This week, international human rights attorney, Virginia Prodan, gave a series of lectures at Oklahoma Christian University. Prodan authored a memoir, “Saving My Assassin,” which details her life under a communist regime in Romania.
In her conversation with The Talon, Prodan discussed her views on religious rights in the United States and ways for Christians to be more involved in preserving their rights.
“I believe American Christians are pushed; Christians are mocked. They are trying to isolate them to see how far these people can go. But that is not persecution yet. Read my memoir and find out what real persecution looks like,” Prodan said. “I speak, and I coach people on how to be prepared for persecution because it’s a process. To build your muscle you have a process, it’s the same thing with building your muscles of faith. You have to be prepared.”
Prodan shared signs she sees in America which may lead to communism.
“When Obama took the presidency, one of the things that hit me to the core was one of his advertisements. It was a professional building and they were saying, ‘These people robbed you.’ You are poor because people are doing well. That’s a form of socialism, communists accuse someone without any proof of anything,” Prodan said. “The reason I see them is because I lived under socialists.”
Prodan gave a Christian approach to class conflicts emphasized by communism.
“If you’re a Christian, your resource is Christ, not the government. The Lord is the one who provides things for you. God is involved in our lives and he will tell us where we have to go and how to go in order to fulfill our mission and to live a life of abundance in him,” Prodan said. “Abundance is not necessary. We are already rich in Christ because we belong to Him. We are the children of God. The highest rank you will ever have on this planet is to be a child of God.”
Prodan warned against being fearful of the government.
“If they don’t pay attention to the fear that comes in their lives, they will be more fearful of the government than fearful of God, and you have to make a choice. You cannot create peace that surpasses all understanding except by the power of Christ,” Prodan said.
Prodan shared an example of what fearing the government led to in a family member’s life.
“If you read chapter three in my book, you will realize that it’s a story of my uncle who didn’t pay attention to fear. He ended up being put in psychiatric hospital by the new government to be trained to be loyal to socialists,” Prodan said. “He said many ways that the hospital was the only place he was able to speak the truth until the nurses will come with syringes and put him to sleep for a while. I don’t want anyone to go through this.”
Prodan encouraged Christians to pursue roles in their communities through political involvement and civic duties.
“If a little girl like me, a young person like me, 20 something years old when I was in Romania, under five feet tall, was able to do it in the power of God, believe me that anyone can do it. I’m very confident about that,” Prodan said.
Prodan shared the message she prepared to instill in Oklahoma Christian students:
“You are bold as a lion, you just don’t know it yet. And I’m gonna prove it to you,” Prodan said.
Prodan encouraged Christians to invest in the lives of those around them by using their gifts and talents.
“Take something God gave you that you are skilled in and offer it to school. While you are offering this, these kids will see the gifts and talents and also the values that are in you and like the Bible said, they will stop and ask about the hope that is in you. So you will have a chance to share the gospel. We all have skills and talents God wants us to use for His glory and to teach and reach other people,” Prodan said.
Prodan highlighted how she has experienced God as a protector.
“The book starts with, ‘I should be dead, buried in an unmarked grave in Romania.’ And it’s true. It’s a miracle that I live. I hope it’s a miracle for everybody who reads the book, to understand that God gives the evil one a temporary place in our life,” Prodan said. “I’m alive and celebrating. God rewards the ones who follow him. He will never forsake you.”
Prodan spoke to the faithfulness and forgiveness of God.
“Be faithful because God is faithful. When you are not faithful, don’t ever be discouraged. I run back to the Lord and ask him for forgiveness. I never hear him say, ‘You’re here again. I told you so.’ No, never,” Prodan said, “He always welcomes me with open arms, smiling and ready to give me what I need to go back into the world and win this world in his name. I’m very small, but there is a huge God inside of me. You have to have a huge God inside of you to face the persecution coming to America.”
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