The virtual silence of most churches concerning the plight of Christians at the hands of Islamic terrorists baffles me.

This is something I have pondered for several years as I have studied, read and learned about the Islamic movement, and more specifically the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in our country over roughly the past fifty years. A recurring thought was, “Is this the way pre-Nazi Germany felt?” Let me explain.

There must be millions of Americans right now that understand, without a doubt, our country exists in a perilous situation. In addition to what we know, is an accompanying feeling that our time is short.

I remember sitting in a pastor’s office in Savannah who was a great mentor. He and I would talk on occasion about what was going on in this country. He would say, “Suzanne, what should be down is up, what is up is down, what should be wrong is right, and what should be right is wrong.” That pretty much summed it up for me, but I wondered if the German people experienced the same premonition. If they did, how many tried to alter the course of their country?

As I pondered this I stumbled upon an article entitled The Sin of Silence, by Dr. Laurence White. It was a prophetic message given in September 2000. White told about being at a Christian University several years prior to hear a prominent pastor. The speaker was introduced by the President of the university who was of German decent. The president spoke these words,

“Today is November the 9th, the 50th anniversary of “Kristal Nacht,” the Night of the Broken Glass. On this day in 1938, Nazi thugs moved through the cities of Germany smashing the windows of German homes and shops, burning the synagogues. Innocent people; men, women and children were beaten and killed simply because they were Jews. I was there as a young man and I can still hear the sound of the shattering glass. There were many of us who were Christians then but we did nothing. We looked the other way and we did nothing. That was the beginning of the Holocaust because the Jew haters knew then that no one would stop them, no one would stand in their way.”

There seem to be so many parallels today as we are faced with a similar ideology in Islam. Except this time, in addition to the Jewish people being targeted, the Christians are as well.

Dr. White spoke of the cultural war we are in with fractured families, militant homosexuals seeking complete approval, rampant abortion, and the pursuit of immediate self-gratification. “For while the killing goes on and the nation is led down the path of destruction, the church and her pastors stand silent and afraid. This country that we love, our America, is fighting for her life. Not against the military power of foreign enemies, but against the principalities and powers of this dark age. You and I, as sons and daughters of the Lord Jesus Christ, but even more so, those of you here today who are pastors of the church of Jesus Christ, are being called upon to take a stand in this moment of crisis. And let there be no one among us who doubts the urgency of this hour. To compare what is happening in America today to Nazi Germany is no mere flight of rhetorical exaggeration.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a lionhearted young pastor during Hitler’s reign. He called out the churches for their lack of action. He said, “She was silent when she should have cried out because the blood of the innocent was crying aloud to heaven. The church must confess that she has witnessed the lawless application of brutal force, the physical and spiritual suffering of countless innocent people, oppression, hatred, and murder. And that she has not raised her voice on behalf of the victims. And has not found way to hasten to their aid.”

We have very similar circumstances today. One very passionate Baptist leader, Coy Webb,  decided he was going to actually do something to help the persecuted. He was a part of a seven member medical and children’s trauma team from the Kentucky Baptist Convention who recently spent over a week in Iraq assisting other believers who daily face death in the war weary country.

Webb, obviously influenced by the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote, “Our persecuted brothers and sisters are crying out to God and to the church. How can we remain silent? Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

His travels brought him into contact with one woman who said, “We now know that the plan of ISIS is to wipe the earth clean of Christians. Their goal is genocide…to eradicate every follower of Christ.” As ISIS made their way across the country, hundreds of thousands of Christians and Yizidis were displaced, tortured, enslaved or slaughtered. The one resounding question that was asked of the team was, “Will you please tell our story to the world?” Coy Webb recommends ways you can help in his article.

The kind of attacks that have been happening in the Middle East and Africa, may soon be more prevalent here. The likelihood increases as time goes on and more refugees arrive from Muslim countries with no expectation of themselves becoming truly American.

There are presently Sharia adherent Muslims living throughout this country. Those Muslims who are Sharia adherent do not recognize our Constitution as the law of the land. In general they would like to see Sharia Law govern America. Many of these believe their sole purpose is to bring about the Caliphate through any means.

As a matter of fact, the Quran teaches an obligation to engage in jihad. It is also documented that when Muslims reach certain percentages in communities they start demanding things. We see this happening in some cities like Dearborn, Michigan and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where populations of Muslims have grown tremendously.

I believe church leaders have a responsibility to educate their congregations about what is happening in this country just like the German pastors should have encouraged and kept their congregations informed and ready to act in defense of defenseless people.

I have communicated with numerous pastors and clergy either by email or personal one on one meetings about this very subject. Several have been courageous and have held special events at their churches to educate their congregations about what the doctrine of Islam really is and the threat it poses to our way of life.

Churched people, of all people, should understand the issues surrounding the Islamic movement in order to better equip their children to defend their faith. The  public schools now teach that Islam is a religion of peace and the jihadists who flew planes into the World Trade Center, were freedom fighters.

Another reason for educating the church about Islam is that it allows Christians to be knowledgeable when sharing their faith with their Muslim friends. I have heard a testimony by Dr. Nabeel Qureshi. He shared how much respect he had for his Christian friend who reached out and shared his faith with him. Qureshi has a heartrending story about how he chose to leave Islam and embrace Christianity which required him to sever all ties with his family and former life. He is an amazing man.

Courageous leadership is needed in our churches today in order to equip the people with knowledge of the enemy and encouragement to stand up, speak truth and begin to alter the course of this country for its survival. We can no longer sit in the pews and say or do nothing. There are some wonderful churches engaged in standing for truth, but many more need to join them.

May this not be said of us, “By our apathy, by our acquiescence, and by our ignorance, the church of Jesus Christ has consigned itself to irrelevance and impotence in the ongoing struggle for the soul of America.” – Alexis De Toqueville