Spiritual Warfare

I saw this article today, and while it made me a bit exasperated, it also made me wonder when things will get deadly. Check it out:

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=589292

According to the Associated Press, someone sent a white powder to the Christian Broadcasting Network's headquarters in Virginia. No, it wasn't anthrax--it was whey powder. But it really messed up a few peoples' day; three CBN employees and the mailman were put on medical watch for six hours.

This made me angry for a few reasons. One, it's a really scary (and expensive) stunt to pull. How did those people feel while they were isolated, waiting for lab results? And who paid for the lab to analyze this stuff? These people couldn't work for six hours--that cost them, the CBN, and the US Postal Service money, too. Another reason is because it's such a throwback to the terror that followed September 1, 2001. Weren't you scared that your family would be the next to get an envelope from people that hated America?

The main reason I'm concerned, though, is because of who the target was. The CHRISTIAN Broadcasting Network. Not MSNBC, not CNN, not FOX, not any of the mainstream media that would cause a major stir. This potentially deadly envelope was sent to Christians.

You would be surprised how much Christians are being persecuted nowadays. Kids that want to form Christian clubs at schools are turned down; Christian professors are denied tenure; Christian scientists are banned from publishing in scientific journals. People used to respectfully disagree with my faith; now they openly mock it. Even though I have many gay friends (I'm a musician, after all!), I have been called a bigot and a homophobe because I disagree with my friends' lifestyles and I don't believe in gay marriage, nor do I agree that it would be best for America.

These are just a few examples of the concerted effort to keep Christians quiet. And yet, many Christians still insist that things are just peachy! Do they not see what is happening? The number of people that claim they are Christians has dropped dramatically in the last 25 years, and even more worrying, a HUGE portion of those that are left don't act like Christians at all. I know plenty of people that curse like sailors--until they set foot in church. Then they are model Christians for all to see, but when they step out the doors again, the charade fades and the rest of the world sees what these people really are.

I could go on and on, and I probably will later. But for now, let me leave you with this warning: Satan doesn't attack the people that are already lost. He slithers his way into the thoughts of good Christians, whispering, "Gay marriage won't be so bad." "What's wrong with women having abortions? It's their bodies; it should be their choices." "Everyone else cusses. Why shouldn't I?" And when we start going against what the Bible says--when we let the world have just a little more sway over our actions--we lose our case for out faith before the trial even begins, and Satan wins.