What has happened to America? When did Jesus Christ become a fair target for the ridiculing media?

Breathlessly some time back, ABC News journalist Brian Ross revealed that a Michigan manufacturer of high-powered rifle sights and scopes has for years inscribed Bible references on the equipment used by U.S. armed services personnel. Scandalous!

Another mainstream news media expose revealed that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin “looks to God for strength.”

And we remember how shocked and dismayed the news commentators were when new analyst Brit Hume dared on camera to suggest that golfer Tiger Woods needed to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

What would have been a nice comment just a few years ago now is shocking and worrisome. You trust in Jesus? Then you’d better be watched for other signs of mental illness!

Former John McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt also told CBS News “60 Minutes” the shocking revelation that Palin believed she was operating within God’s will. It seems Schmidt had asked her how she could remain so tranquil in the face of such public ridicule.

Palin responded, “It’s God’s plan.”

Naturally, the media went bonkers over such shocking words. The New York Times approvingly reported late night comic Jimmy Fallon’s one-liner: “God responded: ‘What? Really? Don’t bring me into this.’”

The Week magazine asked whether Palin was “simply devout – or delusional?” The Nation magazine suggested that Palin was “a little bit dimmer than we thought.”

A few decades ago such news would have drawn praise. But in today’s world – where much of the “mainstream” media is very comfortable bashing Christians and Christianity – the firestorm which resulted was no surprise.

And what about Hume’s comment about Woods? 

You may have forgotten, after all now we have Charlie Sheen. However, Woods had entered a rehabilitation program for “sexual addiction” after admitting multiple infidelities against his wife. Hume commented: “Whether [Tiger Woods] can recover as a person I think is a very open question, and it’s a tragic situation with him. The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith. He’s said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith.”

Brit Hume then went on to say that his message to Tiger would be, “Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”

The vitriol against Brit Hume began immediately.

The Washington Times observed in an editorial: “If there was doubt that much of the media is hostile to traditional faith, especially Christianity, that doubt has been drowned in the wake of a vicious verbal assault on Hume.”

The Washington Post’s Tom Shales and cohorts on MSNBC were enraged by Hume’s advice. Shales said that Hume is “sinking into his own mouth-made mire” and that “darts of derision should be aimed at Hume” for “one of the most ridiculous remarks of the year.”

Shales demanded an apology from Hume. Ken Olbermann said Hume should “keep religious advocacy out of public life since, you know, the worst examples of that are jihadists.”

So, what has happened — that concerned Christian Americans are viewed as no different than murderous Islamist radicals?

CLICK HERE to consider more about why the media is offended by people of faith
To read “Why do they want to censor Jesus?” CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE to consider whether we are headed for a God-free society
Is Jesus an illegal word that cannot be uttered in public anymore? CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE to read about recent legal efforts to ban church bells
And CLICK HERE to consider a British journalist’s concern that Christianity is becoming criminalized in Western society.