The Global War on Christianity Just Got a Whole Lot Worse, and Ted Cruz Doesn’t Care

Armenia: A Nation Scorned for Its Faith

Amsterdam begins by illuminating the harrowing history and current plight of Armenia, the world's oldest Christian nation, martyred repeatedly for its unwavering faith. Armenians are renowned for their business acumen and tight-knit community, yet their identity is inextricably linked to a brutal past—most notoriously the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks during World War I. Amsterdam stresses that this was not simply an ethnic cleansing but a religious genocide; Armenians were slaughtered because they refused to renounce Christianity. Despite massive losses—over a million lives—Armenians' steadfast faith endures as a source of cultural cohesion and pride.

This enduring faith faces new threats. Over the last few years, Armenia's government, under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has shifted towards undermining the Armenian Apostolic Church, the spiritual backbone of nearly the entire population. Amsterdam recounts how Pashinyan has jailed high-ranking clergy and key community leaders like Samuel Karapetyan, a wealthy Armenian philanthropist who courageously opposes government interference in the church. With prisons echoing with the voices of arrested archbishops and vocal defenders of traditional Christianity, the nation's spiritual fabric is under official assault—a development profoundly unpopular among the Armenian populace but largely overlooked by the international community.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Amsterdam also touches on the brutal conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, an Islamic-majority country, over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. He describes how nearly 20,000 Armenians, defending their Christian homeland, were killed, and by the end of recent skirmishes, centuries of Christian presence in Nagorno-Karabakh were obliterated. What shocks many is the deafening silence from Western Christian leadership on this religious cleansing. Astonishingly, he reveals that Israel has provided Azerbaijan with offensive weaponry, including drones, sometimes operated by Israeli personnel, intensifying the Christian community's suffering—all potentially subsidized by U.S. tax dollars. This dissonance between assumed allies and actual geopolitical maneuvers begs the question: who really protects persecuted Christians in modern conflicts?

The West and Its Christian Communities

Perhaps most unsettling is Amsterdam's critique of how the West, especially the United States, has turned a blind eye or even facilitated the erosion of Christian institutions abroad. He draws attention to the instrumentalization of religion by U.S. foreign policy, accusing the State Department of deciding which Christian communities deserve support and which do not. Amsterdam cites the PR spectacle of prayer breakfasts held in Armenia, even as Armenian clergy are imprisoned, the church attacked, and sacred histories like the Armenian Genocide aggressively denied or erased in political narratives. The purported champions of religious freedom sometimes dance with those who dismantle the faith—an irony so stark it risks betraying generations of believers.

Ukraine: The Destruction of the Orthodox Church

The conversation shifts to Ukraine, where Amsterdam has also represented persecuted Orthodox Christians. Despite American and European support for Ukraine's government amid the Russian invasion, he reveals a disturbing undercurrent: the Ukrainian government's active suppression, theft, and torture inflicted on the traditional Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Rather than defending religious liberty, the Ukrainian state is consolidating religious power under a politically aligned church, using security forces to intimidate faithful clerics and parishioners. Meanwhile, Western media and Christian leaders remain largely silent or complicit, echoing similar patterns seen in Armenia.

This selective "religious freedom" narrative excludes the very churches suffering the worst persecution. Amsterdam points to the paradox of official prayer breakfasts and religious freedom conferences that exclude representatives of the targeted churches, yet feature speakers aligned with the persecuting authorities, revealing a disturbing politicization and cooptation of religion as a tool of foreign policy.

Nigeria and the Complexity of Religious Conflicts

Amsterdam broadens the scope to Nigeria, a nation often portrayed simplistically as a hotbed of Muslim-Christian conflict with Christians under siege. Drawing from decades of experience in the region, he nuances this view by highlighting the pluralistic composition of Nigeria's government and society, underscoring deep-rooted tribal and political factors behind violence which do not neatly fit into a genocide narrative. He challenges the recent surge in claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria as coordinated propaganda that distracts faithful American Christians from ongoing, more entrenched persecutions elsewhere. Nigerian leaders reportedly welcome American assistance to protect all communities, yet Washington's response remains inadequate and sometimes counterproductive.

American Politics and Christian Leadership

The discussion turns acutely personal as Amsterdam reflects on the perplexing silence and inconsistencies within American political and religious circles. Notably, he critiques Senator Ted Cruz for vocal concern over Christianity in Nigeria but silence on Ukraine and Armenia, where Christian communities face state-sponsored persecution. Similarly, prominent evangelical figures like Franklin Graham are actively engaged in political events with hostile leaders, sometimes unaware of the complex realities or unwilling to confront uncomfortable truths—raising critical questions about the intersection of faith, politics, and realpolitik.

Amsterdam's own journey, from a liberal Jewish background to a passionate defender of persecuted Christians worldwide, exemplifies a call to transcend sectarian divides and uphold universal religious freedom. His work often places him at personal risk, yet he remains unwavering in shining light on abuses too often hidden behind layers of diplomatic convenience and media silence.

A Crumbling Global Order

The broader context painted by Amsterdam is of a world where liberal democracy erodes, authoritarianism advances, and geopolitical transactions displace principled governance. He warns of the "calcification of ruling elites" paralyzed by fear and selfishness, fostering environments conducive to religious persecution and cultural erasure. The European Union, the United States, and other powers are implicated in this downward spiral, struggling to uphold democratic values and the rule of law while engaging in contradictory and self-destructive foreign policies.

Faith, History, and the Future

As the conversation closes, Amsterdam issues a sobering reminder that controlling the narrative of history equates to controlling the future. He underscores how denying historical truths—whether the Armenian Genocide or the persecution of churches—serves geopolitical agendas but at the cost of justice, peace, and collective memory. For Armenians and other persecuted Christians, faith is not only a spiritual anchor but also a wellspring of resilience amid relentless adversity. Yet, that faith's defenders face new challenges from internal political forces and a global community that often turns a blind eye.