I Became a Statistic: What Happened When I Joined the 42% of Christians Under Fire

What Happened When I Joined the 42% of Christians Under Fire

42% of Christians Have Faced Threats or Hostility, Now I’m Part of the 42%

You never think it’s going to be you.

Whether you are open or quiet about your faith, you don’t expect to be in the firing line because of your commonly held Christian beliefs.

But now I have joined the 42% of Christians in Australia that have experienced hostility, threats or harassment for expressing a Christian worldview.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to be chatting to my manager at work about a call they’d gotten the day before. The person on the line had found out where I work, and complained about my anti-abortion pro-life stance, requesting that I be sacked. My managers were frankly shocked that it had even happened, and when speaking to me said they had no problem with me, that what I do outside of work is my business, and that I’m respectful to everyone at work.

Considering what company I’m working for, I’m a little surprised that it didn’t go further. But there have been many Christians before me that haven’t been so blessed.

Christians Facing Hostility

Need I mention Dr Jereth Kok, who’s medical license was suspended by the Medical Board of Australia, because someone complained about posts he had made on a private social media account, not even a public one. He had to re-train in a new industry because his court case lasted over seven years — and was subsequently lost.

Or Lyle Shelton, who said that drag queens were not good role models for children referring to a drag queen story time event at a public library. And the case despite being dismissed in 2023, has dragged on to this day, and Lyle continues to fight for freedom of speech.

And there are so many more cases I could mention that are currently going, or a decision has been made upon, where people are sued for stating or defending biological reality, or for just stating beliefs, not attacking anyone, not being violent or threatening anyone. Just stating your deeply held Christian beliefs could send you bankrupt or to prison, if not for people like the Human Rights Law Alliance that have defended many Christians and non-Christians alike for the right to freedom of speech.

Shocking Report from the Australian Christian Freedom Index

But here’s the kicker, this is much more common than most people think. Earlier this year, the Australian Christian Freedom Index was published, surveying almost 11,000 Christians in Australia. The attack on their freedoms is shocking:

• 92% said it is riskier to affirm Christian beliefs than five years ago

• 73% felt pressured to keep their beliefs private in public, online, or at work

• 42% experienced hostility, threats or harassment for expressing a Christian worldview

• 25% were denied opportunities in work, volunteering or leadership because of their beliefs

This is not high profile Christians, proclaiming truth on social media, or speaking at conferences, or shouting in parliament. This is the rank and file, faithful soldiers, who have families, who have bills, who have responsibilities.

These people have been silenced by those who disagree with them, because offence is now considered violence. Truth is considered to be lies, and that’s why now more than ever we must not stay silent.

“Over a quarter of a century, at least 74 Acts affecting Christian belief and practice have passed into law, with nearly half in the last five years alone.” (ACFI, p. 46)

A Call to the Church

My brothers and sisters in Christ, this is my call to the Church in Australia. The Church cannot remain silent anymore, it must not compromise, it must not back down, it must speak truth in the public square without fear, in spite of the consequences. It must prepare its congregants with the realities of preaching the gospel, and saying common truths that we take for granted.

The Church must return to being the conscience of the state, instead of being inhibited by it. If Australia is to turn back to God, it will not be due to Christians that are timid, or go along with the cultural zeitgeist. But it will be because of those who will not back down, not lose heart, those who stand with giants of the faith like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Daniel 3:16–18):

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

“But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'”

There is only one King, one God, one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, of whom we are called to be his ambassadors on earth; whose kingdom is not of this world, but it surely is for this world. My prayer is that Christians would rise up, that they would not cower under pressure, that they would speak the truth of the gospel in season and out of season.

Before last week, I was part of the 92% and 73%, but now I have joined the 42%, and I wonder how much longer it will be before I join the 25%, and how much longer it will be before many more join me.

While we can still speak, let us speak. May we become public Christians, not eyesores of a bygone era.

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Originally published on the YCFC Truth Prevails Substack.

Image via Adobe.

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ODM Daily Commentary

Let’s be honest: the statistics are staggering. 92% of Christians say it’s riskier to affirm their faith than five years ago. 73% feel pressured to keep their beliefs private. 42% have experienced hostility, threats, or harassment. 25% have been denied opportunities at work, volunteering, or leadership because of their beliefs.

And the author of this article has just joined the 42%. He went to work, had a conversation with his manager, and discovered that someone had called his employer demanding he be sacked for his pro-life stance. He wasn’t shouting on a street corner. He wasn’t attacking anyone. He simply held a belief, and that belief was considered grounds for termination.

This is the reality of being a Christian in Australia today. And the article is a powerful, personal testimony of what that feels like.

The author doesn’t just tell his own story; he points to the wider persecution. Dr Jereth Kok lost his medical license and had to retrain because of private social media posts. Lyle Shelton has been dragged through the courts for years for saying drag queens are not good role models for children. And these are just the high-profile cases. The vast majority of the 42% are ordinary Christians, with families, bills, and responsibilities, who are being silenced by a culture that treats offence as violence and truth as lies.

The article’s call to the Church is urgent and uncompromising. “The Church cannot remain silent anymore, it must not compromise, it must not back down, it must speak truth in the public square without fear, in spite of the consequences.” This is not a call to rudeness or aggression. It is a call to courage. To stand with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who refused to bow to the golden image, even when the furnace was burning.

The author’s final words are a haunting warning: “Before last week, I was part of the 92% and 73%, but now I have joined the 42%, and I wonder how much longer it will be before I join the 25%, and how much longer it will be before many more join me.”

The statistics are not abstract numbers. They are real people, real lives, real stories. And they are going to keep rising unless the Church wakes up.

The practical application is clear: do not be silent. Do not be afraid. Speak the truth. Prepare for the consequences. And remember that you are not alone. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. The same courage that sustained the martyrs is available to you.

The 42% is growing. Will you be part of the resistance?

— ODM Daily