As Christians, we sometimes fall prey to the mindset of seeing evangelism as a competition with other religions. Under this mindset, it would make sense for us to stand back as other religions’ liberties are taken away. But, as Russell Moore succinctly explains in the following video, we actually have an obligation to fight for the religious freedoms of others because we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In fact, if we don’t stand up for the freedoms of our neighbors, we won’t be able to evangelize them. “You cannot share the gospel with someone you’re trying to run out of town with a court zoning order,” Moore explains.
Moore points out that sometimes we operate under the assumption that “America is a uniformly Christian country.” Under this assumption, we might feel justified in allowing the government to operate with Christian principles.
People coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior cannot be forced by the government. When that happens, Moore warns, you create fake Christians instead of genuine converts.
There is another danger inherent in giving the government power in the area of religious expression. “Once you give Caesar the power of the sword to coerce the conscience in terms of religious matters, that sword is going to be turned on you,” Moore says.
