Americans will soon lose their freedom unless people of faith stand against evil sweeping the nation, according to best-selling author Eric Metaxas.

This prophetic warning was given at the Foothills Community Christian School annual Spring Banquet at the Heritage Inn on April 2.

"Wickedness has increased," Metaxas told the 600-plus audience. "God is asking: 'Now will you stand up?'"

"God is calling us to arise in this hour" to join Him in this battle of good vs. evil, Metaxas said. "Will you stand firm?"

Metaxas is a New York Times #1 best-selling author of Bonhoeffer, and others including Martin Luther, Amazing Grace, and Letter to the American Church.

"Are you living your faith?" he asked. "If you're not, you have no faith." Scripture says faith without works is dead, he added. "If you really have faith you will live out your faith."

Metaxas said the church has a duty to speak the truth when evil sweeps across the nation.

"How bad does it have to get before the church will wake up?" The American church has fallen down on the job, he said. "We've ceased to know what is evil."

He said it is transgender madness that someone decided there was more than two sexes.

"Everyone knows a rooster can't lay an egg," he said.

"This is sheer madness." Cultural Marxist forces are inventing false genders and calling for other "dumb" ideas like de-funding the police. And open borders. Did anybody ever dream we would have open borders and millions of people being allowed in?

"It's madness being shoved down our throats," Metaxas said. "If you keep your mouth shut when evil is being done, you're guilty. The American church has been doing this."

Metaxas became aware of the dangers of the sleeping church as he was writing the Bonhoeffer biography. He was aware of the similarities between Germany in the 1930's and America today.

Germany's pastors refused to stand against the Nazis because they didn't want to be political, he said.. As a result, evil gradually increased. They allowed Satanic evil to take over and it cost millions of lives, he said.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who was executed at the age of 39 by the Nazis because of his steadfast commitment to the Christian faith.

Bonhoeffer was God's prophetic voice to wake up the church, Metaxas said.

"Good Christians were convinced we shouldn't get political," he said. Instead, "Bonhoeffer said the church has a duty to speak the truth."

American Christians have bought the lie that we're not supposed to be political. This idea that the church is not supposed to be political "is nonsense."

"Scriptures command us to love our neighbor," he said. If your neighbor is getting treated badly you need to help them. Metaxas said people of faith need to elect politicians who share their beliefs and who will stand firm against the onslaught of evil.

In closing, Metaxas again urged people of faith to stand firm. "We are at that tipping point," he said. "We are there now. The question is, what are you going to do?"