Your Brother Daniel
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Faced with Gay Coercion: Fight or Flight
What should we Christians do when a
homosexual demands services? This has become a career-threatening choice, as
the National Review writes:
·
Christian-adoption and foster-care agencies have been forced to
stop providing those services because they object to placing children in
same-sex households. Other cases include a photographer, a baker, a florist, a
bed-and-breakfast, a t-shirt company, a student counselor, the Salvation Army,
and more. In each of these instances, there were plenty of other businesses
available that were willing to provide similar services.
Newsperson, Kirsten Powers, a new convert to
the Christian faith, does not see a problem here for Christians:
·
It’s not clear why some Christian vendors are so confused about
their role here. … Christianity doesn’t prohibit serving a gay couple getting
married. … Christians serve unrepentant murderers through prison ministry. So
why can’t they provide a service for a same-sex marriage?
This is a much debated issue today among
Christians as we seek to faithfully navigate the new paths etched out by our
culture. It raises the question, “WWJD” – “What would please our Savior?”
For one thing, we are not free to violate our
conscience even if we are mistaken about the normative will of God:
·
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself
and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not
from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Romans
4:22-23).
Scripture argues that we have to be true to
our conscience. Anything less is sin! Even if we violate what we mistakenly think is wrong, we have
violated our relationship with God.
This is all fine, but what if we see a gay
person bleeding to death. Are we not
supposed to do anything about it if we think that aiding him is wrong?
Admittedly, there are principles of truth and objective morality that must take
precedence. Jesus’ Good Samaritan
aided his enemy, the Jew.
However, this type of case is not at issue
here. Instead, it’s usually a matter of baking a cake or photographing a gay
wedding. Should the State compel the Christian to comply, or should our
Constitutional right to freedom-of-religion preside?
Powers draws a false analogy between
Christians ministering to murderers in prison and baking a cake to celebrate a
gay marriage. These two are not equivalent. Ministering to a murderer is not
the same thing as partaking in the murder or even celebrating it. It’s a matter
of ministering to the person and not his actions. However, baking the cake for
the gay wedding is supporting something Scripture finds unsupportable.
Similarly, many Christians readily bring
meals to gay HIV patients. However, there is a difference here. Bringing meals
does not contribute to an act that Christians regard as wrong. In contrast,
helping a gay connect with other gays for sexual reasons would. In such a case,
this activity would cause the Christian to share in the sin, something we
cannot do (1 Tim. 5:22; 2 John 1:11), and it is something we cannot allow the
government to force us to do. Many will choose prison over compliance.
Powers should not be surprised by this
reasoning. Would she sell gasoline to Hitler to fuel his tanks? Would she sell
guns to a drug dealer knowing that they will be used to kill the innocent? To
do such would be to share in their sins.
Would she rent out a room at her B&B to a
pedophile and his prey? Wouldn’t this represent complicity in his sin? Of
course!
Where do we draw the line? Some cases are
difficult; some aren’t. Should the Christian T-shirt maker be required to print
a T-shirt reading, “Christ Kills” or even “Go Gay Pride?” I think not! Such coercion would undermine
the integrity of our nation and reject the very principles that had once made
it great. It would also violate our sacred relationship with our Savior.
Meanwhile, in other Western nations, churches
are being compelled to open their doors to gay marriage. This cannot be
allowed! Not only would this represent of violation of the One we adore and His
love for His church, it would also divide the church! I pray that we might see
what is at stake!
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