The Supreme Court has somehow passed a law forcing all States to allow gay couples to receive marital status. It was my understanding that only the Legislative Branch could do such a thing, but hey, you learn something new every day, Jack.
Now it's time to ask that question made famous by Martin Luther: What does this mean? What this means is that the American Federal Government is lawless. When branches of the Government start grabbing new authorities and abilities that were never granted to them by law that means they are acting outside of the law and therefore lawless. This is how oppression begins. The difficult part for those of us who are fully aware of what is happening is getting the idea across that ultimately we don't give a crap about the gay marriage thing. That is such a minor issue. Yes, I think homosexuality is wrong, but I respect the fact that other people have views that differ from my own. And politically, we welcome people of all faiths and views into our country, so I understand that everyone will not believe the same thing as I do. And that's fine, but when I am written off as a bigot because I don't think the Supreme Court should act unlawfully that makes my life a little more difficult.
(To solve the gay/straight marriage issue, all we have to do is eliminate the government from everyone's marriage. Simple. And, if we want to solve about 75% of our problems we can cut tax breaks completely and do a flat/fair tax. But that’s another day!)
So where is this decision going to lead? Well, it's pretty obvious. Look at the news it's happening already. The Government is going to start targeting individuals and churches that won't marry whom the government says they need to marry. Churches are going to be pressed against a wall and will have to decide whether they want to stay true to their beliefs and face severe consequences or fold. And trust me, most churches will crumble immediately.
This arouses fear in most people. It's scary to think the Government will be able to push the church around. And unfortunately separation of church and State will not save us. (That only seems to work for the left.) But I am here to tell you "Fear not!" says the Lord. (Isiah 41) How little is our faith? Do we think that the Lord is not more powerful than our government? We cower in fear, while we should be proclaiming God's truth. (Acts 20:13-38) That is our calling right? Proclaim the truth out of LOVE and GRACE. Not out of judgement and distaste--we must remember that. Be firm but be loving, like a father to his son. So please don't go hold signs and yell at the top of your lungs that God's judgement is coming. That's not your job. Your job is to yell at the top of your lungs that Christ’s mercy and love have come! Do not be afraid to say homosexuality is a sin and all sins require repentance, but remember that we too sin constantly and must repent as well. We are not here to judge but to spread the Truth and the Gospel out of love.
On a more political level, we must stop living in fear of our churches losing their tax exempt status. The church has been here for nearly 2000 years. It's not going to disappear if Americans lose tax exemption. Don't be such drama queens! In fact, I think churches should refuse their tax exemption. As soon as a Federal ruling comes down that is contrary to our beliefs it puts the church in a position to consider whether they will act against the government or act against their beliefs. And as soon as the church asks themselves that question they have failed to stay true. There is no question. We stand with God, not with the unlawful. Tax exemption allows the government into our faith like a dangerous wedge that can be used to separate us from our faith in desperate times.
Subsequently, when faced with the government encroaching on our rights how should we respond? I argue that we should respond by simply ignoring what is unlawful and continue acting in good faith to Christ. What is the purpose of taking the government to court? Firstly, the court is an extension of the unlawful government. That alone makes it seem pointless. Secondly, we don't need permission from the government to live faithful lives. By taking the issues to court do we not imply that the government has the authority to rule over our religious beliefs? If a rival sports team told your team that you did not have the right to practice your sport would you go to the rival team's school and argue before their board that you do have that right? Or would you simply practice as you always have? The rival school has no authority to tell you that you cannot practice your sport. Just like the Federal Government has no authority to tell us that we cannot practice our faith. By taking the Government to court, we give the Government more power.
Keep faith, read your Bibles, and pray. Keep this life in perspective. Look to the Coptic Christians for an example. The Christians in Egypt are dying because of their faith. They are being shot, beheaded, and crucified. Men, women, and children. Fathers are being forced to watch as their children are lined up and told to renounce their faith. And one by one, the children refuse and are killed. Sons are being beheaded and the videos are being watched by their mothers. Woman are being raped and sold into sex slavery to the highest bidder. And all the while they praise the name of God who has purchased their souls with His blood. They rejoice that in their loved one’s dying moments they proclaimed the name Jesus, and they forgive the murders. Some of them to their faces! Do we possess that faith, America? Do we possess any faith at all? We have lost perspective. We have lost our way. Get back onto the path. Stop waiting for God to send something extraordinary and be extraordinary. Be love.
Now it's time to ask that question made famous by Martin Luther: What does this mean? What this means is that the American Federal Government is lawless. When branches of the Government start grabbing new authorities and abilities that were never granted to them by law that means they are acting outside of the law and therefore lawless. This is how oppression begins. The difficult part for those of us who are fully aware of what is happening is getting the idea across that ultimately we don't give a crap about the gay marriage thing. That is such a minor issue. Yes, I think homosexuality is wrong, but I respect the fact that other people have views that differ from my own. And politically, we welcome people of all faiths and views into our country, so I understand that everyone will not believe the same thing as I do. And that's fine, but when I am written off as a bigot because I don't think the Supreme Court should act unlawfully that makes my life a little more difficult.
(To solve the gay/straight marriage issue, all we have to do is eliminate the government from everyone's marriage. Simple. And, if we want to solve about 75% of our problems we can cut tax breaks completely and do a flat/fair tax. But that’s another day!)
So where is this decision going to lead? Well, it's pretty obvious. Look at the news it's happening already. The Government is going to start targeting individuals and churches that won't marry whom the government says they need to marry. Churches are going to be pressed against a wall and will have to decide whether they want to stay true to their beliefs and face severe consequences or fold. And trust me, most churches will crumble immediately.
This arouses fear in most people. It's scary to think the Government will be able to push the church around. And unfortunately separation of church and State will not save us. (That only seems to work for the left.) But I am here to tell you "Fear not!" says the Lord. (Isiah 41) How little is our faith? Do we think that the Lord is not more powerful than our government? We cower in fear, while we should be proclaiming God's truth. (Acts 20:13-38) That is our calling right? Proclaim the truth out of LOVE and GRACE. Not out of judgement and distaste--we must remember that. Be firm but be loving, like a father to his son. So please don't go hold signs and yell at the top of your lungs that God's judgement is coming. That's not your job. Your job is to yell at the top of your lungs that Christ’s mercy and love have come! Do not be afraid to say homosexuality is a sin and all sins require repentance, but remember that we too sin constantly and must repent as well. We are not here to judge but to spread the Truth and the Gospel out of love.
On a more political level, we must stop living in fear of our churches losing their tax exempt status. The church has been here for nearly 2000 years. It's not going to disappear if Americans lose tax exemption. Don't be such drama queens! In fact, I think churches should refuse their tax exemption. As soon as a Federal ruling comes down that is contrary to our beliefs it puts the church in a position to consider whether they will act against the government or act against their beliefs. And as soon as the church asks themselves that question they have failed to stay true. There is no question. We stand with God, not with the unlawful. Tax exemption allows the government into our faith like a dangerous wedge that can be used to separate us from our faith in desperate times.
Subsequently, when faced with the government encroaching on our rights how should we respond? I argue that we should respond by simply ignoring what is unlawful and continue acting in good faith to Christ. What is the purpose of taking the government to court? Firstly, the court is an extension of the unlawful government. That alone makes it seem pointless. Secondly, we don't need permission from the government to live faithful lives. By taking the issues to court do we not imply that the government has the authority to rule over our religious beliefs? If a rival sports team told your team that you did not have the right to practice your sport would you go to the rival team's school and argue before their board that you do have that right? Or would you simply practice as you always have? The rival school has no authority to tell you that you cannot practice your sport. Just like the Federal Government has no authority to tell us that we cannot practice our faith. By taking the Government to court, we give the Government more power.
Keep faith, read your Bibles, and pray. Keep this life in perspective. Look to the Coptic Christians for an example. The Christians in Egypt are dying because of their faith. They are being shot, beheaded, and crucified. Men, women, and children. Fathers are being forced to watch as their children are lined up and told to renounce their faith. And one by one, the children refuse and are killed. Sons are being beheaded and the videos are being watched by their mothers. Woman are being raped and sold into sex slavery to the highest bidder. And all the while they praise the name of God who has purchased their souls with His blood. They rejoice that in their loved one’s dying moments they proclaimed the name Jesus, and they forgive the murders. Some of them to their faces! Do we possess that faith, America? Do we possess any faith at all? We have lost perspective. We have lost our way. Get back onto the path. Stop waiting for God to send something extraordinary and be extraordinary. Be love.
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