Unless you live in a hole somewhere or not on social media at all, you have probably heard about Indiana and Arkansas' proposed bills to secure religious freedom for businesses. These bills have stirred up a lot of controversy across the country. There is public outcry that these bills should be vetoed, citing a return to the Jim Crow laws era of our country as a reason. Because I am from Arkansas, I thought I would write a post sharing my thoughts on these controversial bills and how Christians should respond.
First of all, let me say that I am not a proponent of the homosexual lifestyle nor am I a proponent of any lifestyle that is contrary to God's word. On the other hand, I am a proponent of people no matter what is going on in their lives. My goal in life is to serve Christ and to make much of him. What that means is I want everything in my life to be about Jesus and leading people close to Jesus. With that being said, I worry about the proposed bills coming out of Arkansas and Indiana.
In my book Millennial Gospel, I dedicate a whole chapter to moralism. Moralism started in the 1970s with the concept of the Moral Majority. The Moral Majority became a political force bent on restoring this country's moral compass. While the intent was noble, what happened over the years became less so. The Church began to preach morals before Jesus. Christians basically said, "Get cleaned up first and then you can meet Jesus." The problem with this line of thinking and teaching is that it's wrong. Jesus never preached this message. He did preach morals, but he preached embracing Him as Savior and Lord first. The reason he did it this way is because none of us are capable of cleaning ourselves up; only Jesus is capable of doing that. We come to Jesus dirty and stained with our sins, whatever those sins may be. If we come to Jesus in faith, He will be the one to clean us up. Look at the story of the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus started a conversation with her about living water and how much she needed it before he brought up her moral behavior. In John 8, a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus. The religious leaders wanted to stone her, but Jesus did not condemn her. He treated both of these women as human beings. Now, we can't overlook the fact that he told them to leave their lives of sin, but the only way they were going to do that is by surrendering to him.
These proposed bills will not lead people closer to Jesus; they will do the exact opposite. Jesus never said that his followers were going to need religious freedom. Followers of Christ are set free from sin and death, but not this world. The early church was persecuted heavily because of their faith in Christ. Jesus himself was persecuted for his teachings. Jesus never experienced religious freedom nor did the apostles including Paul.
Speaking of Paul, he was a guy who lived among people whose morals he did not agree with. But, did that stop him from proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel? No! In fact, it motivated him to do it more and more. Also, he was a tent maker who made tents and sold them in the areas he was living in. He probably sold tents to people who worshiped idols, adulterers, drunks, homosexuals, etc. Why would he do this? Because he wanted to use anything he could to lead someone closer the life-changing person of Jesus Christ. Did that mean Paul accepted people's lifestyles? Of course not. He didn't accept his own shortcomings (Read Romans 7). Paul knew that he was not going to change anyone; it was Jesus' job to do the changing.
Moving forward, Christians should not be silent about what they believe in. Paul said in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew then for the Gentile." We should never back down from God's Word and we have to hold firm to that. On the other hand, we need to make sure that it is God's Word that we are spreading not our own agendas. God loves people. We are all His creation. Therefore, He desires that all will be saved (I Timothy 2:4). So, whatever we do we should do it all for the glory of God in hopes to lead others to him. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven."
When Israel was exiled to Babylon, God told them to make homes there. He told them to settle down and start a new life there. The purpose? So that Israel could lead the Babylonians to the gracious and loving arms of God. We need to use every avenue we can to lead people to Christ. Now, there are certain things that we cannot compromise on nor should we be forced to by the government. But, we also need to remember that Christians belong to a different kingdom, a kingdom that is not of this world. Let us be like Paul, who was a tent maker for Christ. He used his business to lead others to Christ. Just because a product is sold to someone does not mean that we are endorsing their lifestyle or anything else they do. Christians can see it as being a light for Christ.
