Mingling with the World

In the challenges we face, it is important that we possess Biblical convictions, so that we can be prepared to respond in the way that God would intend, even in those times when we are tempted to compromise.  1st Corinthians 2 says:
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

As Christians, we have been given the mission to live for Christ, to love like Christ, and to make His name known to all people.  The temptation to compromise our deeply-held values, rooted in Scripture, can be strong, and the moral lines can become blurred.  That is why we need discernment, to know how God would want us to act - we find out by spending time in His Word and relying on His wisdom, that we can discover as we are sensitive to listen.

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In John 3, Jesus spoke words that have enormous implications for our world today:
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

I have talked quite frequently with guests on the radio show about the actions of those who want to force Christians to accept and even endorse the homosexual lifestyle and so-called same-sex marriages.  The Obergefell ruling opened up another chapter in the furtherance of that agenda, and fears were expressed that organizations, including Christian business owners and even ministries, would be forced to change policy and even violate their deeply-held beliefs in order to not merely accommodate but to march lock-step along this agenda.

One of the latest examples involves a Christian dating site called ChristianMingle.   According to a story on the Baptist Press website, in 2013, two gay men filed a lawsuit against site because, at that time, users could only search for potential partners of the opposite sex. The men said that ChristianMingle violated California's anti-discrimination laws by making it impossible for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to use the company's services.

The law, known as the Unruh Civil Rights Act, states: "All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their … sexual orientation are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind."

The lawsuit was settled and now ChristianMingle only asks if users are male and female, instead of asking whether someone is a "woman seeking a man" or a "man seeking a woman." The parent company, Spark Networks, offers other faith-based matchmaking websites, which would also be affected.

Spark CEO Michael Egan is quoted as saying, "Like all other companies, we must abide by the laws that govern our state and nation," adding, "There is no greater agenda at hand here at ChristianMingle than uniting Christian men and women for the sake of finding happy and healthy lifelong relationships."

This overall situation is indicative of the cultural landscape in which we as business people, ministry leaders, and individual Christians find ourselves.  Carrie Gordon Earll, vice president of public policy at Focus on the Family, says, "Early on in their quest to legalize homosexual marriage, advocates assured us that it would not infringe on the rights of others, especially people of faith," adding, "From dating sites and adoption agencies to small businesses, it's clear today that people of faith are being forced to compromise or risk financial ruin."

David Smalley, a gay blogger at the ecumenical website Patheos.com, had a very interesting point of view: "Every atheist, every liberal, and every business owner needs to fight for ChristianMingle's rights to offer the products or services they choose, even if we disagree with their practices or philosophy behind it all." He also said, "There are plenty of gay dating websites. … So guess what … I don't go there. I'm not taking a gay dating website to court, forcing them to allow a straight option. But this ruling sets that precedent."

I think this situation already highlights the need to determine what your standards are and how you will respond when your business, ministry, or church is forced to embrace a lifestyle that is contrary to Scripture.   The list continues to grow - Aaron and Melissa Klein or Jack Phillips, who would not bake a cake for a gay marriage ceremony, Baronnelle Stutzman, who would not provide flowers for a similar ceremony, and others.  They stood on principle, and faced negative ramifications for it.  If you were in their shoes, would you do the same?  ChristianMingle did not allow the lawsuit to go into court, but rather settled...what would you do?

We need to be ready for the opposition and determine how we will respond.  We also need to find compassionate ways to relate the truth of the gospel to those who have rejected God's view of sexuality.  We must be firm in our convictions, but seek ways to minister the love of Christ by building bridges, without compromising the gospel.