Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Important Takeaways:

• Unshakable Faith: What We Can Learn from the Persecuted
• In the West, we too often take for granted the basic freedoms we have inherited. We do so to our detriment.
• Christians in particular are regularly targeted because of their faith… such information does not make mainstream headlines
• It is called our “first freedom” not merely because it is enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but because it is central to America’s founding. Some of the earliest Europeans to emigrate to the New World were people who had been persecuted for not worshipping according to the dictates of their home country’s state-approved churches. They came to America seeking the freedom to practice their faith in every aspect of their lives, and that has been our understanding of religious freedom for most of our almost two and a half centuries as a country. Although far from perfect, America has been a beacon for religious freedom ever since.
• When business owners face lawsuits for operating their business according to their religious convictions or when government officials target churches disproportionately, this is a dangerous erosion of our freedoms.
• America will not be able to promote religious freedom around the world if we do not maintain it within our borders.

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