By The Craig Bushon Show Media Team
An anti-Christian wave isn’t coming. It’s here. And if we don’t answer it with clarity and courage, we’ll relive battles the church already fought — and won — in the 1980s and 1990s. The pattern is visible: regulate Christian speech as “discrimination,” criminalize peaceful public witness, weaponize federal laws meant to protect access to services, and then shame believers for pushing back. That’s the cycle. And the Left is leaning hard into it because it works in silence.
A Note of Clarity — This Isn’t About All Democrats
Before we go further, let’s make something clear: when we talk about “the Left” or “Leftist activism,” we’re not talking about all Democrats. There are millions of Americans — including many lifelong Democrats — who are people of faith, who attend church regularly, who pray, and who believe in the moral foundations that built this country. They do not subscribe to the ideology driving these attacks on Christianity.
What we’re describing is a newer political and cultural phenomenon — a radicalized faction of the Left that uses government power, social pressure, and media censorship to marginalize public expressions of faith. These aren’t the Democrats of John F. Kennedy’s era, who said, “Here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.” This new strain of activism is deeply secular, aggressively ideological, and determined to erase faith from civic life. It’s not liberalism in the classic sense; it’s cultural re-engineering masquerading as progress.
The 1980s and 1990s: The First Frontline Battles
To understand today’s assault on faith, you have to remember what was gained — and then lost — a generation ago. The 1980s marked a high point in legal recognition of religious liberty. In Widmar v. Vincent (1981), the Supreme Court ruled that public universities could not deny student groups access to facilities simply because they were religious. Larson v. Valente (1982) struck down a Minnesota law that treated churches differently from secular charities, reaffirming that the government can’t single out religion for special restrictions.
But by 1990, everything changed. In Employment Division v. Smith, the Supreme Court declared that “neutral, generally applicable laws” could override religious freedom claims — even if they placed heavy burdens on faith practice. It was a watershed decision that lowered the bar for government interference. Congress quickly responded with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in 1993, passed almost unanimously to restore strict scrutiny on government actions burdening religion. Later, the Religious Liberty Protection Act of 1999 reinforced that same principle at the state level.
Culturally, these decades also birthed the “Religious Right,” a movement that sought to bring faith back into the public square after years of secular encroachment. Christian schools, prayer rallies, and family-values campaigns all became rallying points for believers demanding equal footing in American life. The courts and Congress at least recognized their right to be there.
But fast-forward to 2025 — and we’re watching those hard-won liberties slip away under a different disguise: “inclusivity,” “neutrality,” and “safety.” The same ideas that once protected diversity of belief are now used to silence it.
The New War on Faith: From Bureaucrats to the Streets
Look at Virginia. A Christian realtor was targeted simply for writing “Jesus loves you” and John 3:16 in her marketing materials. Regulators claimed those words could make potential clients feel “discriminated against.” The ACLJ fought back and won, proving it was blatant viewpoint discrimination — the government policing faith in commerce. But the fact that it took a lawsuit tells you everything: someone in authority was comfortable labeling the Gospel as inappropriate speech.
Or take the street-preacher and pro-life cases. In Georgia, a preacher with a lawful permit outside an abortion clinic was still criminally cited after a Leftist complaint. In Chicago, believers were handcuffed for peacefully sharing the Gospel in public spaces — charges later dropped, but the damage done. When the arrest becomes the punishment, the law is being used as a political tool. That’s not equal enforcement of the law — it’s selective action that pressures people of faith to retreat from public life.
Even more shocking: Christians have been arrested, and in one case rearrested, for simply helping carry a cross. That’s not a misunderstanding — that’s a message: your faith is only welcome if it stays hidden.
And now, the battle has reached the workplace.
Consider the recent case filed by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) against The Timken Company. A Christian employee was fired after his supervisors told him his cross necklace and Bible reading made him “not inclusive” and “unapproachable.” According to the EEOC complaint, Timken ignored repeated letters from the ACLJ — a silence the organization called “ghosting.” Within days of those letters, the company terminated him. The ACLJ’s case alleges retaliation and religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
He wasn’t protesting, preaching, or distributing literature — he was simply wearing a cross and reading Scripture during breaks. That’s what makes this case so important: it shows how anti-faith bias now hides behind HR language like “diversity” and “inclusion.” It’s not about public order; it’s about ideological conformity. When a man can lose his job in America for quietly displaying a cross, you know something foundational is being tested.
And on the federal level, the FACE Act — originally meant to stop violent blockades in the 1990s — has now become a political weapon. During the Biden administration, the DOJ was accused in multiple congressional hearings of using the law disproportionately against peaceful pro-life activists while ignoring hundreds of vandalism and firebombing incidents targeting churches and pregnancy centers. Congress noticed. In 2025, the House Judiciary Committee advanced the FACE Act Repeal Act, calling it exactly what it has become: a weapon against faith.
How It’s Happening
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By making Christian speech look illegal in commerce.
If “Jesus loves you” can violate housing law, then the same reasoning can be applied to banking, education, or healthcare. The goal is to erase Christian presence from the economy without ever passing a law banning it. -
By redefining public witness as disorder.
Street preaching, sidewalk counseling, or holding a cross can be labeled “harassment” or “suspicious behavior.” That allows government to decide when — and where — the Gospel can be seen or heard. -
By criminalizing pro-life compassion.
Peaceful believers are treated as threats, while real violence against churches goes unpunished. That’s not neutrality. That’s bias in enforcement. -
By conditioning believers to self-censor.
Most Christians won’t risk losing a job or license over faith. That’s how soft persecution works — not through jail cells, but through silence.
Why It Feels Worse Now
Because the same legal tools built in the 1980s to protect freedom of religion are being twisted today to limit it. The “neutral laws” justified in Smith have multiplied — zoning codes, anti-discrimination rules, DEI mandates — all “neutral” on paper but selectively enforced against Christians in practice.
The media climate has shifted, too. In the ’80s and ’90s, even secular outlets still viewed Christianity as part of America’s moral backbone. Today, it’s often portrayed as a political faction — a “problem” to be managed. That shift in perception gives bureaucrats and activists cover to act without fear of public outrage.
What Must Be Done
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Engage legally.
Groups like the ACLJ and ADF are the new Minutemen of the courtroom. Support their cases, sign petitions, and help fund constitutional challenges. When believers fight back, they win more often than they lose. -
Reclaim the right to speak publicly.
Christian business owners and professionals must not retreat. The courts have repeatedly said your faith can be visible. Do not let a government board tell you it must be hidden. -
Push Congress to fix broken laws.
The FACE Act is one of many outdated federal tools being abused. Repeal or reform is essential to restoring equal protection. -
Demand accountability from media and lawmakers.
Ask why attacks on churches, synagogues, and pregnancy centers are ignored. Ask why “tolerance” only flows one direction. Ask why “diversity” never seems to include believers. -
Tell the stories.
The Left’s strategy depends on silence. Every time a Christian wins in court, every time a local believer refuses to back down, tell it loud and often. Culture changes through witness.
The Bottom Line
The war on Christian speech isn’t theoretical. It’s here, and it’s accelerating. If we stay quiet now, we’ll be back where we started before the 1980s — fighting just to say “Jesus loves you” in public without fear of punishment. Those who came before us fought to make sure faith was free in both church and marketplace. Now it’s our turn to defend it again.
Because freedom you’re afraid to use isn’t freedom at all.
Disclaimer:
This op-ed reflects the analysis and opinion of The Craig Bushon Show media team. It is based on publicly available legal cases, congressional records, and ongoing ACLJ litigation at the time of publication. It is not legal advice. For legal counsel or case updates, consult organizations such as the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) or the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
