It was a pretty emotional time. The man I was speaking with had been a lieutenant in the Army of South Vietnam. He was also a Christian and had been released from a “reeducation camp” a few months prior. His hair was prematurely gray and his body reflected the abuse he received from the communist guards.

There were 50 men present, all pastors just recently released from prison. The purpose of the meeting was to present them with Bibles. Because of the humanitarian work we were doing and the respect our former enemy had for us as a “worthy adversary,” they allowed us to bring 10,000 Bibles into Vietnam for the church. They never allowed that to happen again.

My new friend held the Bible I had given him as if he were holding a treasure. With tears streaming down his face, he said this was the first time since he went to prison (1975) that he had held a Bible. I looked around the room and saw other men who were emotionally moved by what they’d been given.

These men fell to their knees and began to sing. It sounded familiar, but knowing so little of the Vietnamese language, I didn’t know what they were singing until they got to the chorus. Then I recognized the old hymn and the chorus:

Hallelujah! Thine the glory
Hallelujah! Amen
Hallelujah! Thine the glory
Revive us again!

Tears flowed all around the room as we knelt with them.

I’ve been returning to Vietnam for 32 years now. We were scheduled to go this October, but the trip was canceled again because of COVID-19. For the past 30-plus years, I’ve watched Vietnam become somewhat prosperous, mostly because of investment and trade with America. But the people are not free!

The current government, while not as oppressive as its neighbor, China, still persecutes people of faith. Vietnam’s repressive communist government is an equal opportunity oppressor. All religions are subject to persecution, but Christians are treated the worst.

There’s a common thread in countries that start with socialism leading to communism: Free speech, gun ownership, and religion always come under assault. I challenge you to pick a country where there’s a socialist or communist government where this isn’t a reality! We seem to be heading down the same path.

Those in charge of this country are telling us to ignore our lying eyes. The border is closed, says the Biden administration. Forget the tens of thousands of illegals we see only on conservative news sites flooding across our borders every single day.

The Left tells us that far-right bigots are fearmongering by saying Critical Race Theory (CRT) is being taught in our schools. It says there’s no such thing as CRT while the second-largest teachers union amasses millions of dollars to defend teachers who are fired for teaching CRT (which “doesn’t exist”) in the classroom.

Big Tech is censoring anyone it pleases. Our government threatens to take our Second Amendment rights away as crime rates soar. Shutdowns are threatened. Authorities are threatening to require us to wear a mask — or else. But on the bright side, Biden says the future looks bright!

Something to think about?