I came across this news story on LifeSiteNews.com the other day.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jul/10072207.html

I quote from the first paragraph:

“AUGUSTA, Georgia, July 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed suit against Augusta State University Wednesday on behalf of a counseling student who was allegedly told that her Christian beliefs are unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession. The student, Jennifer Keeton, says she has been told to stop communicating her beliefs and that she must undergo “training” to accept homosexuality in order to graduate from the counseling program.”

It’s impossible to know if officials at Augusta State are motivated by what they think is the rightness of homosexuality, or if some of them don’t really care about much besides law suits by homosexual activists.  The effect is to stifle the beliefs of Christians both professionally and in the public sphere.

It reminds me a little of the situation of Christians in the old Soviet Union. It was possible then to exist as a practicing Orthodox Christian if one had no expectation of a fulfilling professional life. It was OK for a professed Christian to spend a life time swabbing floors or working as a night watchman. God help you if you wanted to work as a chemist, an engineer or in any other highly trained profession. How in the world could you study at a university, join the Communist Party and attend your cell meetings if you believed in God?  And your loyalty was presumed to be shaky. You might even try to proselytize – God forbid.

What people believed very privately might be another matter.

Of course, we’re not at that point yet. I’m also reminded of a conversation I had with an acquaintance of mine who happens to be both a well-known astrophysicist and a member of a Catholic religious order. He told me that many of his colleagues believe in God, although not all of them are Christians. And yet, they prefer not to let too many people know about being religious. It isn’t professionally furthering.

Are the walls beginning to close in on believers? The climate is there. We have to defend ourselves and each other vigorously, whenever we can. But expect a battle. Be happy that you’re on the right side. The war isn’t over yet.