There’s a growing “intensity of evil” that should prompt action by Christians in America, musician and worship leader Sean Feucht told Higher Ground contributor Alex Murashko this week.

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Mr. Feucht, who brought his “Kingdom to the Capitol” tour to state capitals in Washington, Oregon and Idaho this weekend, wants Christians to “be the light” in today’s cultural climate. Opponents of his events are pledging “unbaptism” ceremonies to take place alongside his rallies, as The Times reported earlier this month.

“There is an inundation and an overwhelming intensity of evil right now,” Mr. Feucht said. “It’s kind of being unmasked in many ways. We’re not called to hide in a corner. It’s time for the church to get out of the four walls. And that’s the very thing the enemy doesn’t want us to do.”

The popular Christian musician added, “It’s time not to be a spectator. It’s time to realize that now is the time to fight for our families, our future and our faith. This is not a political fight. This is a spiritual fight. That’s one of the reasons we’re doing it. It’s biblical.”

European nations don’t ’walk the walk’ on religious freedom

Many European nations “talk the talk” regarding religious freedom around the world, a U.S. government panel said last week, but when it comes to protecting their own citizens’ rights, they don’t “walk the walk.”

That’s the word from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent panel charged with monitoring religious rights around the world. It released a report noting the disparity among the European Union members.

Jews and Muslims are feeling pressure to leave some E.U. countries because of restrictions on religious attire as well as on religious slaughter practices for halal and kosher butchers, the report noted. “Sect filters” in Germany and French government “anti-sect” laws appear to target members of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Scientology, according to the commission.

And in Finland, prosecutors continue to seek the conviction of Christian lawmaker Paivi Räsänen, charged with “hate speech” for quoting Bible verses condemning homosexual behavior in a Twitter post, the panel reported.

American Catholics on pilgrimage for World Youth Day event

For the thousands of young Americans attending the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day next month in Lisbon, Portugal, the journey is not a “summer vacation,” but rather a faith-centered pilgrimage, organizers say.

The goal is to give the young Catholics a chance to see the global nature of the church, see Pope Francis at events including a Mass, and perhaps hear a calling to vocational life in the church or another career path.

Among the delegates will be Aimee and Bobby Ciello from Fairfax, Virginia, who met as collegians during their pilgrimages to the 1997 event in Paris. The pair conducted a long-distance courtship, married and have five children. The Ciellos will bring their three oldest to Lisbon.

’Sound of Freedom’ to show in nation where trafficking film is set

In what some may call an ironic twist, “Sound of Freedom,” the sleeper U.S. box office hit movie detailing one man’s fight against child sex trafficking, soon will hit movie screens in Colombia, the South American nation where much of the story takes place.

Starring Jim Caviezel as former Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard, the movie is scheduled to open Aug. 31 in 17 countries in Central and South America, including Colombia. It also is is set to open in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in August, while the United Kingdom and Ireland will see the film on Sept. 1.

Jared Geesey, Angel Studios senior vice president of global distribution, said in a statement: “Child trafficking is a global issue, and we hope to build on the incredible momentum here in the states and share the film’s powerful message worldwide.”

VA reverses course on religious exemptions from abortion services

Seven months after a nurse practitioner sued the Department of Veterans Affairs over its expansion of abortion services for veterans and beneficiaries, saying the agency didn’t have a procedure for those with religious objections to opt out, the Christian worker’s attorneys said the VA agreed to put such exemptions in place.

First Liberty Institute said the department said it would offer the exemption nationwide, after Stephanie Carter, a nurse practitioner at Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center in Temple, Texas, filed suit saying she couldn’t get an accommodation. That action came months after the VA published an “interim final rule” expanding abortion services “in certain cases,” including the “life or health” of the mother being in danger, or if rape or incest produced a pregnancy.

While the VA’s press secretary later told The Times that “since the day this policy was announced, VA has provided accommodations,” one of Ms. Carter’s attorneys refuted that, saying the nurse practitioner “was told repeatedly by her supervisor that there was no process or more information would be made available at some vague point in the future.”

The record of the VA’s actions in setting up the expansion of abortion services and subsequent questions shows no indication of the claim that such exemptions were always available, as The Times also reported.

Video: Why the ruckus over Kirk Cameron’s children’s books?

Billy Hallowell talks with Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at the First Liberty Institute, about the curious level of pushback actor and Christian author Kirk Cameron is receiving as he tours the U.S. promoting faith-affirming books at public libraries. First Liberty represents Mr. Cameron and Brave Books in their quest to investigate possible religious discrimination.

And the public interest law firm isn’t alone: On Friday, three Republican senators asked a federal agency to investigate whether taxpayer dollars were used by the American Library Association to organize and promote opposition to the Cameron-related “See You At The Library” events planned nationwide for Aug. 5.

Advertising Jesus as ’Jewish Messiah’ on cable gets response, evangelist says

Sid Roth, a Jew who said he discovered Jesus was the Messiah decades ago, has never kept silent about his finding. Now the District of Columbia native has placed 60-second commercials offering a digital book containing what he calls “irrefutable evidence” to support that claim on secular cable channels — and he says people are responding.

More than 10,000 copies of the book had been downloaded as of July 18, with more than 60,000 people visiting his website as a result of the ads. The spots first aired on Fox News Channel and Newsmax, and are slated to appear on MSNBC and CNBC.

Podcast: Blasphemy, Bud Light and persecution

On this week’s “Higher Ground” podcast, Billy Hallowell talks with country music star Coffey Anderson, who shares his views on life, faith, music and more. Mr. Hallowell also discusses the developing battle over a beloved cross monument in California, and comments from transgender federal official Rachel Levine, who believes kids could be undergoing the “wrong” puberty.

Catch the podcast here.

In our opinion

All is not lost. Many of today’s headlines contain bad news, Mr. Hallowell writes, but good things are happening that should make even the most cynical find a glimmer of hope.

There has been an uptick in mass baptisms across the country, prison inmates are finding Jesus, and we’ve seen positive public reaction to prayer both when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest at a Jan. 2 NFL game, as well as the prayer-based revival at Asbury University.

“It’s clear that more and more people are being lifted out of that abyss and discovering what matters most. The hopelessness our culture breeds is pointing some to look for healing,” he writes.

Change attitudes about abortion. Former NFL athlete and Super Bowl champion Benjamin Watson — part of the winning New England Patriots team during their 2005 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles — is currently a vice president for strategic relationships at pro-life organization Human Coalition. He believes a key to reducing the number of abortions in America — 75% of which are preventable, he says — lies in helping mothers in crisis and changing the overall attitude about the procedure.

Mr. Watson believes the “next stage” of the battle against abortion “must be marked both by sensitivity to injustice and deep, abiding empathy. The end of abortion is inextricably wrapped up with the end of the systemic injustices driving so many women to the desperate, horrific ‘solution’ abortion claims to offer them.”

What to do when church pushes “DEI.” In this week’s “Ask Dr. E” column, Everett Piper offers advice to a church member concerned about the push at some Christian colleges on “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” which many conservatives have criticized.

“You are right to be suspicious. There are many reasons the Church should refute the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda (DEI). Frankly, I’d argue DEI is the antithesis of the Gospel,” Mr. Piper writes.

“At its core DEI is about denial. It denies science, denies reality and denies sin. DEI is driven by feelings rather than facts. If I feel like I’m a woman, I am. If I feel like you’re a bigot, you are. If I feel like the earth is dying, it is. If I feel like masks works, they do. Feelings always trump facts. You triggered me. You offended me. You made me uncomfortable. You need sensitivity training. You should be excluded because you’re not inclusive. You can’t be tolerated because of your intolerance. DEI denies logic and denies common sense,” he says.