A Threat at Home
In a previous post, I argued that we are living in a time where Christians must be wise about what are violations of religious rights and what things are not violations.
I wrote, “As the country continues its ‘transition,’ more and more pressure will be placed on Christians to conform to ungodly and disobedient positions. For example, there will come a time, and in some cases, the time has already come, where employees of large companies will be required to pledge their support for gay and transgender rights or face loss of employment.”
-I went on to write, “Christian, we must be ready now. We must be thinking clearly and biblically now. The world is a difficult place to live. And we must be careful to think biblically and thoroughly.
When they strip away earthly rights, we can grieve, and then move on. We have a better city waiting for us. But when they come for our Bibles, we must be ready to stand firm with a heart full of faith and eyes set upon Jesus.”
So…why am I quoting this article? Because they’re coming for our Bibles…
No Longer “Over there.”
-For some time now, other countries and nations have been trampling the religious freedoms of churches and other religious groups by outlawing any instruction, counsel, or personal opinion that is contrary to the Gay/Transgender movement.
Canada, for example, has written into law a ban on what they call “conversion therapy.”
One article states, “Canada has formally banned conversion therapy, the widely discredited practice aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Legislation that makes it illegal to provide, promote and profit off conversion therapy was officially approved on Wednesday and will take effect in 30 days, on Jan. 7.
-So, what is conversion therapy, you might ask? That same article goes on to say, “The bill defines conversion therapy as any practice, treatment or service designed to change or repress a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.”
Simply stated, any attempt to speak against someone’s professed gender identity is outlawed. Professional counselors cannot seek to lead someone into changing their minds; Pastors and churches cannot legally call sinners to repent over the sins LGBTQ issues, and parents cannot seek to talk their children out of sexual identity decisions.
Such issues have been present and growing in Canada and Great Britain, but they have not found a home in America…until now.
A Threat at Home
On this morning’s edition of The Briefing, Al Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, overviewed a concerning news story coming out of Lafayette, Indiana.
The story, which ran on 1/18/22 in World Magazine centers around Faith Baptist Church. For 45 years, FBC has run a biblical counseling center as a free ministry to its community. But now, the church is facing a threat from a City Council proposal “that would penalize anyone who talks with minors to help them overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria.”
The article goes on to state, “Proposed Ordinance 31-21 prohibits unlicensed persons from practicing “conversion therapy” with children under the age of 18, with the penalty of up to $1,000 per day for violators. It defines conversion therapy as “any practices or treatments that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings towards individuals of the same gender.”
-As Dr. Mohler points out, this is a huge threat to Religious Liberty in the United States of America. It poses a threat to religious freedom and the freedom of speech. If this proposal from the Lafayette City Council is approved, any attempt to speak biblical truth to someone in sexual sin would be criminalized.
In December of 2021, just over 1 month ago, an article ran in NPR quoting Shannon Kang, a member of the Lafayette city council. The article states, “Council-member Shannon Kang said as a queer person herself, she wanted the vote on the first reading to move forward at Monday’s meeting. She said it is important that the city take a stand against practices like conversion therapy – and enforcement is a key aspect of that.”
And more concerningly, Kang is quoted in the article as saying, “Ordinances and resolutions like this are intended to change the culture,” she said. “I’m not asking that these people, who do it, would convert, but it sends a message into what sort of community they are living in and it sends a message to our vulnerable communities as well.”
Her quote makes the point crystal clear. The goal is culture change. This is not a fight over objective truth, for truth is not on her side. This is a naked attempt to change not only our way of life, and the way of life that existed for all of human history...this is an attempt to change truth itself.
-If this City Council ordinance is passed, churches like FBC in Lafayette will be breaking the law if they continue with their biblical counseling ministry, and Parents will be breaking the law by counseling their children against sinful gender expressions and sexual choices.
What’s the Point?
-The point is this: They are coming for our Bibles.
As Dr. Mohler points out in today’s edition of The Briefing, while this might be the first attempt as such a legal move in America, it will most certainly not be the last. In fact, it is only a matter of time before such legislation is passed in Lafayette, Indiana, and in many other States and communities.
-The issue is not conversion therapy. The real issue is any teaching or religious belief that would dare stand in the way of the LGBTQ revolution that is taking over the United States of America.
This is a clear example of a situation where Christians cannot cave to cultural pressure.
And we need to be clear…it's only going to get worse.
In my last post about this, I closed with this comment, “..there will likely come a time when Christians in America are called upon to bow down to the idols of the world. It may be the idols of gay and transgender rights, abortion, progressive liberalism’s overreach, or something yet unforeseen. The reality seems to be that such a time is on its way.”
I wrote that post in October of 2021…three months ago.
My conclusion to this post will be the same as it was from the previous post…
Christian, we must be ready now. We must be thinking clearly and biblically now. The world is a difficult place to live. And we must be careful to think biblically and thoroughly.
When they strip away earthly rights, we can grieve, and then move on. We have a better city waiting for us.
When they come for our Bibles, we must be ready to stand firm with a heart full of faith and eyes set upon Jesus.
May we be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16)