(OPINION) As children across the country gear up for the joy, community, and spiritual depth offered by Christian summer camps, a serious challenge to religious freedom is unfolding in Colorado.

At the center of this growing conflict is Camp IdRaHaJe, a historic faith-based camp operating since 1948.

What’s happening there is not an isolated dispute — it’s a broader signal to churches, ministries, and Christian families across the nation.

Camp IdRaHaJe finds itself in a legal battle not with activist groups, but with the Colorado government.

The camp holds to the biblical belief that God created humans as male and female — a view deeply embedded in its operations and teachings.

However, state regulations now demand that camps allow individuals to access bathrooms, showers, and sleeping quarters based on gender identity, not biological sex. For Camp IdRaHaJe, that requirement conflicts directly with its core beliefs.

This is not simply about policy. It’s about conscience. It’s about being forced to choose between upholding one’s faith and remaining open.

Every summer, thousands of children — many from difficult backgrounds — come to this camp to experience the message of Jesus Christ.

The camp offers a haven where biblical values are taught and lifelong faith is often born. Now, under new mandates from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, that safe haven is under threat.

The state denied Camp IdRaHaJe’s request for a religious exemption from the regulation, putting the camp in a position where it must either comply or close its doors.

In response, the camp, with legal support from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), filed a federal lawsuit on May 13.

The suit argues that forcing a religious camp to adopt policies contrary to its beliefs violates both the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal treatment under the law.

ADF legal counsel Andrea Dill captured the heart of the issue: “The government has no place telling religious summer camps that it’s ‘lights out’ for upholding their religious beliefs about human sexuality.”

The case raises a broader question: Can a Christian organization remain faithful to Scripture while participating in the public sphere?

If this regulation is upheld in Colorado, it could quickly spread across the country.

What’s at stake is not just one camp’s future, but the ability of Christian ministries to operate according to their convictions.

The push for gender identity policies under the guise of inclusion increasingly forces religious organizations into conflict with state mandates.

This isn’t simply a culture war or political debate — it’s a spiritual clash.

At its root, this controversy is about whether biblical truth still has a place in society, or whether Christian teachings must be rewritten to fit a secular agenda.

What’s being proposed is not tolerance — it’s compelled conformity. It demands that ministries abandon their foundational beliefs or face consequences. It sends a chilling message: your faith is no longer welcome unless it conforms to the prevailing ideology.

For Camp IdRaHaJe, and for many others like it, the concern is deeply practical.

Should biological males be permitted to share intimate facilities with girls at a Christian camp because of a stated gender identity?

The implications include a loss of privacy, confusion for children, and a breakdown in parental trust. For a camp designed to be a refuge, such changes are not merely uncomfortable — they are unacceptable.

More than that, these developments threaten the very mission of ministries like IdRaHaJe — to disciple young people in the teachings of Scripture.

When those teachings are labeled as discriminatory by the state, religious organizations are effectively told to silence their witness or cease operations.

This trend isn’t likely to remain confined to Colorado. Other states — including some considered strongholds for religious freedom — could soon face similar challenges.

Christian leaders, parents, and institutions must be vigilant.

Now is the time to assess legal protections, clarify convictions, and prepare to stand firm.

The Church must not retreat. It must engage — prayerfully, legally, and publicly. Camps like IdRaHaJe need support: financial, legal, and spiritual. Elected officials must be held accountable.

And above all, believers must be willing to count the cost of discipleship in an increasingly hostile culture.

The story of Camp IdRaHaJe is a reminder of Jesus’ words in John 15:19: “…you do not belong to the world… that is why the world hates you.” This moment calls for courage, not compromise. For Christians across America, the message is clear: the time to take a stand is now.