Christians are under assault around the world in ways unprecedented in modern times, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley argues.
“It is open season on Christians in a way that we haven’t seen in our lifetimes,” he tells The Heartlander in an exclusive interview Wednesday.
Hawley this week teamed up with U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, to sponsor a proposed resolution condemning the persecution of Christians.
“Our country was founded on religious liberty,” Hawley notes in a press release. “We cannot sit on the sidelines as Christians around the world are being persecuted for declaring Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We must condemn these heinous crimes.”
Hawley expounded on his concern and outrage in the interview with The Heartlander.
“Well, we need to start standing up for Christians around the world – and I just mean speaking up for their rights.
“You think about in Nigeria alone: 50,000 Christians have been murdered – 50,000 have been murdered! – in deliberate religious and ethnic cleansing in that country. And that is going on in many, many countries – Muslim majority countries, other countries around the world.
“Millions of Christians have lost their lives in the last two years to martyrdom, because of their faith, to persecution. And we’ve got to stop it.”
What can be done, other than condemning it?
Hawley has a practical suggestion: Stop giving U.S. taxpayer money to countries that allow the persecution and murder of Christians for their faith.
“The United States needs to say, listen, among other things, we’re not going to give you foreign aid if you’re out there killing Christians. Countries that kill Christians also threaten Americans, so we should not be giving foreign aid to these countries if they’re out there slaughtering Christians in cold blood by the tens of thousands.
“That ought to be pretty simple. So, I think it’s time for us to get a little tougher.
“And you know, we spend way too much money on that stuff anyway. We dole that money out. You saw what DOGE uncovered – money going to transgender operas in Peru, while we’ve got Christians getting slaughtered by the tens of thousands.
“We ought to be saying we’re not going to give you a dime if you’re not going to at least protect the basic religious rights of people. And it’s time for us to start getting a lot smarter and a lot tougher with all these other countries around the world.”
Congressman Moore adds in the press release:
“Around the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ face rampant persecution for simply acknowledging the name of Jesus. That is unacceptable. In Nigeria alone, more than 50,000 Christians have been martyred and more than 5 million have been displaced simply for professing their faith.
“During a Divine Liturgy in Damascus last month, an islamic jihadist opened fire on worshippers and detonated an explosive device — killing at least 30 and wounding dozens more.
“These examples illustrate the violence and death Christians face on a daily basis. Unfortunately, decades of U.S. foreign policy blunders have exacerbated this crisis, with ethno-religious cleansing accelerating in Iraq after our failure to stabilize the country following the 2003 invasion. We as lawmakers cannot continue to sit idly by. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians across the globe.”
According to the press release, the following organizations have already endorsed the Hawley-Moore resolution:
- ADF International
- Heritage Action for America
- The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
- In Defense of Christians
- Global Christian Relief
- CatholicVote
- Advancing American Freedom,
- Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE)
- Family Policy Alliance
- Christians Engaged
- Save the Persecuted Christians
