3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
A couple of principles here: first of all, Paul directs us to "contend earnestly for the faith." We have come into the family of God through salvation in Jesus Christ, and He calls us to provide for a bold defense of what we believe - it's so necessary in the times in which we live. We have to be resolute in our thinking and the display of boldness in Christ. We also see condemnation of those "who turn the grace of our God into lewdness." Because grace has been extended does not mean that we go soft on sin; we have to recognize sinfulness, call it out, confess, and rely on God to walk in holiness.
The apostle Paul writes about different forms of abhorrent behavior which contradict the teachings of Scripture - 1st Timothy 1 contains such a passage; it says:
(9) the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry...
The state of Florida has taken a bold, commonsense step to prevent the teaching of the concept of so-called "gender identity" to young children, and by so doing, to act in accordance with the rights of parents within the Sunshine State.
But, while LGBTQ activists and their allies across America decry what they call the "Don't Say Gay" bill, it's time to shine some sunshine on what the bill actually does.
The Daily Citizen of Focus on the Family does that. In a recent piece, it states:
The legislature passed the “Parental Rights in Education” bill, which does several things. The legislation:
- Requires that school districts adopt procedures for notifying parents if there is a change in their student’s services or monitoring related to a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.
- Ensures that all procedures adopted under the bill must reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children.
- Prohibits school districts from maintaining procedures that withhold information, or encourage students to withhold information, related to a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being from parents.
- Restricts discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity to only those that are age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate for students, while prohibiting a school district from encouraging discussions of these topics with children in kindergarten thru 3rd grade.
- Creates a cause of action for parents that permits them to enforce their rights through declaratory and injunctive relief.
In an age in which you have seen instances of students being encourage to explore their so-called "gender identity" and embrace homosexual or transgender behavior without the consent of parents, this bill provides welcome relief.
And, Governor DeSantis has been a strong ally of the legislation.
One of the leading corporate entities in Florida has not. That would be the Walt Disney Company, whose CEO, Bob Chapek, said, according to a Fox News quote in the Daily Citizen article: “I called Gov. DeSantis this morning to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary, and transgender kids and families..." Not surprisingly, the CEO, according to the article, "announced...that Disney would be donating $5 million to LGBT-activist groups."
The governor publicly responded, saying: “When you have companies that have made a fortune off being family friendly and catering to families and young kids, they should understand that parents of young kids do not want this injected into their kid’s kindergarten classroom..." That's a strong statement, but he didn't stop there. DeSantis went on to say:“You have companies, like at Disney, that are going to say and criticize parents’ rights, they’re going to criticize the fact that we don’t want transgenderism in kindergarten in first grade classrooms.
“If that’s the hill they’re going to die on, then how do they possibly explain lining their pockets with their relationship from the Communist Party of China? Because that’s what they do, and they make a fortune, and they don’t say a word about the really brutal practices that you see over there at the hands of the CCP.
And, it seems that for some LGBTQ Disney employees, the CEO's response was too little, too late. The website, Inside the Magic, states: "...many have been deeply hurt by the bill which has been passed through Florida’s legislature, and Disney’s long stint without comment. This has left the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, to come out publically on social media and offer refuge to LGBTQ+ Cast Members if Disney would allow workers to stay in California, and not move so much of the staff to Lake Nona in Florida." Newsom tweeted out, "Disney, the door is open to bring those jobs back to California – the state that actually represents the values of your workers."
A group of LGBTQ Pixar employees sent a letter to Disney management after the company's recent shareholders meeting, which, according to the Los Angeles Times, included demanded that the leaderships of Disney “immediately withdraw all financial support from the legislators behind the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, to fully denounce this legislation publicly, and to make amends for their financial involvement.”
The article goes on to say:
During the shareholder meeting, Chapek said Disney was “opposed to the bill from the outset” but chose not to take a public stance “because we thought we could be more effective working behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers.”
And, that 5-million-dollar donation? Well, that was set to go to the gay advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign. But, they apparently don't want it - at least without condition. The Times quoted from interim president Joni Madison, who said, “The Human Rights Campaign will not accept this money from Disney until we see them build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates to ensure that dangerous proposals, like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay or Trans bill, don’t become dangerous laws, and if they do, to work to get them off the books,” adding, “This should be the beginning of Disney’s advocacy efforts rather than the end.”
Oh, and the never-satisfied LGBTQ community is taking Disney to task, as Inside the Magic says: "All of this comes at a time when Disney and Pixar Animation rearrange the story of Turning Red to avoid various storylines that include LGBTQ representation."
Let's pause for a moment to consider the take-no-prisoners approach of the LGBTQ community - it's not enough for them to merely be tolerate or left to live their lifestyle; no, there is a vocal segment of the gay activist movement that wants you to enthusiastically accept their practices, at the expense of your faith perspective. And, as Disney has learned, there is an insatiable desire to force those beliefs on the entire population, and especially those in the corporate sector.
Do not be deceived by the lipservice being paid to this "Fairness for All" legislation that would somehow balance so-called "gay rights" with religious freedom - it really is an antithesis from the dominance they seek. It's not a matter of personal conscience; no, like so much it seems in culture today, they are so committed to a radical agenda that those who stand in the way of its advance are being coerced to submit or be brought under submission. It's the heart of progressivism - reinforce the dominant view and subvert all the others. And, that is being expressed in light of the "another view" that is being supported in Florida.
But, Christians don't have to fall for it. And, we shouldn't. We don't have to be afraid of the advance of progressivism, but we should be aware. We can be so convinced about the authenticity and power of the Scriptures that we can stand boldly in Christ and exhibit firm conviction. Cancel culture tells us that our views are no longer valid and that action should be taken against people of faith; but our Savior tells us to go into the world and share Him, and to be of "good cheer" because He has overcome. We can stand in the strength of the Lord.
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