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When Tolerance Trumps Truth and Morality
I tend to be bullishly positive about the blessings of being
an American
and living in this great land. With our 232nd birthday on the
horizon
this week I’ll be waving our flag and cheering for the
men and women
who serve our country. What a heritage we share of courage,
freedom,
opportunity and blessing. Indeed, “America,” God
has “shed His grace on
thee.”
But it’s with this in mind that I’m increasingly
troubled by the
moral and social changes sweeping across our land that threaten
to
fundamentally reshape our identity as a nation. Almost daily
our
newspapers report the far reaching implications of our state’s
recent
high court decision to open the doors on same sex “marriage” on
the
grounds that to do otherwise would be practicing unfair discrimination.
Again and again, public advocates champion the decision as
one of
progressive civil rights, not unlike the hard won freedoms of women and
African Americans to vote. Increasingly public opinion polls reflect a
growing acceptance of the change as a compassionate embracing of
legitimate diversity. Now, legal challenges are being raised against
businesses and religious groups who “discriminate against” same
sex
couples based on moral principle or religious belief. And unless the
state ballot initiative for a constitutional amendment to define
marriage as it has been historically understood as the union between a
man and a woman is passed, we can expect a landslide of legal action
against those who resist. You’ve heard the argument, “What right
do
these religious moralists have to impose their narrow beliefs on
everybody else?!”
The fact is, however, that the shoe is on the other foot. It is a vocal
minority of same-sex practioners who are pushing to impose their “narrow
beliefs” on our culture as a whole. And the tragedy is that our
society is increasingly lacking the moral discernment to see the issue
clearly and so to answer the challenge. Where is the voice of those who
understand that the moral boundaries on the family unit are the very
glue that preserves its integrity? And that when these boundaries are
broken down we lose one of the key foundational building blocks of a
healthy American society? Has the fear of being viewed as intolerant
so muted our voices that we’ll no longer speak our convictions? Or can
it be that even we who have stood for the traditional family on biblical
grounds are losing our moral resolve as the salt and light of our society?
This past month the findings of a survey conducted by the Pew Forum on
Religion and Public Life in America were released. Surveying more than
35,000 respondents and with attention given to broad representation, the
study has been touted as the most accurate current picture we have on
religious life in America. And most surprising to many is the tolerance
of all religious groups for the legitimacy of other religious
beliefs as being equally valid expressions of truth. Even 57% of so
called “evangelicals” agreed that other paths than the teachings
of
their own faith could lead adherents of those paths to eternal life.
Incredible. The majority of those who once defined themselves by their
commitment to the uniqueness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to give life
are now waffling on this very foundational tenet.
So, here we have it. If tolerance trumps truth on the most foundational
element of our Christian faith, then why should we be surprised if our
culture, once rooted in a biblical worldview, now abandons its
commitment to a morally defined boundary on marriage? The roots
of this drift are closer to home than I like to admit.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has
become tasteless,
how will it be made salty again?... You are the light of the
world. A
city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Would you join
me in
strengthening your commitment to letting the light and truth
of Jesus
Christ shine through you as we face this challenge to our culture’s
very
foundations.
For the God blessed future of America,
Dave
Pastor Dave
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