A panel discussion on religious liberty

WASHINGTON—Speakers at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority conference spoke about domestic and global threats to Christianity on Friday.

The panel discussed the pending Supreme Court decision about whether Hobby Lobby can be forced to pay millions of dollars in fines for not following Obamacare’s mandate to provide abortifacient contraceptives under its employee insurance plans. That decision should be announced before the end of June. At stake are the rights of companies to operate under their leaders’ moral and religious convictions.

“The government poses a false dichotomy on the American people—violate your faith or pay steep fines,” said Matthew Clark from the American Center for Law and Justice.

Michele DeKonty, director of career development at The King’s College, said she cringes when she hears people say the United States is not a Christian nation anymore. She pointed out that all politicians take an oath of office on the Bible. She also mentioned that, while Obama professes Christianity, his positions on issues often don't match foundational Christian beliefs. Every man who has been president has at least claimed to be a Christian, she said. This, she added, is proof that Americans demand Christian leaders.

The speakers needed to look no further than recent news for examples of Christian oppression around the globe. They referenced the terrorist groups Boko Haram, which has captured Christian girls in Nigeria, and ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which has taken over much of Iraq. And they mentioned Meriam Ibrahim, the Christian mother of two who faces execution in Sudan for professing Christianity.

DeKonty told the story of Benjamin Franklin, who appealed for prayer at the Constitutional Convention.

“And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” Franklin said, according to James Madison’s notes.

From this story, DeKonty urged the audience to remember that God is in charge.

“If they were able to do it then, we can do it now,” she said.