Does the left really hate Christianity?

Does the left really hate Christianity? The nation's biggest problem and a  fresh solution

In an age when madness is the new normal – like when the president says global warming and not radical Islam is our real enemy, and when the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is a career criminal and everyone knows it but supports her anyway, and when men who think they're women are now actively recruited into our military – one hidden factor underlies all this ever-metastasizing insanity. And that would be the left's war on Christianity. That's right, Christianity. You know, the religion of Columbus, the Pilgrims, the American colonists and Founding Fathers, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the religion of virtually every signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, of the abolitionists and of Martin Luther King Jr., and of the vast majority of soldiers who have ever fought and bled and died to preserve Americans' freedom. Yeah, that one. The truth is that in today's America, Christianity is increasingly regarded with utter contempt by today's elite class, including virtually the entirety of academia, the news media, the entertainment industry, our government and our courts. To these, Christianity – which for centuries served as the moral, cultural and legal foundation for the most successful nation in history – is a sort of outdated, ignorant, superstitious, anti-science worldview at best. At worst, it is considered a dangerously deluded, bigoted, hateful, Taliban-like totalitarian cult bent on imposing an unconstitutional theocracy on America.  Lastly, the left is in fear of Christianity. Why? Christianity is a mortal dichotomy with the non-Christian belief system. It strips the left of their ability to "hide" behind the myths, their humanist beliefs and behaviors; an amoral system that goes against the teachings of God and Christ. Do I overstate the case? Consider that just a few years ago, overt attacks on the religious freedom of Christians in America – like prohibiting schoolchildren from singing "Silent Night" at Christmastime or jailing a county clerk for conscientiously refusing to sign off on a same-sex marriage license – seemed few and far between. Though troubling, such cases were infrequent enough that we optimistically hoped they were aberrations, regrettable overreaches by some overzealous activist judge. Alas, today that illusion has been shattered by daily episodes of outright persecution of Christians with the full force of law, all because they were sincerely living their faith in exactly the same way Washington, Lincoln, the founders, the soldiers, our parents and grandparents did. It's no exaggeration to say that, on close examination, just about every crazy, perverse, suicidal trend you can identify in today's America – and for that matter, in Europe, currently reeling under the onslaught of a full-blown Islamic invasion – can be traced directly to the abandonment of the Western world's founding religion and moral values in response to the left's decades-long war on Christianity. So, now that we've acknowledged the problem – the real problem, underlying the vast majority of our other national problems – what can we do about it? "Outside a Christian event, and watched closely by police, was a mob of angry 'LGBT protesters.' A young woman who claimed to be with the press was present at the banquet. It was quickly discovered that she was actually with the mob outside and had somehow managed to sneak in." Rather than kick her out, Matt recalls, event organizers allowed her to stay, as long as she put away her video camera. Then something unexpected happened: This young woman, who identified as a lesbian, sat at a table with some of the most loving and godly women I know. They showed her the love of Christ. ... After I gave my remarks, this young lady – we'll call her Marie to protect her from being hanged for high treason by the 'equality' crowd – rushed over to me with tears in her eyes. "They lied!" she exclaimed of the protest organizers outside. "You don't hate us. You don't hate me. You really do care. And you're funny!" she added of some of the humor I typically, though not always successfully, weave into my writing and speaking. "I'll admit it," she continued, "What you said was hard to hear. But they lied to me. You don't hate anyone." A number of us then prayed for this priceless daughter of God the Father. She stayed around and visited with us until well after the event ended. Outside the event, Matt recalls, they "were greeted with scowls and profanity-laden taunts."  "What are you doing with them!" demanded one of the protesters of our new friend. To even my surprise, she ignored them, reached over and gave me a big hug. She saw that we loved her. She saw that Christ, in us, loved her. He died for our sins, her sins, and for the sins of each of her fellow protesters. Learning that "her friends, her ride home, had abandoned her," one of the ladies with whom "Marie" had been seated at the banquet "drove her home that night, continuing to minister to her along the way and for some time thereafter." This, by the way, is exactly how Norma McCorvey – better known as "Jane Roe," the abortion-legalization plaintiff in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case – crossed over from the side of death to the side of life, where she has happily lived and labored ever since: It was the genuine love and caring of the pro-life demonstrators she personally encountered that changed her, introducing her to something she desperately needed, indeed had needed all her life – the love of God. The point is, Matt is a happy warrior who exhibits both the strength and sweetness of a real Christian, as well as the knowledge of a lawyer. And all of this is very present in the strong final section of "Hating Jesus" on how to fight the good fight. Much more than a checklist of things to do, it evokes and encourages the spirit necessary for fighting this war – the spirit of a joyous Christian fighter willing to stand up for his faith even if sacrifice is required. Indeed, as the apostles knew and testified, there's a mysterious joy in standing up for the Kingdom of Heaven – even if it means enduring persecution – which goes far beyond the ability of words to describe. Just read "Hating Jesus" by Matt Barber. I promise you'll be glad you did.