The small community
of Morehead, KY, became the center of the cultural battlefield as Kim Davis,
Clerk of the Court, refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex
couples.
I promise this will
not be about Kim Davis, what she should do, should have done, or what needs to
be done. Nor is this about the media and
the courts having an incredibly selective sense of outrage. In 2012, a gay Texan refused to do weddings
for straight couples. There was hardly a
cry, nor even a whimper, from the national media or the Government about an
official failing to do his job. Or take,
for instance, the case of Charee Stanley, a Muslim, who took a job as a
stewardess. She knew that serving
alcohol would be part of the job. But
after taking the job she claimed that serving alcohol was prohibited by her
faith. She is now suing the
airline. As a nation, we have hit a
mother load of hypocrisy of rare and pure quality. That is all I am going to say about that!
I believe, as is
often the case with highly charged emotional issues, it is easy for our
passions to run away with us. Along with
impassioned hearts we also need thinking brains. I am not going to attempt to argue fine
points of law, or doctrine, or theology.
There are many who are better at thinking the deep things involved in
this case and our current circumstances than I am. What I want to do is offer a warning about
how we are apt to be manipulated in circumstances.
I am concerned that
the cause of Kim Davis might be taken up by politicians, publicists, lawyers,
or media types and used for their own purposes.
Allow me an example; a candidate is running for office. This individual is not doing well in the
polls. They latch on to this hot button
issue and attempt to become the champion of the cause. They fire up the masses that feel strongly
about the issue in hopes of gaining publicity, campaign contributions, and a
point or two in the polls. Or for example
a T.V. or radio personality brings this issue to the microphone or screen in
the hopes of getting some sort of scoop or some unique angle that will allow
them to have a larger or more dedicated audience.
I am not
questioning the motives of everyone who is speaking out. What I am questioning is how much good it
does to obsess about what has happened in Morehead, KY. Some
people will attempt to agitate you not primarily because they share our beliefs
or because they are committed to the cause of Christ. They will do so because it benefits them
personally.
Unless the SCOTUS
reverses itself, unlikely (see Roe v Wade) or the U.S. Constitution is amended,
again unlikely (see Balanced Budget Amendment), gay marriage is the law of the
land. I can, like Don Quixote, tilt at the windmills or I can
make a difference. I do not believe that
we as Christians have done a very good job in influencing our nation for
Christ. All of my life I have heard the
calls to “take American back”. As Christians,
we have spent millions of dollars and man-hours on campaigns, and printing, and
building lobbying organizations to be a Moral Majority build a Christian
Coalition or start revival fire to rescue America, for God Family and Country.
Well, how is it working? The
indications are it is not working too well.
We have made some lobbyists rich, built some folks great buildings, and
elected politicians that have paid lip service to our faith. But if our culture is any indication, these
efforts have largely failed.
Jesus by contrast stated that His disciples would be salt and light in
their world. With a profound commitment
to Him, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and loving their neighbors, the
Christians in the first centuries turned the world upside down. They did so till the time of Constantine, when
the church starting working to influence public policy. Maybe Jesus’ way is best.
What I am saying is simply this: hold your convictions fervently, be informed,
pray passionately, but when someone is wanting to get you riled up, ask one
simple question; “Will this result in
God’s glory or in satisfying their personal agenda?”
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