The failed coup attempt against the government of Turkish President Recip Erdogan will have several negative effects and consequences for the people of Turkey. Erdogan appears likely to increase his suppression of civil liberties which began as Prime Minister in 2003 and continued in 2014 when he was elected the 12th President of Turkey. Jailing judges and other officials in the judicial system has been routine for Erdogan. Journalists and media personalities have also been imprisoned in record numbers, and since the failed attempt last week to topple his regime he has arrested and incarcerated over six-thousand military and police who are believed to be complicit in the attempted coup. [Yesterday] we learned through a media report that the Ministry of Education fired 15,200 people and the Board of Higher Education has requested the resignation of 1,577 university deans, akin to dismissing them.

What should be of concern to all are the implications for the future of the Christians (and other minorities) in Turkey. Given Turkey’s history of genocide against the Armenian Christians between 1915-1923 (an atrocity which Pope Francis recently recognized), with an estimated death toll of 1.5 million, the 120,000 Christians now living in Turkey are most certainly concerned.

Fast forward to the modern era, and we observe that the persecution and even killing of Christians in Turkey continues. Just under a decade ago, several Christians were lured into a house and horrifically tortured and slaughtered. The accused have more recently walked free due to a change in laws governing the detention of suspects. Elsewhere, churches have been shut down. According to one recent report, “the Christian minority in Turkey suffer discrimination, slander, personal attacks and attacks against churches on a daily basis.”

In May of this year, a suicide bomber killed five people in a Christian village near what may be the oldest church in the world, St. Mary Church, in southeastern Turkey. An Islamic group protested the celebration of Christmas and the New Year last year while threatening the Christian minority with death. Beatings and verbal assaults were common during this holiday period. Several deaths of known and respected Christians, including a priest and a Christian journalist have been reported during the time that Erdogan has been in power.

Most disturbing, however, is the fact that the Turkish National Security Council determined and announced that Christian missionary activities are one of the nation’s major security problems. With that level of animus toward Christians, there can be little doubt that the Christian community in Turkey is experiencing a great deal of angst and uncertainty as they see President Erdogan consolidating his power in the country.

Erdogan is an Islamist first, and as such, his theology is not favorable to or very tolerant of Christians. He has been accused of harassing Christian communities. If Turkey moves now to a more radical Islamic influence in their society (whether or not under the guise of addressing the attempted coup), Christians will likely be in the cross hairs. Persecution can occur in many forms. Even if the government does not take overt steps against Christians, a toxic cultural climate nurtured by unchecked radical, Islamist ideology can have devastating consequences for Christians. We need only look at Pakistan to see the effects of such a situation.

Thus, in Turkey, President Erdogan bears the responsibility of ensuring that his government does not further (nor stand by and watch) the persecution of Christians or any other minorities who need protection. We must pray fervently that this does not happen and that the few Christians left in Turkey will be allowed to worship openly in a country where Christianity has an incredible history.

Originally published here.

The Republican and Democratic Platforms: No Comparisons

Talk about night and day! It’s difficult to overstate just how fundamentally different the Republican and Democratic Party Platforms are from each other. For starters, there’s the fact that the GOP openly televises their platform drafting process on C-SPAN for all to see, while the Democrats do their drafting behind closed doors — fitting for a party led by a president whose “administration is one of the most secretive” in history.

On issue after issue, the Republican Platform is the one that possesses a moral ethic guided by an acknowledgment of a higher power and authority, which undergirds the framework of the document as a whole. This is clearly stated in the platform’s Preamble, which quotes the Declaration of Independence: “All are created equal, endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

[Monday], at the Republican National Convention, the party ratified the 2016 Republican Platform that included numerous victories for social conservatives to stand strong on life, marriage, and religious liberty. The Democrat Platform, which is pending final approval, has swung even farther to the extreme left on numerous issues. Here are some of the differences.

On the Redefinition of Marriage

Republicans condemn the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell, and affirm marriage as the union of one man and one woman as the “cornerstone” of society which states have a right to recognize as such, and declares that “every child deserves a married mom and dad.” The Democrats celebrate “that recognized LGBT people…have the right to marry the person they love.”

On Abortion, Taxpayer Funding, and Religious Freedom

For the first time in history, the Democrats and their presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton have called for overturning the Hyde and Helms Amendments and call for federal taxpayers to fund abortion on demand at home, and even abroad. The Republicans “call for codification of the Hyde Amendment and its application across the government, including Obamacare.” In addition, the Democrat’s radical push for abortion coverage makes no exception even for religious organizations or conscience protections for doctors or nurses who object to abortion, and they insist on the repeal of the Mexico City policy to fund abortions in other nations. The Republicans insist on protecting “the rights of conscience of healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and organizations, especially the faith-based groups” and restoring the Mexico City policy.

On Planned Parenthood and the Selling of Baby Body Parts

The Democrats support Planned Parenthood by name. The Republicans, for the first time, call for the defunding of Planned Parenthood for committing abortions, selling baby parts, and deceiving women with faulty consent forms. They call on Congress to enact a ban on any sale of fetal body parts.

On Religious Freedom on Marriage

The Democrats call for federal civil rights protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, which would force religious businesses to acknowledge gay “weddings.” The Republicans twice call for the passage of the First Amendment Defense Act and sides with the rights of florists, bakers and especially adoption agencies who disagree with same-sex marriage.

On Sex Education

The Republicans call for increasing “sexual risk avoidance education” to promote abstinence from sex until marriage, while the Democrats want to promote “comprehensive sex ed” which encourages contraception use and risky sexual behavior for young children.

On Transgender Bathrooms

Democrats pledged to “improve school climates” to advance gay and transgender rights. Republicans called out the Obama administration’s Title IX bathroom edict, which “impose[s] a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories” as “at once illegal, dangerous, and ignor[ing] privacy issues.”

On Terrorism

In the aftermath of the Orlando shooting, the Democrats singled out the LGBT community: “Democrats believe that LGBT rights are human rights and that American foreign policy should advance the ability of all persons to live with dignity, security, and respect regardless of who they are or who they love.” The Republicans named the enemy, “radical Islam” and condemned its attacks on all people: “Radical Islamic terrorism poses an existential threat to personal freedom and peace around the world. We oppose its brutal assault on all human beings, all of whom have inherent dignity. The Republican Party stands united with all victims of terrorism …”

On Social Engineering in the Military

The Democrats cheer the “repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the inclusion of transgenders in the military, while the GOP insists “We reject the use of the military as a platform for social experimentation… Military readiness should not be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.”

Originally published here.