Finding Common Ground

Sharonell Fulton and Toni Simms-Busch should be household names. Fulton and Simms-Busch were the plaintiffs in a recent foster-care and religious-liberty case at the Supreme Court. It was a unanimous ruling, as you may have heard, and that is somewhat remarkable. Legal eagles who labor to defend religious liberty have qualms about the narrowness of the ruling, but I'm grateful for the message it sends.

The city of Philadelphia stopped working with Catholic Social Services because of Catholic teaching about same-sex marriage. Marriage being between a man and a woman, of course, was acceptable to the likes of Barack Obama and Joe Biden not so long ago. But now cultural winds have shifted, and there is a tyrannical impulse to make people submit or be ostracized or penalized.

In a recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Fulton and Simms-Busch explained in human terms why Catholic Social Services is so important in the city of Philadelphia: "Faith-affirming foster care and adoption agencies are crucial in our community. Shutting them down because of what they believe would devastate already at-risk children by reducing the number of families able and willing to care for them. Some families choose to foster or adopt only if they can partner with an agency that shares their religious beliefs."

They added: "Allowing for a diverse array of foster agencies to serve the community is vital. Over 60% of the foster families Catholic Social Services certifies and supports are racial or ethnic minorities. Philadelphia desperately needs more families like these to care for children in need."

These two women are not only beautiful mothers, but happy warriors for religious liberty and pluralism. On a certain block in New York City's Greenwich Village in the month of June, there was a traditional Catholic Corpus Christi Eucharistic adoration procession through the streets -- it went past the Stonewall Inn, a gay pride landmark, right around the block from St. Joseph's Church. Fast-forward a few weeks, and that whole area was rainbowed and celebrating some things that the Church does not approve of. And this is how it should be. We should be able to live together. The Catholics will try to live as they believe, and others will choose to live and believe otherwise. But we can respect differences. And in the case of foster-care and adoption, a refusal to respect differences hurts children.

Fulton and Simms-Busch are some of the best of America. Parenting is the most important work there is, and foster parenting involves a beautiful stretching of the heart to a radical kind of hospitality. As Fulton and Simms-Busch explain in their Wall Street Journal piece, children in foster care often suffer from trauma. They need the support of faith-based, mission-driven agencies who share their worldview. And other agencies offer alternatives for those who believe differently.

Another of the original plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case is a woman named Cecilia Paul, a widow who died during the course of the legal proceedings. One of her adoptive sons from foster care explained in an amicus brief for the case: Growing up in Paul's house prepared him for life. She encouraged him to "work hard, focus and do what you like." Now he's in his 30s with children of his own and a career.

These days, we watch politics like it's a reality TV show. We root for sides, like we're talking about sports. We can get swept up in trends and forget the real, innocent people impacted by government decisions.

When Philadelphia did what it did, it impacted vulnerable people. We are a people who have some severe disagreements on fundamentals. But we're a nation based on defending people's right to be wrong. We can live together. We need to live together. Different opinions should not be considered hate or bigotry. We are clearly a country divided on some things. Let's never let children suffer because of our adult arguments. Protecting them needs to be a place of common ground. That's the adult thing to do.

These two women are not only beautiful mothers, but happy warriors for religious liberty and pluralism.
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Fulton and Simms-Busch are some of the best of America.

We shall see...

A BIBLICAL Message about homosexuality

Genesis 13:13

Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.

Genesis 18:20-21
20. Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous
21. that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

Genesis 19:4-7
4. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house.
5. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
6. Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him
7. and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing.

Leviticus niv

18:22 Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

20:13 If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

Psalms 12:8 The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.

Doonesbury Cartoon for Feb/08/2013

Isaiah 3:9 The look on their faces testifies against them;

they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it.

Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.

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2 Peter 2:13b Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.

They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

Ezekiel 16:49-50
49. "`Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
50. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

Romans 1 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

18 The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; 21 for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 While claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.

24 Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, 27 and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. 29 They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite.

2 Peter 2

1. But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
3. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
5. if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
6. if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7. and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men
8. (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--
9. if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
10. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;
11. yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
12. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
13. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

But there IS hope!!!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10. nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

If you could NOT change, you would be in most pitiful shape...

The Health Risks of gay sex.

We are living in a Genesis 19:9 world...

"Get out of our way,” they replied.
“This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge!
We’ll treat you worse than them.”
They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

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