 | ||
| The United States Supreme Court -- Top row: Associate Justices Sotamayor, Breyer, Alito, and Kagan; Bottom row: Associate Justices Thomas, Scalia, Chief Justice Roberts, and Associate Justices Kennedy and Ginsburg |
 |
| Dr. Ronnie Floyd |
Southern Baptist Convention President
Ronnie Floyd recently spoke to the Convention meeting in Columbus,
Ohio. Anticipating the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, he set a
strong standard for resistance to the ruling, and urged the
denomination to stand against it. The Columbus Dispatch
reports,
“This could be a watershed moment in our history, possibly changing the trajectory of our nation unlike anything we’ve seen since 1973 in the Roe v. Wade decision,” Floyd said. “This decision could add fuel, more fuel, to the already sweeping wildfire of the sexual revolution and move it beyond anyone’s control locally, statewide, nationally and globally...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Our first commitment is to God and his word — nothing else and no one else. And I want to remind everyone today, humbly, the Supreme Court of the United States is not the final authority, nor is the culture itself, but the Bible is God’s final authority about marriage, and on this book we stand,” Floyd said to applause.
He reminded the audience of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and anti-Nazi dissident who is quoted as saying, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, and not to act is to act.”
“This is a Bonhoeffer moment for every pastor in the United States,” Floyd said. “While some evangelicals ... may be bowing down to the deception of the inclusiveness of same-sex marriage or marriage in their churches, we will not bow down, nor will we be silent.”
The evil we face is not the same as Bonhoeffer faced, but it is evil nonetheless. It remains to be seen to what extent churches and people of faith will be pressured to cooperate with this immoral ruling.
As a matter of faith, believers in
Christ should follow the example of Peter and John when they were
confronted by the religious authorities
of their day about healing a man in the name of Jesus:
“Peter and John answered and said to
them,'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more
than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we
have seen and heard.'” (Acts 4:19-20). In following such an
example, believers must be prepared for the consequences of their
actions. In this biblical instance, the apostles were taken into
custody and threatened, then released.
In the political realm, the United
States Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, specifically
guarantees freedom of religion. The federal government, liberals,
atheists, and the gay rights movement have already acted in ways that
show they don't mind restricting religious freedom. Consider the
Obamacare contraceptive rules, and the bakers who are losing their
business for not baking a cake for a gay wedding. This, despite
constitutional protection of freedom of religion. Preachers against
homosexuality may see efforts to silence them, despite constitutional
freedom of speech.
It's going to be an interesting decade.
No comments:
Post a Comment