Miss California
Poor Miss California. She was beautiful. She was smart. She might have won. But she told her honest conviction. And she lost. I'm sorry.
Now that I've got that out of the way, let me tell you what I really think. Why is everyone in such a tizzy about this? Christian radio stations and conservative TV shows have been on this like ugly is on a possum or like stink is on a wet hound dog or like -- well, you get the picture. Some people can't get enough of this.
Should it surprise us that speaking your mind on morality costs a person? Do we think that our culture is by nature Christian and therefore promotes and protects our own values? Don't get me started on this.
But even more importantly, why do Christians find such courage to speak out their views against gay marriage but are strangely silent on many other issues that the Bible speaks clearly on, issues that God has repeatedly punished people for not speaking out on? American Christian "pundits" love to say that homosexual marriage is a step to becoming like Sodom. But listen to what the prophet Ezekiel said about Sodom:
"This was the guilt of Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it" (Ezek 16:49-50).
The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is wrong. But let me state this clearly: The moral decline (if you will) of our country has nothing to do with gay rights or gay marriage. It is a direct result of our pride and our prosperity. Where were Christians speaking up against the greed and arrogance of Wall Street? Where were the voices of the churches when the gap between the richest and poorest in our country exploded over the past 2 decades?
Read the Old Testament prophets. These are the people Jesus quoted in his ministry. You'll find God's words of condemnation most often directed at those who neglected the poor and suffering in their midst, at those who went on partying while the world around them was rotting in decay. In my reading of Romans 1, sexual misconduct flows out of these misplaced priorities, not the other way around. You don't correct the morality by focusing on those behaviors. You correct the morality by focusing on the deeper issues of learning to value God and his daily provision.
I know this is a sensitive subject to some. But I am convinced that our approach to this and other similar questions directly affects our mission. What might this say to our church today?
Now that I've got that out of the way, let me tell you what I really think. Why is everyone in such a tizzy about this? Christian radio stations and conservative TV shows have been on this like ugly is on a possum or like stink is on a wet hound dog or like -- well, you get the picture. Some people can't get enough of this.
Should it surprise us that speaking your mind on morality costs a person? Do we think that our culture is by nature Christian and therefore promotes and protects our own values? Don't get me started on this.
But even more importantly, why do Christians find such courage to speak out their views against gay marriage but are strangely silent on many other issues that the Bible speaks clearly on, issues that God has repeatedly punished people for not speaking out on? American Christian "pundits" love to say that homosexual marriage is a step to becoming like Sodom. But listen to what the prophet Ezekiel said about Sodom:
"This was the guilt of Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it" (Ezek 16:49-50).
The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is wrong. But let me state this clearly: The moral decline (if you will) of our country has nothing to do with gay rights or gay marriage. It is a direct result of our pride and our prosperity. Where were Christians speaking up against the greed and arrogance of Wall Street? Where were the voices of the churches when the gap between the richest and poorest in our country exploded over the past 2 decades?
Read the Old Testament prophets. These are the people Jesus quoted in his ministry. You'll find God's words of condemnation most often directed at those who neglected the poor and suffering in their midst, at those who went on partying while the world around them was rotting in decay. In my reading of Romans 1, sexual misconduct flows out of these misplaced priorities, not the other way around. You don't correct the morality by focusing on those behaviors. You correct the morality by focusing on the deeper issues of learning to value God and his daily provision.
I know this is a sensitive subject to some. But I am convinced that our approach to this and other similar questions directly affects our mission. What might this say to our church today?
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