Winsome Witness 4. Overcoming Hate with Love

On September 10, the disunity within the United States of America was highlighted once again by the assassination of Charlie Kirk.  The life of this young husband, father, and founder of Turning Point, USA was taken by an assassin’s bullet while Charlie was engaging in public dialog with college students at Utah Valley University.  Since that day, many who knew Charlie have been honoring him with praise for his bold witness for Jesus Christ and his love for America, and especially for the youth on our college campuses.

When we began this series of blogs on a “Winsome Witness” in July, we discussed our calling as “the salt of the earth” [Part 1 HERE.] and in August, “Being Salt in Controversy” [Part 2 HERE.].  Little did we know that we would be remembering the life and “winsome witness” of Dwayne Frank who went home to Heaven on September 7 [Part 3 HERE.].  And then, three days later, we mourned the assassination of God’s witness for the Gospel, Charlie Kirk.  So, in Part 4, we will consider how the love of God inspires Christ-followers to be “winsome witnesses” of the love of Christ in the face of hate and death.

The Gospel: 
Harsh Truth?
Charlie Kirk was a lover of God, His Word, and everyone he tried to reach with Truth.  Still, many are criticizing Kirk’s approach as having been too harsh and disrespectful.  Granted,  Charlie repeatedly made clear that his primary intention was to present his witness for Christ and the Gospel (“good news”) of salvation in a genuine and encouraging way.  However, his application of the Gospel message to various moral and social issues was not always favorably received by everyone across the diverse political and ethnic landscape of America.   

Charlie would have been the first to admit he was not perfect.  One can find recordings in which, during the heat of the moment, his words appeared inappropriate and may have hurt some of his listeners.  Add to these the snippets of Charlies speeches, often taken out of context and propagated in social media.  Regardless, it is easy to resort to fault-finding to evade a convicting message.  We believe that most of Charlie’s critics who judged his words as “hate speech” did so, not because they have reason to reject Charlie, but because they have not found justification and peace in their relationship to God.  To them in their broken spiritual and emotional state, even loving words of moral truth can appear hurtful and hateful. 

“Good News,
“Hate Speech?”
How can we account for the fact that what Almighty God and His children intend to be a witness for “Good News” is labeled by some as “hate speech?” The history of Christianity according to the Bible account helps us answer this perplexing question.  For example, the Apostle Peter who just days earlier had denied Christ and had run away in fear, suddenly began to boldly proclaim the Gospel of the Cross to the Jews and people of different nations and ethnic groups (Book of Acts, Ch. 2).  Some considered Peter's message as "hate speech." However, about three thousand in the crowd repented of their sin and were saved! 

It is no surprise that the Gospel is considered by many as hate speech.  The Apostle Paul who was hated, persecuted, and eventually martyred for his faith wrote, For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1: 18).  And, within hours of His crucifixion, Jesus prepared His followers with these words (John 15:18-19):  If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.

Had Charlie simply preached a more “user-friendly Gospel” that “God is love, and God wants us to be happy in what we choose to do for ourselves,” few would have heard and responded in hate and violence.  But Charlie’s message was like the message of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7).  According to Acts 7: 54, when Stephen’s audience heard him say they were disobedient to God, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth at him. Then, they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him (v. 57).  Finally, they drove Stephen out of the city and stoned him to death. 

Like Stephen, Charlie boldly confronted his listeners and urged them to evaluate their personal beliefs in light of God’s Word.  As we noted in Part 2 of this series [Click HERE to read.], when Christ-followers take a firm stand against immoral or unethical claims or actions, they are acting as the "salt" that preserves our culture against decay.  However, they also risk being misunderstood and even under threat of violence and death.

Murder of God’s Messengers
Ultimately, like so many historic Christian martyrs, and like many more around the world today, Charlie was hated because of the Gospel message he presented.  His message was that God came in human flesh as Jesus Christ to reconcile rebellious, sinful mankind regardless of their socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, or political party (John 3: 14-21).  This Jesus lived a sinless life, died in our place as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners, and rose again from the dead in victory over sin and death.  All who accept Jesus’s death and resurrection by faith and reason as payment for their sin can be saved from eternal separation from God (Romans 10: 8-13).  When a person submits to God in this way and is enlightened by God’s Word through His Spirit, he or she begins to put off the old person and lifestyle.  The Bible describes this transformation in mind, body, and spirit in Galatians 5: 19-23:

Now the deeds of the flesh [the old, sinful nature] are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,  envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the [new life in the] Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Hatred Is Rooted in Our Hearts
Charlie Kirk recognized that he was engaged in a war, …not against flesh and blood, but against… the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6: 12).”  The weapons, or “flaming darts,” of spiritual darkness include hate, lies, deception, accusation, isolation, doubt, distraction, masquerade, pleasure, unforgiveness, and fear.  If we allow these weapons of Satan to penetrate the spiritual armor God provides and commands us to put on (Ephesians 6: 10-18), our minds become confused about who we really are and who our enemy really is.  Then, we mistakenly turn against others—our brother or sister in Christ, our spouse, our neighbor, our pastor, or our president and other leaders.  Sound familiar?  Sound close to home?

Let’s be honest!  (I’ll admit, I am speaking from experience.)  The inner attitudes and thoughts that I battle are the seeds that could grow into actions that make the daily news—hateful rhetoric, riots, and murder.  James 1: 14-15 describes a progression that occurs when we are “carried away” by our passions which, when they have conceived, give birth to sin which leads to death.  In Matthew 5: 22, we read Jesus’s claim: whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.  Notice that Jesus takes the sixth commandment, “Thou shall not murder,” and goes to the source within the human heart where the underlying sins of pride, hate, and envy are rooted.  Sin within the heart if unchecked leads to hateful speech and even murder.  To this we should cry, “God help us!”  And He will.

Choosing Better Weapons
But God through Christ and His Gospel pleads with us:
“Please don’t think that way.
Turn from your selfish, sinful ways.
They will destroy you. 
I have something better and
I want you to have it because I love you.”

In our culture where hateful hearts, violent rhetoric, guns, knives, and bombs are subjects of our daily news, true Christ-followers have access to three more powerful “weapons”—thankfulness, repentance, and forgiveness.  Each of these “weapons” are necessary if we are to gain victory against our fleshly passions and the flaming darts of spiritual wickedness hurled at us.

Thankfulness is our weapon or prescription against our tendency toward discontent, envy, boasting, and covetousness.  Thankfulness for what God has already provided frees our minds to realize the blessings of freedom and material provisions we have in Christ and in our country; and, for those both living and dead who have made these blessings possible.

Repentance is our second weapon.  When a disposition of fear, envy, or covetousness threatens our outlook, we need to be quick to repent—i.e. to confess (say what God says about) our lack of faith and any sin, and turn from it toward faith in our loving God.  Not easy, but in every circumstance, by prayer …[we are to let our requests] be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7).

Forgiveness and a forgiving spirit may be the most powerful weapon of all.  It is the pure expression of God’s love, spoken through His Son while nailed to a Roman cross when He said, Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23: 34).  Charlie’s wife, Erika, chose to forgive Tyler Robinson who shot and killed her beloved husband.  Her statement of forgiveness is a powerful testimony and “winsome witness” of God’s love.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10 escorted him into the presence of an estimated 70 million Christians believed to have been martyred for their faith since the death of Stephen.

Charlie is quoted as saying, “What God wants from me is a life fighting for truth.  I want to be remembered for courage for my faith.”  He certainly fought hard for truth, and we fondly remember him for his outstanding courage and “winsome witness” right up to the moment God took him home to Heaven.

Further Encouragement:
The month of September has seen many challenging events, both encouraging and disheartening.  Thankfully, when our souls become frustrated and fearful, God stands ready with a three-part prescription from His Word.  During a similar time of turmoil in 2019, I shared my basic “three R’s” as an encouragement—not “Readin’, ‘Ritin’, and ‘Rithmetic;” but instead, REPENT, REJOICE, and RECONCILE.   [Read more HERE.]

"Three R’s:” God’s Rx for Heart Health

The recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton deeply saddened me and stirred my sympathy for all who were affected.  Admittedly, this news also made me angry at the shooters.  Then, I began to reflect on the depravity that exists in my own heart.  Times of tragedy serve to remind us all of our need for repentance and forgiveness.  But sadly, our necessary reflection on universal human depravity is quickly interrupted by personal distractions and the noisy clamor and rancor of our culture in response to yet another tragedy.

On a social and political level, some argue that hate speech and racism incite mass shooters to act.  Others point to guns as the responsible tools that should be banned.  Still others point out that guns only fire when angry persons pull the trigger.  And anger arises from personal turmoil from within the hearts of shooters, often promoted by mental illness and/or drug addiction.  Violent tendencies are particularly common among young men who grow up without fathers and without supportive networks provided by good schools, churches, and community organizations.

Reasons for horrific tragedies are complex and multifaceted, so I don’t mean to oversimplify.  However, it should be obvious that finger-pointing and hateful rhetoric will not solve the deeper problems.  Nor will it be easy to “Red Flag” potential threats without an understanding of the origin and growth of anger, hate, and murder.  Therefore, I must begin by addressing the potential for hate and hateful responses within my own heart. 

From God’s Word, I am learning that the only difference between horrific atrocities and the “hidden sins” of hate and pride in my heart is a matter of scale.  Jesus alludes to this in His teaching as recorded in Matthew 5: 22 (emphasis mine):  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.  Notice that Jesus takes the sixth commandment, “Thou shall not murder,” and goes to the source within the human heart where the underlying sins of pride, hate, and envy are rooted.  Sin within the heart triggers the sins of the tongue such as hateful name-calling.  And one who speaks hatefully is capable of murder.  Christ takes very seriously this outward progression from the sinful heart to hateful words to murder.  So seriously that He considers sins of the heart as equivalent to murder.

Thankfully, when our souls become frustrated and fearful, God stands ready with a three-part prescription from His Word.   I am now considering them as my basic “three R’s”—not “Readin’, ‘Ritin’, and ‘Rithmetic;” but instead, REPENT, REJOICE, and RECONCILE.

REPENT
When I am becoming frustrated, fearful or angry toward others or in response to the daily news, I must look within my own heart, the seat of my personality.  There, I will find the cause of my unkind words and actions.  And there I should stop and repent. 

According to Charles Spurgeon,
“Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin,
a mourning that we have committed it,
and a resolution to forsake it.
It is, in fact, a change of mind of a very deep and practical character, which makes the man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved.”

Notice the emphasis on permanence in Spurgeon’s definition:  “resolution to forsake...change of mind…very deep and practical….”  Along the same lines, my former pastor, Dan Wingate calls us to adopt a “lifestyle of repentance.”  Such a humble, daily disposition helps us to recognize our own depravity and our tendency to wander like sheep away from God our Shepherd (Isaiah 53: 6).  Until we as individuals and as a society realize that sin is ultimately a rebellion against God who created us and therefore, owns us, we will not realize the seriousness of sin as the primary cause of our problems—individually and institutionally.  We will go on hating others instead of hating our own sin.

Don’t Substitute “Religion” for Repentance
Instead of recognizing that we are prideful rebels, we tend to focus on external problems that are not the primary cause of our broken world.  For example, the religious leaders of Jesus’s day criticized Jesus an

d His followers for not ceremonially washing their hands before they ate.  But Jesus said the primary problem is not what we do with our hands or even our tongues—but out of our heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.  But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone (Matthew 15: 18-20).

Emphasis on the externals leads to a religion of ceremony and legalism.  Rather than cultivating a love relationship with God, we rely on check-lists of our good deeds.  Both Christian and non-Christian alike can fall into this error.  Going to church, tithing, and abstaining from alcohol or meat, or rejecting plastic straws and gas-guzzling cars—none of these can make one person any more righteous in God’s eyes than another. The Apostle Paul condemned external comparisons as selfish and prideful when he wrote: When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise (2 Corinthians 10: 12). 

Our Strongholds to Resist Repentance

The alternative to a repentant heart is a heart that becomes increasingly calloused with thick walls reinforced by pride and self-righteousness.  Calloused hearts become insensitive, cold, and hateful toward others.  When we watch the news, I see anxious and fearful people and hear angry words.  Unrepentant, prideful people make arrogant and woeful predictions that the sky is falling and despise anyone who disagrees with their philosophy of government, ethnic relations, economics, and energy usage.  Of course, we should exercise morality and good stewardship in all of these areas.  But our pursuit of happiness is a fruitless effort unless we submit to God’s plan and purpose through repentance.  Repentance frees us from the wages of sin and moves our focus from a life of pride, comparison, envy, and fear to a focus on God who alone is perfect and judges rightly.  When the eyes of repentant souls are focused on God, He brings rest to their souls.

Repentance must be my “first stop” before I can experience the other two R’s, rejoicing and reconciliation.  Yet it is hard for me to read the Gospel accounts and imagine the ugly spectacle of the bleeding, sinless Jesus Christ I helped to nail to a Roman cross.  It was my sin that did this to Jesus!   Yet my pride—our pride as humans can cause us to turn away.  We avoid godly counsel, church, and God’s Word when we know they can help us.  The prophet Isaiah, over 500 years before Christ, prophesied how we would “despise and reject” the Suffering Servant whose sacrifice in our place would cast a spotlight on our sin and depravity.

So, I have a choice, and you have as well.  Either we focus on justifying ourselves before God and others by the good works we do, or we focus on what Christ did for us, dying in our place so we can claim His righteousness (right standing before God).  If we individually choose to reject God’s “love gift” of salvation through repentance, then God can offer neither of the other two R’s-- rejoicing and reconciliation.  Jesus warned: Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (be separated from God for eternity) (Luke 13: 3).  In 2 Corinthians 7: 10, Paul describes repentance that leads to salvation.  The Apostle Peter summarized the Gospel when he wrote, For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit…  And, again Paul wrote that he was not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile (Romans 1: 16).  That is “Good News” indeed; enough to bring rejoicing!

REJOICE

To rejoice is to express joy and delight.   True joy comes from within our hearts.  Joy is one facet of the fruit of the Holy Spirit who comes to abide in the repentant sinner.  The Apostle Paul wrote, Now He who prepared us for this very purpose [to live for eternity in resurrection bodies] is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge (2 Corinthians 5: 5).  Salvation from sin (John 3: 16), freedom from the condemnation of sin (Romans 8: 1), and the gift of God’s Spirit to abide within us (Ezekiel 36: 27) is reason for rejoicing.  The psalmist wrote, The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy (Psalm 126: 3).  The Spirit-filled, Christ-follower cannot help but rejoice!  What’s more, according to the prophet Zephaniah, God our Creator and Savior rejoices over us as His redeemed children!  Imagine that!  The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.

As a sinner saved by God’s grace, I experience joy and consolation when I reflect on God’s presence within me though His Holy Spirit.  The contrast of what I was before I came into a personal relationship with God through repentance and faith in Christ’s substitutionary death and who I am afterwards is described accurately by the Apostle Paul.   In Galatians 5: 16-18, we learn how our sinful nature (“the flesh”) sets itself against the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  After these words, Paul describes our lives “before” (5: 19-21) and “after” we submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives (vv. 22-23).

Repentant Hearts Exude Joy in a Troubled World
Repentance prepares us to humbly invite God’s Holy Spirit to enter our lives.  The Spirit’s presence enables us to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.   But you may ask, how can I be joyful when so many bad things happen?  Answer— we must remember that Joy and its expression of rejoicing springs from within and is independent of things that happen to us.  Bad happenings in our culture of hate and violence will not overcome the Christ-follower who relies on God’s Spirit and His Word.

After Jesus instructed His disciples about things that would happen in the future, He said, These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).  Jesus promised not only joy in the midst of a troubled world, but also that He would empower His followers to be ambassadors of reconciliation.

RECONCILE
By now, the importance the sequence of the three R’s, REPENT, REJOICE, RECONCILE, should be evident.  Repentance is the gateway to salvation and Eternal Life.  Where sin had once reigned within our unrepentant hearts, now God’s Spirit enables us to overcome sin and have victory.  Anger, hate, fear, envy, and lust are replaced by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control.

We Are Reconciled… to Be Reconcilers 
The Apostle Paul wrote (emphasis mine), Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5: 17-20).

This Scripture makes it clear that reconciliation between the sinner and God through faith in Christ gives birth to a new creation that in turn can become a force for reconciliation among the hurting and rejected of this world.  But you might say, how does the Bible address my friend or family member who is trapped in addiction or mental illness as a result of emotional and physiological problems.  Please realize that there is no human condition that cannot be helped by the care of loving friends and family combined with professional counseling and medical care.  Counseling and medications alone are weak and ineffective.  However, biblical witness and counseling by loving family, friends, and professionals are necessary to give purpose and desire within the hurting person, helping them to want to change. 

In conclusion, if you have chosen the path marked with the signs of REPENT, REJOICE, and RECONCILE, you know from experience how this sequence brings joy and reconciliation with God and other people.  You know from experience what it means to have victory over the sins of anger, hate, fear, and envy that once infected your heart and soul.  You may also be serving as an ambassador of reconciliation to hurting people around you as you humbly remember your struggles without Christ. 

Reconciliation Involves Both Spiritual with Mental Health
On the other hand, if you are hurting and in despair, feeling trapped in addiction and emotional turmoil, you can find help and hope.  For example, you may be familiar with the “Twelve-Step Program” of Alcoholics Anonymous.  This program is consistent with biblical teaching and the “three R’s” beginning with REPENT. 

Please check out the link to the “Twelve-Step Program” and notice how the first seven steps can provide instruction on how to acknowledge God and come to Him in a spirit of repentance.  This program is very effective when used in the presence of loving family and friends.   If you are hurting emotionally or struggling with addiction, I hope you will seek help from trusted individuals or organizations that can point you onto the path to recovery through the “three R.’s.”  If you wish to contact me with questions, I would be glad to assist you:  silviusj@gmail.com

God Heals Divided Hearts--then Nations

Ethnic minority rights, immigration, LGBTQ rights, abortion rights—the list of challenging issues of our day is long and troubling.  Moral and social issues that divide our nation today are issues that we are powerless to resolve without individual and corporate repentance and a calling upon God to forgive and empower us to follow His principles.  Our differences are too deeply rooted within our "heart" or "mindset." Hatred, suspicion, and misunderstandings are entrenched so deeply in our thinking that only God’s truth, mercy, and love can bring healing.  

Deeply rooted opinions about the value of human life, treatment of ethnic minorities, or our notion of what marriage and family ought to be are already being formed during pre-school years.  At the same young age, children and adolescents undergo a spiritual formation in which they succeed or fail in developing at least some understanding of a Higher Being.

Many American children and adolescents have not experienced a stable home life in which to develop a spiritually healthy foundation and faith in God.  Those who doubt or deny God’s existence also deny the authority of His inspired revelation of moral absolutes handed down in “The Bible.”  Doubters and deniers of the authority of the Bible miss out on the message of a holy God Who invites us to love and honor Him above all else and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22: 37-40). 

Without a spiritual foundation of objective Truth, many Americans are left to form opinions based on the loudest voices or the catchiest tweets.  Those who have not had a personal encounter with God as encouraged by genuine Christ-following people of faith have not experienced the love of God that pursues all people regardless of age, wealth, ethnic group, political affiliation, or sexual preference. 

LeBron James: hurt by racial epithet

One example of how a culture that largely dismisses God’s truth becomes locked in perpetual division and disrespect is the ongoing racial divide.  Many of us felt a small twinge of the deep hurt expressed by LeBron James when he saw the racial epithet spray-painted on his home in Los Angeles.  The hate and the hurts are still there in spite of decades of attempts to heal the racial divide following Martin L. King’s challenge not to judge “by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” As the Apostle John writes, in 1 John 4:7-9,  God calls us to love one another with His love which is unconditional and all-inclusive (emphasis mine):

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

When the Jewish leaders asked Jesus to justify their lax policies on marriage and divorce, Jesus referred them to the Genesis 2 account of the creation of Adam and Eve and the first marriage which God Himself performed.  Jesus said (uppercase from Genesis 2: 20-25),

Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,  and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'?

The objective truth of God’s supernatural creation of the first man and woman provides an indispensable foundation for understanding God’s purpose for intimate sexual relationship within marriage as taught in Scripture.  When these truths are set aside, morality becomes subjective, inconsistent, and open to increasingly depraved, frustrating, and violent behavior.  One need only remember the steady growth of the Lesbian-Gay (L-G) movement to include Bisexual, Transexual, and Questioning (together, LGBTQ) to realize the increasingly slippery slope toward “anything goes.” This moral decline is clearly described in Romans 1: 20-24 where we read that God will judge those who refuse to follow the patterns that are evident in both creation (the “natural world”) and in His Word (emphasis mine):

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

Without God, the best our society can do is call for “tolerance.”  But, “tolerance” often comes to us with a subjective, one-sided definition; something like, “your beliefs must make room for mine; and by the way, get ready to give up your rights in favor of mine.”

Can Christ-followers show God's love to LGBTQ community?

The advent of June brings us to what is known by the LGBTQ movement as Pride Month.  Two out of our three previous presidents, Presidents Clinton and Obama, acknowledged LGBTQ Pride Month.  President Bush’s faith in God’s plan and pattern for heterosexual marriage kept him from supporting Pride Month during his administration.   The LGBTQ online news source, ThinkProgress, has criticized President Trump for his apparent unwillingness to recognize LGBTQ Pride Month.

Christ-followers must make clear that God’s love as shown through Christ and His atoning death on a Roman cross extends to all of His creation including to those who choose to deny His authority and benevolent plan for their lives.  As God loves all of our “neighbors” so Christ-followers are called to love their neighbor regardless of ethnic group, gender, political, or other preference.  But, in a free-speech society such as we are blessed with in America, those identifying with the LGBTQ movement have the right to express their views, but not the right to prohibit those who disagree from expressing theirs as well. 

Country Mill Farms--not so near East Lansing, Michigan

When Christ-followers refuse to engage in policies or behaviors that compromise their biblical faith, the one-sided nature of “tolerance” becomes evident.  Case in point—East Lansing, Michigan where Steve Tennes and his family, owners of Country Mill Farms, sell fruit and vegetables to all customers.  Steve also employs people who identify as part of the "LGBT community."   But Steve also has written on his Facebook page his faith position on marriage as between one man and one woman, and has refused to allow same-sex unions to be performed on his farm.

When city officials learned of Steve’s position on marriage, Country Mill Farms was immediately considered in violation of East Lansing's Human Relations Ordinance which makes "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" protected classes.  So, even though Steve’s farm is clearly outside of city limits, according to LifeSiteNews , “officials created a new policy that all vendors must comply with East Lansing’s nondiscrimination laws not just while they are at the Farmer’s Market but in all of their general business practices.” 

Clearly, “tolerance” appears to have a one-sided application between the LGBTQ community and a Catholic family business that will sell produce to all customers without discrimination.  It is also clear to Steve and his family that their First Amendment right to express and act upon their personal beliefs is being infringed upon.  Thankfully, on May 4, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at protecting religious liberty. At the signing ceremony, the president said, No American should be forced to choose between the dictates of the federal government and the tenants of their faith.  The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is currently defending the Tennes family.

Religious freedom has been such an important part of our nation’s fabric, having been established and defended by the lives and deaths of many thousands both before and after the establishment of the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment.  Still, in spite of numerous efforts to protect religious freedom in America, no president, no court decision, and no legislation,  no matter how clear and consistent with God’s moral and social standards, can heal our divided nation.  For example, the recent election of President Trump, while resulting already in many actions that are consistent with biblical morality, has not brought unity because the moral and social differences run deep into our hearts.  Yet, Christ-followers are praying with optimism, and hopefully living lives consistent with God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7: 14:

And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

How About You?  Are you old enough to remember 9-11 and the first Middle East war, or even the First World War?  If so, you may remember how America responded by going to God in prayer.  Let us not be deceived now.  The threats to America both within and from without are just as great. If you have not made peace with God, please open a Bible, find a Christ-following friend that you trust, and consider the claims of Christ Who offers you forgiveness of sin and freedom from the judgment that will come to us all (Romans 3: 23; 6: 23; 8: 1; and 10: 9-17).  Then, find a Christ-centered, Bible teaching church to join so that you can grow spiritually and prepare yourself to “enjoy God forever” by following His simple command to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6: 8).

Related Articles:
Steps to Peace with God – Your responsibility to God, and how to make peace through Christ
Life as It Ought to Be - Part 3: Set Free…to Lift Up Our Neighbor
Faith, Virtue, and Freedom—When Government Can No Longer Govern
Censoring Vocabulary, But Not Virtue
No Gun Control Without Self-Control
Individual Accountability and Spiritual Awakening

Censoring Vocabulary, But Not Virtue

During my boyhood years in the mid-20^th century, I quickly learned that the English vocabulary could be sorted into two major groups -- “acceptable words” and “bad words.”  I encountered an unending stream of acceptable words on spelling lists, and I received many positive incentives to use them in polite conversation. I am now thankful for both the spelling lessons and the positive incentives.

I was also allured into using certain “bad words” that were expressed by unseemly characters who apparently felt bigger or more masculine when they spewed them out.  Fortunately, the positive examples and high expectations of men and women of godly character in my life won out over the more limited influence of “bad characters.”

Since the days of my boyhood, we have witnessed a major change in the realm of acceptable and unacceptable words.  For example, the code phrase for “sex” during my adolescence was “the birds and the bees.”  Although in retrospect, it would have been helpful to have had more instruction on sexuality as an adolescent; today we are exposed to a broad vocabulary complete with visual “aids” on the subject of sexuality including all manner of sexual perversions and classifications.  One would think that there are no longer any “bad words.”  But that is not true.  Instead we have a whole new class of “bad words” that represent the forbidden vocabulary in secular American culture.

Dylann Roof

Today, when anyone uses a “new bad word,” our secular culture is at least twice as perturbed as our mothers and grandmothers were when we let “bad words” slip out as adolescents.  Witness the current media discussion of what would lead Dylann Roof to burst into a South Carolina church and murder nine people meeting together for a Bible study.  “Acceptable words” in the current discussion of causation include gun access, drugs, video games, racism, negative talk radio, and Fox News.  These words have become code words for political agendas including the passage of gun control legislation, increased role of the federal government in local law enforcement, retaining support of minority voters, and the censorship of conservative media.  Taking the politics of gun control, for example, in an earlier article, No Gun Control Without Self-Control (March 30, 2013), I posited that violent crime is not simply a result of access to firearms.  Rather,

Whatever "weapon" Cain used, murder started in his heart.

"Our protection from both tongue and gun is rooted not in civil law but in the moral code.    The moral law is grounded in Jesus’ teaching that it is out of the heart [that] come evil     thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders (Matthew 15:19).  Therefore, the answer to a safe and civil society is not found alone in “tighter controls” on guns and speech.  Instead, there must be a revival within institutions that nurture a godly disposition of the heart; namely, the family and the local church, both within the context of caring communities."

Many who reject “band-aid approaches” to reducing gun violence may wish not to hear the vocabulary of this argument-- “new bad words” like moral, evil, revival, heart, self-control, and church.  Add the words, sin and forgiveness, and the liberal media often turns a deaf ear or cries “foul!”  In fact, the word evil was already headed for “bad” in the 1980’s when President Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.”  Today, liberal progressive culture includes sin in the vocabulary of “hate speech.”

But occasionally, liberal media and the progressive culture are caught off guard as for example, at the events on June 17, in Charleston, SC.  On that Wednesday night, Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old allegedly entered Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, attended a Bible Study for an hour, and then opened fire on those who had welcomed him.  Even before all the gruesome details were reported, the mantra began—the sour lamenting of “white-on-black” crime with all the expected vocabulary-- gun access, racism, negative talk radio, and the Confederate flag permeating the airwaves.  President Obama challenged the nation to confront the “terrible toll of gun violence.”

The AME church in Charleston, SC has had a long and troubled history beginning before the Civil War.  In the 1820’s, it survived its building being burned.  After the Civil War and during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation, AME church members worshipped in secret because all-black churches were outlawed.  But the June 17 shooting was not just another violent event in a region having a long history of racial unrest.  This time the media was faced with reporting a different message, complete with a vocabulary of “new bad words” like mercy, forgiveness, and enduring love.  Yes, in Charleston, SC, under the Confederate flag, and near historic Sullivan’s Island, the location where nearly half of the enslaved African people were brought ashore and auctioned to slave owners, came an eruption of an entirely different sort.

According to the Washington Post, “There was no yelling. There were no accusations. Instead, people who had lost the loves of their lives blessed the accused murderer.” Felicia Sanders, a hair stylist whose son Tywanza was allegedly killed by Roof, expressed this unexpected tone with a different vocabulary.  As we stared at Roof’s face filling much of our TV screens, she spoke directly to Dylann saying,

Tywanza Sanders

We welcomed you Wednesday night in our Bible study with welcome arms.  You have killed some of the most beautifulest people that I know.  Every fiber in my body hurts, and I’ll never be the same. . . . But as we say in Bible study, ‘We enjoyed you, but may God have mercy on you.’ “Tywanza Sanders was my son. But Tywanza Sanders was my hero. Tywanza was my hero,’’ she said, her voice trembling. “May God have mercy on you.”

The vocabulary of love, mercy, and forgiveness of Christians is seldom applauded in our secular culture. However, the words of the Charleston believers were powerful because their virtuous behavior affirmed their words sacrificial love, mercy, and forgiveness to Dylann Roof.  The same open arms that welcomed young Dylann Roof before he unleashed his violent hatred were now open to him in Christian forgiveness and in prayers for God’s mercy upon him.

From where does this kind of strength and forgiveness come?   The prophet Isaiah uses the word strength over twenty times.  His words may resonate with the hearts of many black Americans, and all of us who are weary because of the curse of sin and its manifestations—selfishness, pride, divisiveness, anger, and violence.

You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, 'It is hopeless.'
You found renewed strength,
Therefore you did not faint. – Isaiah 57: 10

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.  – Isaiah 40: 31

As America celebrates another 4^th of July, instead of saying “God Bless America” many of us want to say, “God Help America” or “God Bring Repentance, Humility, and Revival to America.”  Again, these “prayers” are filled with the “new bad words” in the view of many in our secular progressive culture.  But, until we individually acknowledge our sin and repent, and then pursue mercy, forgiveness, revival, and holiness, neither we nor our nation will be blessed by God and experience His forgiveness and blessing.  Only then will be able to love our neighbor regardless of his or her race or beliefs.  Only then will we respect authority and realize that violation of civil and moral laws begins with the pride-filled heart, not with weapons or even our words.   And finally, only then will Americans be able to do what black Christians in Charleston, SC did—look into the cold face of an alleged murderer and say words we so seldom hear, May God have mercy on you.

Perhaps America will soon enter a time when “word police” will prohibit the use of “the new bad words,” labeling them as “hate speech.”  Given prohibition of words like sin, repentance, Jesus, salvation, mercy, and forgiveness we may be left with no other recourse but to show the loving, forgiving, regenerated life that is possible in Christ.  Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth (1 John 3: 18).  Indeed, many Christians today have a powerful and transformative witness in very oppressive Muslim and other authoritarian countries.  There is much we can learn from Christians under more severe restrictions as we pray for them and become prepared for likely hard times ahead.