Defending dissent

“Let grace be shown to the wicked, Yet he will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, And will not behold the majesty of the LORD” (Isaiah 26:10).

Although individuals hold dissenting opinions about interracial and inter-ethnic marriage, such a coupling is still a union of two opposite sexes, one that reflects Christ’s relationship with His church. It is the union through which His human creatures procreate, rear children, and build strong societies. Children are generally better off emotionally, financially, and physically when they grow up under the same roof as their married, biological parents.

This is truth, and biologically based common sense that the world has altered at its peril. It should be obvious to Christians that this nation is under God’s judgment. For now, we also live under a representative form of government, and we have the right to petition our government for redress and lobby our representatives to protect our religious rights. The Heritage Foundation’s Ryan T. Anderson wrote a report about a bill called the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), which would protect “the rights of individuals and the associations they form—small businesses and charities, schools, and social services—to speak and act in accordance with their belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman in the public square and the marketplace.”

FADA, sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho), would also stop the government from revoking Christian organizations’ tax-exempt status and accreditation. Anderson noted that a Christian college was under scrutiny for its policy that prohibits students and faculty from having sex outside marriage. Accreditors investigated the school because its president signed a letter asking President Barack Obama to include a religious exemption in his “sexual orientation” executive order.

What was once unthinkable is here. A country founded by people who sought religious freedom has turned against its Christian foundation and the faith’s adherents to promote destructive and deviant policies in the name of “equality” and “tolerance.” As Christ wants us to avoid sin and flee from it, the country we call our own has legalized it. Worse, if we don’t keep our mouths shut about certain sins (adultery, theft, and murder excluded, of course), we could be subject to government action.

We know what’s happening. What are we going to do about it? The war is won. Our time on earth is fleeting, and we know that God began a good work in us that He will complete on the day Jesus Christ returns. Right here, right now, however, we can resist the growing persecution—if not for us ourselves, then for future generations of Christians. Today, a lawsuit here, a fine there. One day, an outlawed gospel. Next, a loss of physical freedom. And perhaps sooner than we think, loss of life.

It might sound fantastical now. So did the idea of two men calling themselves married, with government and corporate complicity. We’re already pressured not to speak a word against what God calls an abomination. Unbelievers keep trying to shut us down. A bill like FADA would curb the government’s power to stifle our religious freedom.