The Looming Prospect of Persecution for the American Church
This morning I received the following blog from Michael Lopes. I urge you to read it thoughtfully.
For sometime now it has been apparent that the issue of sexual orientation (homosexuality, pedophilia, and such) pose the likely occasion for those who hate the Gospel to make their most threatening attack against it. The acceptance of sexual perversion as a freedom or right to be protected by the law of the land is itself an act of defiance against God! It is a declaration of renunciation: ”God will not rule over us”, “we reject the authority of His moral law”, “we will be a law unto ourselves”. Such are the implicit assertions in our national decision to embrace deviate sexual life-styles and to make it illegal to denounce them.
This sophistry is made even more menacing by the insistence that to denounce or reject homosexuality and such is itself “immoral”. This is the ultimate expression of assumed deity. The laws of God are deemed to be immoral, while the endorsement of immorality is deemed moral. This turns righteousness on its head. The very argument is gross iniquity.
One of the several alarming aspects of this mounting threat is that too many Christians seemed confused by the arguments. ”Well, homosexuals are God’s creatures. We are commanded to love them. It does not seem right that they should be excluded, especially if homosexuality is in some way connected with inherited tendencies.” These are some of the muddled thoughts that appear to paralyze some professing believers. This confusion is a sad statement as to the impact of secular propaganda. The church will be defenseless unless its members are well-informed and deeply convinced as to the truth of God’s Word. Churches must assert themselves to be the “pillar and ground of the truth” and to do so without apology.
So, let’s clear our minds on the points raised above:
- Yes, homosexuals are God’s creatures; however, God did not create them to be homosexuals or pedophiles or such. Human sexuality was designed exclusively for monogamous, heterosexual marriage. Any other use of human sexuality is immoral and unrighteous and is condemned by God.
- There is a peculiar wickedness in homosexuality and pedophilia inasmuch as such activity is not only a transgression of the bounds of propriety established by God for the use of our sexuality, but such things are a perversion of our very identity as human beings: male and female, adults and children. All sexual activity outside of marriage is sin; but, not all sexual sin is unnatural. Homosexuality is “against nature”. Thus, it expresses a peculiar hostility to God.
- Yes, we are to love homosexuals. We are not to treat them as sub-human. We are not to view them as reprobate. We are to love them. We are to pray for them. We are to befriend them and endeavor to persuade them to repent of their sin and believe on our Lord Jesus Christ so that they would be delivered both from sin and from the wrath of Divine Justice. Yet, part of loving them is to condemn their sin. If we were seeking to win a thief, we would speak very clearly as to the wickedness of his thievery. In the same way, we must speak very clearly as to the wickedness of homosexuality and plead with homosexuals to repent of this along with their other sins—just as we are seeking to live lives of repentance with respect to all our sins.
- While nature does not predetermine that any person will be irretrievably lost in homosexuality, there may be a genetic predisposition to this evil. I cannot speak to that, except to say that if that is so it makes homosexuality no less excusable than a genetic predisposition to anger makes violence and murder excusable. All sin is inborn. Sin is itself a power reigning in the soul before it becomes actions in the life. Salvation from sin is deliverance from the domination of sin within the heart, as well as deliverance from the practices of sin in daily behavior.
Brethren, we must pray for God to preserve our freedom to be Christians in our modern culture. Perhaps we have thought that our freedoms are so assured by our national Constitution as to be beyond loss. Ponder Dr. Mohler’s blog. Ponder the implications of the thinking that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a violation of one’s civil rights. Ponder the immediate implications of a Supreme Court ruling that would uphold such arguments. The Christian church in America could be driven underground in our life time.
Let us also reaffirm our devotion to God with respect to His authority as the moral Ruler of the universe. Renew your minds on the whole issue of sexual sin and sexual orientation. If this is where the assault is being made, this is where the church must speak with clarity and conviction.
May God have mercy on us.
