Memo to Hillary Clinton: On Marriage, Here Christians Stand and We're Not Moving
First it was Frank Bruni, a columnist for The New York Times and now it's Hillary Clinton: The Left is getting so frustrated that Christians who believe in the biblical vision of human sexuality refuse to cave-in, now they're talking about forcing us to change our beliefs.
The openly gay Bruni wrote earlier this month that it is "warranted" to demand that Christians remove homosexual behavior from their "sin list," to which FRC President Tony Perkins and I responded in The Christian Post that "Sin is sin. Our sin. Your sin. God sets the standard, not us. His standard is not unclear or subjective or ambivalent."
Here's what Oval Office-seeker Hillary Clinton said this week in a speech to the sixth annual "Women in the World" meeting:
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… deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed" for the sake of giving "access" to women for "reproductive health care … Far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth and laws don't count for much if they're not enforced. Rights have to exist in practice — not just on paper.
Bruni and Mrs. Clinton tacitly are complimenting Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others who refuse to compromise the teachings of their faiths in that the former realize they are getting nowhere with trying to persuade us to alter our convictions. Given the failure of their blandishments to compromise the eternal truth of the Word of God, now they tells us they want to "force" us to change our convictions.
What Mrs. Clinton and her allies fail to comprehend is that the Bible's teachings are not malleable. This is maddening to them. Unlike other political issues, Christians find no middle ground when it comes to the inerrant, unchanging, and clear teaching of Scripture regarding human sexuality and the nature of marriage.
The unctuous, angry demand of the imperious Left and its supporters in the homosexual activist community came to full fruition today in Oregon, where Aaron and Melissa Klein were fined $135,000 – and this, after being forced to give up their long-cherished business dream of owning a cake shop – by their home state for refusing to participate in a same-sex "wedding" by providing the couple involved with a wedding cake.
As Tony commented upon learning of the Klein's outrageous penalization:
What happened today is an egregious assault on the freedom Americans have to peaceably live their lives according to their beliefs. An Oregon judge made clear in no uncertain terms to the Kleins and all Oregonians that the state has the right to demand that citizens engage in activities that violate their beliefs and if they refuse, they will lose their ability to make a living. In a free country, this is a ruling that cannot and must not stand. In the State of Oregon's view, the Kleins need to be "rehabilitated" and "reeducated" - terms actually used by the Oregon Attorney General - regarding their religious views on the nature of marriage. Needless to say, government re-education regimes are more reminiscent of fascism than democracy.
Last year, in Patheos.com, I addressed the Left's nascent insistence, which since has become quite over, per Bruni and Mrs. Clinton, that Christians be compelled to change their allegiance to Scripture's clear teaching. I close with what I wrote then, as it remains unchanged – as the Word of God does and always will.
The homosexual left insists that everyone endorse same-sex relationships as morally and legally valid. We will not. They want to redefine marriage. We refuse. The want homosexuality to be affirmed universally as morally good or at least morally neutral. We cannot. They want full and affirming integration into every social institution, whether it be the military or the Boy scouts or, for that matter, churches of all kinds. We cannot support it.
This is not hate. It's moral conviction. It will not change.
Here we stand. We can do no other. God help us. Amen.
If you'd like to help the Kleins raise the money they need to exercise their religious liberty, please visit this webpage for more information. Then, click over to www.tonyperkins.com to listen to FRC's interview with this courageous couple!
