An Ambassador’s Witness from the Ground
In the summer of 2023, Save Armenia Ambassador Greg Schaller had the privilege of visiting Armenia on a study tour supported by Save Armenia: A Judeo-Christian Alliance. What he encountered was a country of extraordinary resilience—a people holding firmly to faith and tradition despite centuries of pressure from hostile neighbors.
His powerful testimony, published in The Christian Post, delivers an urgent message: Armenia is not merely another nation on the map. It is a spiritual landmark for all Christians. And at this moment in history, Armenia desperately needs the solidarity of the Christian world.
A Sacred Heritage Under Threat
Armenia’s claim to fame is singular: it was the first official Christian nation. In 301 AD, under King Tiridates III and the witness of St. Gregory the Illuminator, Armenia declared Christianity its state religion—a dozen years before Constantine’s Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire.
The Armenian highlands thus became the first place where the cross stood not merely as a personal profession of faith, but as a national identity. Yet that sacred heritage is imperiled.
Caught in a Geopolitical Vise
Surrounded by Muslim-majority nations—Turkey to the west, Iran to the south, and Azerbaijan to the east—Armenia faces relentless pressure:
Turkey has closed its border with Armenia for decades, cutting off trade and denying Armenian Christians access to important biblical sites, including Mount Ararat itself.
Azerbaijan has waged a campaign of pressure and intimidation, culminating in the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s 120,000+ Armenian Christians.
Schaller warns that what is happening in Armenia should alarm all Christians: “Armenia is more than a geopolitical pawn caught between East and West—it is a frontline defense for Christian civilization itself.”
The Ottoman Dream Revived
There are those, particularly in Ankara, who dream of reviving the Ottoman map: an Islamic empire stretching from Turkey through the Caucasus, wiping Armenia from existence in the process. That dream would require the erasure of Armenia, its borders redrawn, its culture suppressed, and its faith silenced.
As Schaller asks pointedly: “If Armenia falls, what message will that send about the world’s willingness to defend the very first Christian nation?”
A Call to Action for Global Christians
Christians around the globe should not remain silent, Schaller insists. We must be bold defenders of Armenia—through advocacy, prayer, and political action. We should demand from our leaders and from the international community that Armenia’s borders be respected, its sovereignty upheld, and its people protected from harassment and violence.
The fundamental question he poses to every Christian: “Do we believe that the heritage of the world’s first Christian nation is worth protecting?”
Read Greg Schaller’s Full Testimony
For Greg Schaller’s complete testimony from his time in Armenia and his urgent call for Christian solidarity, read his full article in The Christian Post:
Armenia: The First Christian Nation Still in Need of Defenders
Answer the Call to Defend Armenia
Greg Schaller’s message challenges every Christian to take concrete action:
1. Advocate: Demand that your elected representatives prioritize Armenia’s security and sovereignty in U.S. foreign policy.
2. Pray: Lift up the Armenian people, their church leaders, and their nation’s future in your daily prayers.
3. Act Politically: Support policies that protect Armenia’s borders, uphold its sovereignty, and defend its Christian heritage.
4. Raise Awareness: Share Armenia’s story with your church, small group, and Christian community.
5. Stand with Artsakh: Remember the 120,000+ displaced Armenian Christians and demand their right to return home.
6. Join Save Armenia: Become part of a coalition committed to defending the first Christian nation.
Save Armenia organizes study tours and delegation trips that allow Christian leaders, scholars, and advocates to witness Armenia’s situation firsthand. These ambassadors return home equipped to mobilize their networks and communities to stand with Armenia. Greg Schaller’s powerful testimony is a testament to the impact of these experiences.
Join our coalition and answer the call to be a bold defender of Armenia—the world’s first Christian nation—through advocacy, prayer, and action.
- Greg Schaller
About Save Armenia
Save Armenia is a nonprofit organization mobilizing faith leaders, policymakers, and global partners to support Armenia’s security, sovereignty, and religious freedom. Through advocacy, leadership engagement, and strategic initiatives such as the Save Armenia Peace Indicator and the Build Armenia implementation platform, the organization works to strengthen Armenia’s long-term resilience and stability while mobilizing American Christian and policy communities to support Armenia amid ongoing regional challenges.
Media Contact
Eleanor Forshaw
Deputy Director
Save Armenia
eforshaw@savearmenia.us
