as the moral compass of our country. Whether “JC” ever makes it to prime time or not, it’s encouraging to know that many churches continue to preach the truth in the face of hostility and ADF has their back when they do so.

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I had the distinct pleasure to recently hear Dr. Ajai Lall from Central India Christian Mission speak.  Dr. Lall started CICM many years ago as a church-planting and evangelistic outreach to India and the surrounding countries.  His mission has been to spread the Gospel of Christ throughout India and, through God’s blessings, CICM has been wildly successful.

Dr. Lall told the story of one of the pastors that CICM had trained who was ministering in a village in India.  The pastor’s name was Emmanuel and Dr. Lall showed a picture of Emmanuel, his wife and two beautiful sons.  Emmanuel boldly shared his faith in a climate of radical Hinduism.  Some time after he had been there, a group of radical Hindus kidnapped Emmanuel and his wife.  They presented him with an option – sign a document renouncing Christ and agree to leave the area and we will let you go.  Emmanuel and his wife courageously refused and, for their refusal, both were tortured repeatedly and beaten.  Finally, the radicals tied Emmanuel to a tree and told him that if he did not sign the paper, they would rape his wife in front of him.  Emmanuel and his wife once again refused to deny Christ.  As the radicals were making good on their threats, some passersby heard Emmanuel’s screams and brought help.  Emmanuel and his wife were rescued.

Courageously, Emmanuel and his wife refused to leave the village and continued to proclaim Christ.  Several times in their ministry in the village, they ran into the people who tortured them and each time they did, they told these people, “God bless you.”  Finally, some of the men who tortured them had enough and asked, “Why do you always ask God to bless us after what we did to you?”  Emmanuel and his wife invited the men into their home for tea and shared Christ’s love with them.  Two of the men have since become Christians.

Emmanuel’s amazing story reminded me of how many times I take freedom of religion in America for granted.  I drive to church every week, I worship God freely, and I hear from God’s word – all without any threat or thought that someone will come in and attempt to kill me or my family or destroy my church.  And I have done that for my entire life.  I have never had to worry that, in America, I will be killed or tortured for what I believe.

Now don’t get me wrong – the church in America has its share of censorship and I have devoted my life to fighting the threats against the church in America. But let’s take just a moment to think of Emmanuel’s story and be grateful for the religious freedom we enjoy in this country.  We still have the right and the ability to worship and share our faith freely.  And let’s also give thanks for those brave Americans who gave their lives to defend our ability to worship and share our faith freely.

Let Emmanuel’s story stand not just as an amazing page in church history, but let it stand as a witness to all Americans not to take religious freedom for granted.  Let us exercise the religious freedom we do have and thank God that we live in a country where we don’t have to fear death or physical harm for holding and sharing our faith.  God has blessed America with an amazing level of freedom and we must use that freedom to share our faith with an increasingly secular culture that has turned its back on God.  Our society needs to hear the life-changing message of the Gospel from the Church in America.  That’s why ADF started the Church Project and why we have devoted ourselves to keeping the doors open for the spread of the Gospel.  Freedom was not free for the men and women who died in the fight for freedom and it is a luxury that many in the world do not have.

And let us pray for our brothers and sisters across the world who do not enjoy the same religious freedom.  They, like Emmanuel and his wife, face dangers every day simply for believing in Christ and sharing His life-changing message with those around them.

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