YEREVAN, Armenia — Tucker Carlson recently claimed Armenia’s prime minister is “at war with Christianity.” But leaders here in Yerevan — including prominent American Christians — say that narrative simply doesn’t match the facts on the ground. And as Armenia holds its first-ever national prayer breakfast, many here believe the far greater threat comes from inside the country, through demographic decline driven in part by abortion.
Armenia’s inaugural national prayer breakfast brought together government and faith leaders to focus on the future of this fragile nation. Despite loud claims abroad that Christianity is under attack here, churches are open, worship is free, and spiritual leaders are seated alongside top officials.
“So this prime minister, who’s clearly authoritarian by definition, is against the church,” Tucker Carlson had argued. “So the idea is to break the back of Orthodox Christianity and of traditional Christianity in Armenia, and to use the police to do it.”
Armenian experts say that Carlson’s assertion leaves out critical context. They dispute his accusation that recent arrests of two clergymen had anything to do with practicing their faith.
Armenian political analyst Elen Hokhikyan said, “Two of them, especially, have been engaged in political activism. Let me put it that way. One of them has urged the military to stage a coup, and when he was pressed on the matter, he reiterated his stance on the point. The other one has organized an opposition movement for Armenia’s attempt to somehow become more sovereign, to pursue its own diplomacy. Somehow, made Russia to engage more actively into the external affairs of Armenia.”
These political clashes come as Armenia tries to break free from decades of Russian influence. Some American Christian leaders who met with Armenia’s prime minister say the “war on Christianity” claims are not just wrong, they serve Russia’s interests.
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Former Rep. Louie Gohmert said, “When I was invited to come, I got articles from friends saying, ‘Hey, were you not aware this Prime Minister in Armenia is at war with Christianity?’ And I was reading the articles and I was looking into it, and then I learned from people I trusted, he was not at war with Christianity. So I came on, and having spent a couple of days with him through the two prayer breakfasts and heard his heart and visited with him privately, personally, this is not a man who is at war with Christianity. This is a man who is wanting to do what he is supposed to do in accordance with Christian principles and following biblical principles. And I am so impressed with them. But when you try to do what he’s doing, this is the kind of attacks you come under.”
While the political rhetoric grabs international headlines, many here see Armenia’s most dangerous threat coming from its own demographic collapse.
Armenia faces pressures on multiple fronts. And the threats from Azerbaijan and Turkey are very real. But the bigger danger might actually be inside the country. Armenia’s birth rate has collapsed. And if nothing changes, this nation could easily lose a share of its population over the next century and almost cease to exist. Many leaders here are saying that they’re pointing directly to abortion and the declining family formation as major factors in this demographic decline, and in their view, this crisis is a bigger, long-term threat than anything that’s happening across the border.
So that’s why the prayer breakfast we attended isn’t just ceremonial. It’s an appeal for unity and a renewed focus on faith and family, and national survival.
Dr. Jacob Pursley explained, “Unfortunately, abortion in Armenia is one of those subjects that has not been publicly spoken about until this inaugural prayer breakfast. And the statistics are from 1955 until 2024, 1 million and 800,000 abortions have taken place in that time. I mean, they’ve murdered their own more than the Turks in the Azeri. So this is a greater threat.”
With enemies on its borders and disinformation targeting its unity, Armenia’s greatest challenge may be rebuilding a culture of life and family. Leaders here say that without it, the world’s first Christian nation could face a future far more dangerous than any military threat.
