When I was in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan, I chose to live with a Muslim family. They were the nicest people you will ever meet. But their view of salvation is wrong. Sadly, being “nice” won’t save them.
In the last few years, Americans are accepting gay marriage. Not surprising when one sees TV images of “nice” people seeking equality. Likewise, gay groups succeeded in convincing the Boy Scouts of America to end its ban against homosexual members, but stopping short of removing the ban against gay adults as leaders. Will it be overturned as BSA realizes it's not “nice” to prohibit a “nice” gay Eagle Scout from leading younger scouts just because he turns 18?
Recently, Pope Francis gave a sermon implying that atheists might be saved if they do good deeds, i.e., be “nice.” “Nice” is the new amoral ethic. It’s hard to find fault in “nice.” But anyone holding to the timeless morals of the Bible and the exclusivity of Christ is going to be progressively thought of as not very “nice.”
The U.S. presidential campaign got a jolt yesterday when Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen set off a national debate by saying that Ann Romney, the mother of five, had “never worked a day in her life.” The next day Ann Romney tweeted back: “I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.” Is it just another day in the life of American politics, or is it something more? I think the issue of a how a woman defines herself has touched a nerve.
You see, I don’t think Hillary Rosen meant that “mothering” is not work. But Ms. Rosen’s definition of “work” is tied to her sense of a woman’s worth—evidently by paychecks, promotions, and professionalism. Another famous Hillary (Clinton) touched this nerve with her emotionally-charged statement: “I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies, but what I decided to do was fulfill my profession.” You can see how these Hillary’s define a woman’s worth—professional fulfillment.
This identity crisis is not new. In 1975, in her book “A Woman’s Worth,” Elaine Stedman wrote: “The American woman remains in crisis. The propaganda designed to incite restlessness, if not revolution, is continually being repackaged to appeal to her insecurities, sense of worthlessness, and covert or overt desire for power...” How prophetic of Elaine. This may seem like just another skirmish in the culture war, but I believe it is more. This issue is a major component of the war against Christian values in America.
Syncretism, the idea that all religions can be fused into one, is being replaced by Pluralism, a more pragmatic approach because it acknowledges differences but sees them as irrelevant. Pluralism is the ‘equal rights’ of religion. Pluralism promotes tolerance, without which no one in the 21st century will survive.
Pluralism puts Jesus on an equal footing with Buddha, Confucius, and Muhammad. But pluralism requires that we make Christianity more tolerant. Thus, any Scripture that insists on its own primacy must be revised, redacted, reinterpreted or just ignored. Sadly, though, in watering down the Bible, we lose our moral authority to speak out against the new cultural norms of our 21st century—leaving a moral vacuum. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, so eloquently wrote in his blog, “This is what happens when the Bible is thrown under the bus.”
Some are wondering how we should contend for the authority of the Scriptures without appearing intolerant. Why are we even trying to? It’s time to reclaim the authority and supremacy of the Bible and throw pluralism under the bus!
Yesterday, a federal judge declared California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, saying that no legitimate state interest justified treating gay and lesbian couples differently from others and that "moral disapproval" was not enough to save the voter-passed Proposition 8. The ruling was the first in the country to strike down a marriage ban on federal constitutional grounds.
Some of you may be angry about this judicial intervention—a violation of the voters’ rights. You may be angry with the court; you may resent the movement toward what-is-called ‘equal rights’ for gays and lesbians. And in all of this you may think your anger is justified—righteous anger! But let’s not forget the heart of our Savior is not anger, but love.
“You have heard the law of Moses says, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven…If you love only those who love you, what good is that?... If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that" (Mat. 5:43–48).
Yes, the Bible does say that homosexuality is sin! But so is anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. Surprise those who are thus oppositional: by loving them! Pray for them! That is exactly what Jesus did!
