When A Free Nation Drifts - with Pastor Rob McCoy

A country can look stable right up until it isn’t. South Korea, once a model of post-war recovery and a powerhouse of Christian growth in Asia, is now wrestling with rising pressure on churches, growing ideological control, and the quiet erosion of religious liberty. That’s why we sit down with Pastor Rob McCoy for a story that feels uncomfortably familiar, especially for anyone who remembers how fast government “emergency” rules can become a new normal.

Rob walks us through his relationship with Pastor Sohn (you may hear the name said as Pastor Soan), the pastor of a large church in Busan who kept his doors open during COVID lockdowns and paid a severe price. We talk about raids, targeted enforcement, lack of due process, solitary confinement, and why international attention matters when a government decides to make an example out of a Christian leader. Rob also shares what it takes to rally support, keep a promise to a friend, and use public advocacy and diplomacy to protect someone facing re-arrest.

From there, we zoom out to the bigger forces at work: how universities, media narratives, and political apathy can shift a nation’s direction; why the post World War II world originally organized to resist communism; and how foreign influence and border policies can change elections and values without a single bullet fired. We also discuss the Tytler cycle, the danger of the church stepping out of the public square, and why America’s role in defending global religious freedom still matters to believers everywhere.

If you care about religious freedom, constitutional rights, and the future of the church in the public square, share this conversation, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s the clearest warning sign you think Americans are missing right now?

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