America’s spiritual decline may have stabilized, but the country’s failure to defend Judeo-Christian values is leading to the emergence of a dark, anti-Israel regional alliance.
But Pastor Andrew Brunson says God gave him a vision while he was imprisoned in Turkey, and he says it reveals what must be done to endure spiritual darkness and hardship in our own lives.
More than six years have passed since Brunson’s unexpected release from a Turkish prison, and now the world focuses on a different hostage crisis.
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
Given his unique perspective, CBN News recently asked Brunson to share his thoughts and describe the emotions he feels at the sight of innocent hostages held unjustly in Gaza and the agony experienced by their families.
“When I see the reunions, it really moved me because I remember just the desperation, the desperate longing I had, for freedom and to be with my family,” Brunson recalled. “And so, then I see these people coming together after not knowing if they’ll ever see each other again. And I know what they’re feeling now.”
Brunson spent 23 years as a missionary in Turkey, sharing the gospel and planting churches. In 2016, Turkish authorities arrested him on terrorism charges for allegedly assisting the Kurdish minority and sentenced him to life in prison.
Today, Brunson remains grateful to President Trump for what he described as unprecedented efforts to negotiate his release during Trump’s first term. Upon his return to the United States, Trump invited Brunson and his wife, Noreen, to the Oval Office.
“I remember when we prayed for him in the Oval Office I said, ‘Can I pray for you’ and he said, ‘Well, I probably need prayer, more prayer than anyone else in this room.’ And I think it is true.”
Like many Americans, Brunson believes God intervened to spare Trump’s life last year in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Although the Trump administration has made strides toward family- and faith-friendly policies, Brunson contends the country’s anti-Christian bias has a strong foothold and is deeply ingrained.
“It will bring a delay, but the culture as a whole has already become post-Christian…When we came back from Turkey, we came back to a different country. And I think in the last years especially, there was an acceleration toward a very aggressively anti-Christian position, especially by the ruling elite. You could say every institution in our country is led by people who are post-Christian and increasingly anti-Christian.”
To read the full story, please visit our content partners at CBN News.
Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2025 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
