When Sin Demands Civil Rights
America awaits the decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, out of California. But while we wait, the culture is slowing moving away from God's position on the issue of homosexuality.
Hostility is mounting against any Christian who takes God's word as Truth. With no ambiguity whatsoever, the Bible tells us that any sex outside of marriage – marriage being defined by God as the union of ONE man and ONE woman – is sin. Pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, homosexual sex – all wrong, all sin, all clearly condemned in Scripture.
But the sin of homosexuality is marching in the streets of Washington, and across the highways of America, demanding acceptance and inclusion. A majority of states have rejected the concept of same-sex marriage but nonetheless we are seeing a steady movement toward the embracing of homosexuality.
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A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press finds that 72 percent of Americans say that same-sex marriage is "inevitable." For the first time in Pew Polling, 51 percent of Americans favor allowing people of the same sex to marry.
One of the reasons for the shift in cultural opinion is the personal connection with gays and lesbians. Eighty-seven percent say they know someone who is gay, up from 61 percent in 1993. Add to that, the huge amounts of money gay activists have spent on trying to change public opinion, and the rise in acceptance comes as no surprise. But in the end, does that matter?
What does matter is that there remains a core group of Americans for whom God's opinion is the only one that matters. Because of their unwavering convictions, these people have to price to pay. Consider the bakery in Colorado facing discrimination charges.
Jack Phillips runs the Masterpiece Cakeshop. He recently received a "cease and desist" order for his practice of refusing to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples. According to Phillips, making wedding cakes for homosexual couples violates his Christian beliefs. He will happily makes cakes for other occasions for gays but a wedding cake is just one step too far for Jack Phillips because, marriage is about a whole lot more than just a wedding.
Given the recent decision by the Boy Scouts to accept gays into the association, churches all across the country have to rethink their sponsorship of troops as 70% of troops are chartered by a faith-based group. Many churches are cutting their ties with the Scouts and looking for an alternative to the character building club. And, an enlisted serviceman was given a negative report for serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at his promotion party "in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act."
We live in a day and age when sin is demanding civil rights. God has not changed His position on immorality and those of us who desire to live by His word and honor His commandments are finding ourselves more and more at odds with the culture. I will admit it would be very easy to subscribe to the "minority spy" report and truly believe "there are giants in the land"– and we, who believe in biblical Truth, are no more than grasshoppers. But Joshua's battle cry must ring in our hearts. The time for courage is now.
