Posted on 08/13/2003 8:05:07 AM PDT by DesertGOP
If it’s true that for a stone to avoid gathering annoying moss it needs to keep moving, then evangelical Christianity in America today may best be analogized as a boulder entangled in and about to suffocate from the fungus of legislative anti-Church doctrine bigotry. But, instead of righteously fighting back and serving as the “salt and the light” in all aspects of civilization—as mandated in scripture—within the papier-mâché walls of Christendom, an alarming trend of political apathy continues to covertly (or overtly) be preached from the pulpit to the pews.
For reasons of bowing down to the image of “political correctness,” or admonishment to withdraw from the public square altogether in anticipation of the impending Great Tribulation, followers of Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century are duped into believing that traditional Biblical teachings about right and wrong are either passé and outdated, or wasted on a society headed for the fire and brimstone much sooner than later anyway.
In the land of the pseudo-free and the home of the evangelical brave-less, are we who claim to follow the teachings of Messiah suffering under the high price paid by the silent majority and its leaders for staying quiet far too long? Quite possibly this is the case, because with passage of a bill that has received virtually no attention during California’s circus-like recall parade, Gov. Davis recently signed into law AB 196—scheduled to take effect as early as Jan. 1, 2004.
If those of whom the Church would rather see saved from their wicked ways than forcibly appointed to positions of influence are not already banging on the sanctuary doors, they could very well soon be. AB 196—otherwise known as the “Cross-Dresser bill”—authorizes the state Fair Employment and Housing Commission to initiate government investigations and levy fines of $150,000 against business owners—including religious business owners and owners of Bible bookstores—and nonprofit organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, if they refused to hire a cross-dressing or transsexual job applicant. Property owners can also be investigated and fined if they refuse to rent to cross-dressers.
Unlike two previous similar bills that never made it to the Governor’s desk, AB 196 is poised to unleash the police power of the state against persons of conscience who disagree with transsexuality. According to the state Government Code, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing has virtually unrestrained power to 1) use any office in the state; 2) appoint attorneys and investigators; 3) utilize the services of all government departments and agencies; 4) rescind rules and regulations; 5) issue subpoenas; 6) administer oaths; 7) issue written interrogatories; 8) petition the courts to compel testimony; 9) issue and prosecute accusations; and 10) issue fines up to $150,000 without a trial.
Whatever you choose to call the growing bias against mainstream church circles, in general, and the causes thereof—social progress, political correctness run amok, or signs of the “End Times”—state and federal statutes like the Cross-Dresser bill and others should motivate and mobilize followers of any recognized religious persuasion to proactively protect their institutions from the same government intrusion that is so prevalent in other parts of the world. That means willfully engaging in the ongoing power struggles of the political realm with the same fervor of which Christians, in particular, are called in the New Testament to exert in fathomless measure in the spiritual domain, as well; there are no other options or additional free passes to simply warm the benches . Otherwise, bodies like today’s evangelical Christian Church might as well pack up their bags and go home to wait for a Second Coming that could be farther off than it thinks.
Proponents of time-tested, orthodox Christian lessons, in particular, would be better off for now to keep near the Rock and continuing to roll toward preservation of First Amendment free exercise of religion and free speech, if nothing else. Hopefully, it’s not too late; but, one thing is for sure—just like Rhett might have once quipped to Scarlett—the days of “playing Church” are gone with the wind.
The main thing for each of us is to faithfully DO what God would have us to do, and leave the results to Him. (Even if America goes away, in the end we know who wins the final war.)
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