Building Homes on a Strong Foundation

A passage in 1st Corinthians 3 underscores the importance of building our lives on a firm foundation, applying Godly wisdom and strength in building according to His plan, not our own ideas.
9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul understood the important of a firm foundation.  Jesus taught that the wise man who built his house on a rock would withstand the storms that came his way.  So, in our individual lives, our marriages, the way we raise our children, and in our churches, our workplaces, and more, we have to inspect the foundation and make sure that we are building correctly and that we can withstand the cultural influences that would cause us to veer off course, to lure us from those bedrock principles, and cause our lives and our homes to collapse.  God's foundation is sure, but we have to be careful to build on it.

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In Isaiah 28, we read about the importance of a strong foundation. Verse 16 says:
16 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.

At The Meeting House, I want to continue to inform and challenge you in the aftermath of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on marriage, and there are several different areas in which I want to provide insight and commentary.  We must understand the significance of that decision - that it was a bold step by a small, select group of judges to redefine an institution that was established by God.

In an interview for The Gospel Coalition website with Trevin Wax, the authors of the book, Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God's Design for Marriage, John Stonestreet and Sean McDowell discussed two definitions of marriage.  They refer to the "long-held definition," which "is what Robert George, Ryan Anderson, and Sherif Girgis call the 'conjugal' view."  The authors say that this view, "...essentially recognizes that marriage serves a larger purpose than just recognizing sincerely held affections. Primarily its purpose was that of protecting, producing, and preserving future generations. Therefore, marriage is a pre-governmental institution that gives a context for procreation. It’s not created by the state. It’s recognized by the state. This has been the accepted definition for a long-time."

Not created by the state; recognized by the state.  Good point.  The authors continue to quote
George, Anderson, and Girgis and what they call the "revisionist view," which sees marriage as a "human construct."  In this view, the purpose of marriage is simply to bless strongly held affections and thus “sincere love” is all it takes to justify marriage,

As McDowell and Stonestreet contend, "These are radically different definitions, and it’s been rightly noted that to transition to the second view will not merely include same-sex couples in this institution. Rather, it fundamentally re-defines marriage for everyone, and will lead to other forms of so-called marriages (and already is)."

So, we can not only refuse to accept a court's attempt to redefine the institution, but also be aware of challenges to our deeply held faith convictions for standing with God's Word concerning marriage. And, it's important that we double down on building strong marriages.

McDowell and Stonestreet say that Christians need to repent for not upholding marriage and to repent for anytime that we have failed to reach out to the LGBT community with the love of Christ.

With regard to the former, they contend that:

Same-sex marriage is only the latest example of how marriage has failed, and it’s not the most important. We have not taught clearly what marriage is. We’ve had seminar after seminar on how to have happy marriages, “godly” marriages, and great sex lives. But because we’ve not taught what marriage is, we’ve essentially decorated a wrong view of marriage with Christian lingo. We’ve also not modeled marriage well. It’s not lost on the larger culture that there were no marches against no-fault divorce or cohabitation, which have been more destructive to marriage than same-sex marriage.

Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint and Senior Research Fellow Ryan Anderson concur in a piece on The Daily Signal website:

The judicial redefinition of marriage has no basis in our Constitution, but it didn’t come out of thin air. For the last 50 years, we have not done enough to combat the faulty liberal ideology that has wreaked havoc on America’s families.

Redefining marriage is only possible in a culture that has accepted the results of the Sexual Revolution, like non-marital childbearing and no-fault divorce, and so many other bad ideas about human sexuality and the family.

DeMint and Anderson contend that, "Ideas go only so far, but the beauty of lived witness is what moves people the most. It’s not just that for 50 years we’ve bought into a lie about marriage; it’s that we haven’t lived out the truth." They continue, "Raising children and grandchildren to believe the truth—and, more importantly, live out the truth—must be done with all diligence, and we must form communities of virtue to help one another do that."

So the words for today are: foundation, forthrightness, and fortitude.

We must make sure that our individual marriages are based on a firm foundation, centered on our love for Jesus and for one another, and that we are devoted to living out the truth of Christ in the way we relate to each other.  If the foundation is right for each couple, then we can also work to develop a cultural appreciation of the sanctity of marriage.  

As DeMint and Anderson contend, we have to live out the truth.  A sense of forthrightness is necessary as we seek to uphold the institution of marriage.   It's important that we accept God's plan for marriage as the absolute best and devote ourselves to strengthening our marriages, modeling to the culture that His ways are absolute and sure.

And, we must never give up.  We have to develop a sense of fortitude, so that even when the cultural winds blow in an opposite direction than the truths of Scripture, that we are convinced in our own minds that God has established marriage, He gives us the love and the principles to build a marriage to last, and that He will bless the union of two people, a man and a woman, that are dedicated to following Him, loving one another and laying down our lives for each other, just as Christ laid down His life for His church, His bride.

Inside the "Jesus Tent"

In Exodus chapter 33, we can read about Moses and how he met with God:
7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.
8 So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle.
9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.

Because we belong to God, because our lives have been bought by the blood of Jesus, we can experience the presence of God.  And, I do believe we grow closer to Him as we set aside special time to worship Him, to call on Him, to commune with Him.  As we "meet" with the Lord, we can experience calm in the chaos.  We can know that He is with us and recognize His love and enter into His peace and rest.  I believe that special, uninterrupted time set aside to meet with God is a critical component of our Christian life.

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Imagine, if you will, a place where we can go and experience peace and rest, a place where we can know the presence of God. Psalm 46 gives a great description for us:
(1b) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

If you have made the drive from Atlanta to Nashville, you are no doubt familiar with Monteagle Mountain - that area boasts some notable sites, including the University of the South in Sewanee, as well as the place where a music festival called Bonnaroo is held yearly, near Manchester, Tennessee.

An estimated 80,000 people showed up this year to hear the likes of Billy Joel, Earth Wind, and Fire, and former Led Zeppelin lead vocalist Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters - some 150 acts total.

Baptist Press has a report on the festivities and one particular area of the farm on which the event occurs:

An estimated 13,000-17,000 Bonnaroovians visited The Jesus Tent for its 24/7 offer of shade cooled by fans, snacks, water, smartphone charging stations, WiFi and conversation...

The Jesus Tent has become the largest evangelistic event of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and possibly of other denominations in the state, said David Evans, the convention's evangelism specialist.

Jake Dorak, who is an associate pastor at nearby First Baptist Church in Manchester, directed the outreach, and said: "The nations are coming to us, and we have an obligation to tell them about Jesus..."  A total of 150 volunteers took part in the effort.  There were a number of students from a seminary who helped out on the overnight shifts in order for the tent to stay open around the clock.

The report states that, "While at The Jesus Tent, many visitors had life-changing conversations, several Baptist volunteers reported. Though many Bonnaroovians held the belief that all paths or religions lead to God, there was openness to talk about it."

The Tent was described as a "peaceful oasis" in the article, and that conjures up some powerful images.  One volunteer said that she is glad young people can come to The Jesus Tent if they need a "safe spot."   

Isn't it great that the Lord invites us to come to Him and experience his peace?  In the Lord, we can find calm and clarity in the midst of a chaotic culture.   Calm in the chaos - He can become our oasis, where we can connect with His life and truth and come to know Him and fellowship with Him.

In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle, or the Tent of Meeting, was where the presence of God dwelt. In this Jesus Tent at Bonnaroo, attendees were able to find people who were willing to talk with them about spiritual matters and see the love of Christ in action.  We remember that God's invitation to receive Christ and walk with Him is open to all.  We can be vessels through which those who are searching can find answer.

Finally, I like what the volunteer said about providing a "safe spot."  The world can be a dangerous place, and people are in need of a refuge.  God is our refuge and strength, the Bible says.  His name is a strong tower in which we can run and experience safety.   When we are troubled and beset by trials, God wants us to run to Him and be held by His everlasting arms.  He doesn't want us to face the difficulties of life alone - He is with us and He wants to walk with us through the challenges of life.

What Flag Do You Fly?

In Psalm 60, we see some verses that can remind us that God is with us and is establishing His truth in and through our lives.
4 You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
5 That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

God desires to use us to communicate His truth and to remind people of His existence and His love and faithfulness toward fallen humanity.  Because we have been loved by Christ, we have been brought into a relationship with Jesus, so that He can transform us, give us new hearts, make us new creations, and then bring us into a closer walk with Him - He wants us to grow spiritually and to develop His character, so that we can not only live satisfying lives, but to impact the culture around us.

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The Lord desires to display His glory and His nature through His people.  There's a story in Exodus 17 about God's faithfulness to Israel and how it was regarded by Moses:
11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."
15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner...

Yes, there has been a lot of discussion of flags recently.  And, while the flag you fly can be symbolic of your history or your system of beliefs, we have to be careful that a flag does not become an idol.

But, it's clear that a flag can send a message.  The display of the American flag, for instance can be an expression of patriotism, your love for your country.

The display of the Christian flag can send a strong message.   I remember growing up in church and pledging allegiance to the American flag and the Christian flag, which features a white background, with a blue area in the top left hand corner containing a red cross.  It's a flag that up until recently flew in Glencoe, Alabama, which is located in the northeast part of the state.

That is, until the Freedom from Religion Foundation got involved.  They sent one of their infamous letters to the city officials there.  AL.com reported that the city had been flying the Christian flag since the 1990s. FFRF sent a letter to the city in March protesting the flag. That same foundation had challenged nativity scenes in Rainbow City and Glencoe, and Christmas parades and football prayers in Piedmont.

Glencoe city officials reportedly said the flag came down a few weeks ago because the cost of a legal fight would probably be more than the city could afford. I would ask those officials if they had ever heard of the Alliance Defending Freedom or one of the fine legal advocacy organizations that routinely handle cases of this sort.

Well, AL.com reports that a local Glencoe restaurant has begun to fly the Christian flag out in front of his business.  Owner Jeff Word said he believes by flying the flag, he is "standing in the gap." He is quoted as saying, "I think our freedoms are leaving us gradually, as we once knew them," adding, "It was one person that took prayer out of school. I felt like I needed to be that 'one person' in this case. I feel like I'm a private businessman and it's my right to fly the flag."

Good for him.

And, a North Carolina pastor is generating some atttention for his use of the Christian flag.   A Baptist Press article reports on Rit Varriale, senior pastor of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Shelby, N.C., who said the church installed its first-ever flagpole in order to raise the two flags in a special ceremony after morning worship on Sunday, July 5, in which the Christian flag was raised in the higher position -- which prompted interviews by Charlotte-area NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates.

The pastor is quoted as saying: "If you stop and think about it, [flag etiquette] is inconsistent with what the Bible teaches us," adding, "We are first and foremost Christians who are called to serve the living God."

Varriale, an Army veteran, said, "Before our accountability to government is our accountability to God."   He added, "So from a Christian perspective, our flag etiquette is completely improper...We should be flying the Christian flag above the American flag as a demonstration that Christians will respect and obey the federal government up to the point that the government asks something that is inconsistent with what God has called His people to do."  Varriale has noticed another area church, a small African American congregation, that was also flying the Christian flag on top of the American flag.

This is not an endorsement of the movement, but I do appreciate this pastor's sentiment.  And, in this time, perhaps it is time to place a greater emphasis on displaying the Christian flag.  Do you own one?  Do you know where you can get one?

But, more important than flying a flag, we must communicate our love for the Lord and what's in our hearts by displaying Christian character.   The way we live our lives for Christ makes a powerful statement about what we truly believe.   Spiritual growth has to be a top priority for the child of God.  If we are growing spiritually, it can lead to speaking Biblically to issues in the culture.

I think in our social engagement, there could be a tendency to get things backward.  That is why I like to say, with regard to our response to social issues, that we pray and then act as God leads. If we get out there in our social activism without the right words said in the right way, then we could see the wrong outcome.  Christians that are not growing can be ineffective in showing the world the way to live.  

Our statements of truth, spoken with compassion, under the Lord's banner in the power of the Spirit, can be used greatly of the Lord in order to accomplish His purposes.

Tell Us the Truth

The Bible contains the truth that we need in order to live fulfilling lives that please God. 2nd Corinthians 13 reminds us to evaluate ourselves to make sure we are walking in that truth:
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.
6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

We can be convinced of the reliability of God's Word and recognize that not only does He lay out for us principles by which we can live our lives, but we can activate the power of the Spirit as we study and mediate on the truth of the Scriptures.  In a culture that is bordering on chaotic, His Word provides a way forward - God gives us timeless principles and a solid foundation.  People are searching for hope and truth, and He will provide that for us and use us to radiate those components to our society.

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God wants us to consume His truth and apply it in our lives, renewing our minds to His principles. 2nd Timothy 2 says:
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
17a And their message will spread like cancer.

I wanted to return on this "Survey Thursday" to a study done by the Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center in association with USA Today.  I had mentioned that the survey showed that one-third of respondents could not name a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment and less than one-fifth said that freedom of religion was one of those rights, according to the USA Today report on the study.

Over the past year, Americans' support for the First Amendment rebounded strongly. Three-quarters of Americans say it "does not go too far" in ensuring Americans' freedom. That's up from 57% last year after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 stirred public debate about the role of social media during a crisis and the media's use of shocking images, according to State of the First Amendment 2015.  A year ago, 38% said the First Amendment goes too far, but the current survey shows only 19% agrees with the sentiment. The study saw a similar drop, then a recovery after the 2001 terrorist attacks, the authors noted.

While over half of respondents - 57% - said that freedom of speech was one of the guaranteed rights, freedom of the press was named by only about 10%.

And, there is skepticism about the objectivity of the media.  Only about a quarter of respondents, or 24%, believe that the news media try to report on news without bias - that is a 17-point drop from last year.   USA Today speculates that:

A flurry of headlines in recent months about the journalistic sins of high-profile media personalities – Brian Williams, who was demoted at NBC for lying; and ABC's George Stephanopoulos, a former aide to then-President Bill Clinton whose contribution to the Clinton Foundation came to light recently -- may have negatively influenced respondents' feelings about the news media, the study said.

The results showed that over two-thirds of those surveyed felt that the news media had an important role in our democracy as a watchdog for government.


Here are a couple more survey outcomes that might even surprise you:

A slight majority, 51%, believes the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation, largely unchanged since the question was first asked in the 2007 poll.

Also, the percentage of people who agree that wedding service providers should be required to serve same-sex couples has fallen to 38% from 52% in 2013.

So, what do you make of the survey results?   I think one thread is that many people flat out don't trust the news media.  Perhaps they are saying, "tell us the truth."   A majority of people said that the media should be a watchdog, but I believe that all too often, journalists become a mouthpiece for a governmental agenda.   I've heard it said that maybe out of fear of losing access, you have journalists who either intentionally or unintentionally play along in order to get the scoop or the quote.

So, you can't believe everything you hear or read.  And, we have to be discerning with the media that we consume.  I think the reporting on the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage is a great example.  When you have media that run headlines like, "Love Wins," in a celebratory fashion for an affirmation of sinful behavior, you recognize that there is a tangible media bias.  And, many in the media have been willing participants in the duping of America to accept this counterfeit form of so-called "marriage."

And, be careful with social media. How often do you or people you know just automatically share a link on Facebook?  Have you ever had to go back and retract a post because you discovered it was not true or at least questionable?    I am a fan of social media, but we have to be responsible in our use of it.

There is an objective source of truth in our culture today, and that is God's Word.  His Word is authoritative, it is reliable, and it is unchanging.   His truth can provide an anchor in the midst of chaos in our culture.  His truth can be a filter through which we can responsibly consume the plethora of media influences that we encounter each day.  We have to become skilled in applying that truth and living it out.

What Next? How Do We Respond?

As believers, we have a high degree of motivation to live for Christ - because He has loved us and shown mercy toward us, we are called to be merciful toward others, desiring the best for and in other people.  Consider these words from 2nd Corinthians chapter 5:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

We have a mission in this world - to proclaim the love of Christ, by not only our words, but our actions.  And, if we truly love people, we want the best for them.  That could even mean taking the opportunity to share hard truth with them when we see someone walking in error.  God's love can enable us to overcome the fear to speak and the power of the Spirit can help to shape our words and the tone of our words so that we are making a compelling case for the gospel.

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We are called to be people of mercy who speak God's truth to a culture where you have many who have rejected Him.  2nd Corinthians 4 gives us a sense of His mercy and our mission:
1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

The past couple of days on this Front Room commentary, I have highlighted various aspects of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming so-called "same-sex marriage."  On Monday, I highlighted some of the concerns, and yesterday shared how important it is for people of faith to boldly declare God's truth. Today, I want to share more about our response as believers in Christ.


One might ask, "where do we go from here?"  Guests on The Meeting House highlighted how people of faith can respond to this ruling.  At the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando, I spoke with Doug Napier of the Alliance Defending Freedom, who stated, "...It's not a settled social issue; maybe 'settled' as a matter of law according to 5 out of 9 of the Supreme Court justices, but that's a bare majority, and just like with Roe v. Wade, it was not a settled issue then, it still isn't."  He also cautioned about the ripple effect of the high court reaching into the Constitution and pulling out a brand new right “impacting every aspect of commerce, family law, estate law, tax law, and...those that are in Christian business and retailing, they're going to see this coming to their door."

Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation, author of the new book, Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom, related how those who believe in the sanctity of marriage should follow the example of the pro-life movement.  He shared three ideas with me:  one was that the pro-life movement saw Roe as judicial activism and has never accepted it as the truth.  He said that the same thing needs to happen regarding marriage: "We shouldn't think that the Constitution means whatever 5 judges say it means."  

Anderson’s second point was that the pro-life movement worked to ensure their rights of conscience were protected.  He says, and I agree, that no pro-marriage citizen should ever be penalized by the government.  Referring to the First Amendment Defense Act that has been introduced into Congress to provide religious liberty protections:  "...we need to explain why public policy like this is good...why it serves the common good of our nation by protecting our natural rights, including the natural right to the free exercise of religion."

And, his third idea dealt with building a marriage culture.  He said that the pro-life movement bore witness to the truth about the unborn child, and similarly, it's important that we rebuild a strong marriage culture.  "Heterosexuals, for 50 years after the sexual revolution, destroyed the marriage culture.  Redefining marriage is simply the logical conclusion of that."  

Also, at ICRS, I interviewed Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research, who offered these thoughts in response to the Supreme Court ruling: "...I hope we're going to show and share the love of Jesus to a world that needs the love of Jesus; to both see it and...understand it and to hear it and respond to it."  He cautioned against panic and lashing out in fear or anger, encouraging believers "to speak winsomely and graciously...," adding, "The mission field has changed, but the mission hasn't changed."

In our conversation, he said those who hold a perspective on marriage consistent with the Scriptures are part of a "convictional minority."  He cited John 20:21, when Jesus said, "as the Father has sent me, so send I you."  He related that culture changes, but the mission of Jesus doesn't: "we go, we tell, we show, we share."

So, as Stetzer points out, the attitudes of the culture at large have changed.  But, as people of conviction we can seize the opportunities that we have to love Jesus, to love our spouses and reflect God's principles of marriage, and to love God's Word, refusing to accept the attempted redefinition of marriage.   And, where we have opportunity, we speak and live the truth.  

Not Silenced

As Paul affirmed God's call upon his life for the ministry in 1st Timothy chapter 1, and he talked about the power of the law to identify and convict sin.  As he wrote in Galatians, the law is to be used as a tutor, a tool, to bring people to Christ.  Here is a passage from the 1st chapter of 1st Timothy:

8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
9 knowing this: that 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...

Here, Paul gives a list of sins, actions that violate the heart of God - these have been identified as behaviors that are contrary to God's laws.  We can be thankful that God has given His commandments - He has shown us that we are sinners, but He doesn't want to leave us in that state - He wants to pour out His righteousness in our hearts.  Paul boldly declared God's truth about sin, and we have the call on our lives to speak, to declare, the heart of God - in love, identifying those ways that do not please Him and proclaiming Jesus as the answer.

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The Bible instructs us that we are to grow spiritually and to live and love boldly in Christ. Here are some verses from Ephesians 4:
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church in the San Diego, heard weekday mornings on The Garlow Perspective on Faith Radio, stood in his pulpit 2 Sundays ago, holding the Supreme Court decision supporting homosexual marriage in one hand and the Bible in the other, according to a Christian Examiner report, which referred to a video on the Vimeo website.  Garlow declared, "This happens to be one of those times you will make a choice. I made my choice," as he tossed the decision to the floor and holding the Bible high. This is Who I stand with, not this, and I encourage all to do that same, in the time in which we live."

The same article mentioned Liberty Counsel's admonition for pastors to participate in a "Declaration of Dependence," a dependence on Almighty God, during their sermons on July 5.  Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver, along with Rick Scarborough and James Dobson, were the leading presenters of a pledge a few months ago, a Pledge in Solidarity to Defend Marriage, which included these words:

The Supreme Court was wrong when it denied Dred Scott his rights and said, “blacks are inferior human beings.” And the Court was wrong when Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote in Buck v. Bell, “three generations of imbeciles are enough,” thus upholding Virginia’s eugenics law that permitted forced sterilization. Shamefully, that decision was cited during the Nuremburg trials to support the Nazi eugenic holocaust.

In these earlier cases, the definition of “human” was at issue. Now the definition of “marriage” is at issue. The Constitution does not grant a right to redefine marriage — which is nonsensical since marriage intrinsically involves a man and a woman. Nor does the Constitution prohibit states from affirming the natural created order of male and female joined together in marriage.

We will view any decision by the Supreme Court or any court the same way history views the Dred Scott and Buck v. Bell decisions. Our highest respect for the rule of law requires that we not respect an unjust law that directly conflicts with higher law. A decision purporting to redefine marriage flies in the face of the Constitution and is contrary to the natural created order. As people of faith we pledge obedience to our Creator when the State directly conflicts with higher law. We respectfully warn the Supreme Court not to cross this line.

On the day of the marriage ruling, Here We Stand: An Evangelical Declaration on Marriage was released by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.  It was affirmed by some 100 Christian leaders.  According to a piece on the Christianity Today website, it opened by stating:

As evangelical Christians, we dissent from the court’s ruling that redefines marriage. The state did not create the family, and should not try to recreate the family in its own image. We will not capitulate on marriage because biblical authority requires that we cannot. The outcome of the Supreme Court’s ruling to redefine marriage represents what seems like the result of a half-century of witnessing marriage’s decline through divorce, cohabitation, and a worldview of almost limitless sexual freedom. The Supreme Court’s actions pose incalculable risks to an already volatile social fabric by alienating those whose beliefs about marriage are motivated by deep biblical convictions and concern for the common good.

The church is speaking - is culture listening?

The Oregon bakers who have been ordered to pay $135,000 to a lesbian couple whose wedding ceremony they decided not to participate in, have now been ordered to be silent.  The Daily Signal reports on this astonishing development, saying that:

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian finalized a preliminary ruling today ordering Aaron and Melissa Klein, the bakers who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, to pay $135,000 in emotional damages to the couple they denied service.

“This case is not about a wedding cake or a marriage,” Avakian wrote. “It is about a business’s refusal to serve someone because of their sexual orientation. Under Oregon law, that is illegal.”

In the ruling, Avakian placed an effective gag order on the Kleins, ordering them to “cease and desist” from speaking publicly about not wanting to bake cakes for same-sex weddings based on their Christian beliefs.

“This effectively strips us of all our First Amendment rights,” the Kleins, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, which has since closed, wrote on their Facebook page. “According to the state of Oregon we neither have freedom of religion or freedom of speech.”

Their Facebook page continues, "We will NOT give up this fight, and we will NOT be silenced. We stand for God's truth, God's word and freedom for ALL americans. We are here to obey God not man, and we will not conform to this world. If we were to lose everything it would be totally worth it for our Lord who gave his one and only son, Jesus, for us! God will win this fight!"

Not silenced.

For pastors who are called to speak truth and may face attempts to force them to accept same-sex marriage and perform so-called "marriage" ceremonies for gay couples, for business owners who may face attempts to force them to perform services for wedding ceremonies with which they disagree, for probate judges who have faced pressure to issue licenses that violate their core beliefs, and more...for you and me - we will have choices to make.  It's important that we make up our minds to speak God's truth, with love, in conviction, and to stand for His principles.   God is calling us to be people of conviction, living out our faith in difficult circumstances, as a witness to the world.

In God We Trust?

Proverbs 29 offers us some insight into how righteous laws and authority that is consistent with the ways of God can produce rejoicing in the hearts of the people:
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

And, in verse 4, we read:
4 The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.

We can pray for justice and righteousness to be established in our land.  And, the people of God have a critical role, according to 2nd Chronicles 7, which tells us that if God's people, called by His name will do 4 things: humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, then He would hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal our land.  We are a nation in need of healing today, but God has given us His promises and He is faithful to His people.  If we are dissatisfied with the course of our nation, we can take those steps and expect God to move on the hearts of people who are not following in His ways.

+++++

In Psalm 33, we see a passage that addresses God's authority:
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, has come and gone, and while for many it was a time to celebrate our great nation and the freedoms that have been fought for by brave men and women throughout the years, freedoms that were written into our founding documents, for others it was a time to eat or to enjoy recreation or fireworks, or even to party for no specific purpose.

Just days after the U.S. Supreme Court attempted to create a new category of freedom in the U.S. Constitution, a study measured just how familiar that some Americans were with the freedoms that are enunciated in the bill of rights.  This study, conducted by the Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center in partnership with USA Today, found that that one-third of Americans can't name any of the rights that the First Amendment guarantees.   According to the story on the USA Today website, less than two-thirds of survey respondents – 57% vs. 68% a year ago -- were able to cite freedom of speech as one protected by the amendment. Only 19% were able to cite the freedom of religion, down from 29%.

More on freedom of religion later...but back to the court ruling.  I have had a variety of conversations featured on The Meeting House radio program about that topic.  There have been numerous concerns expressed by Christian leaders and commentators.   One of the leading ones is the attempt to redefine an institution that has been established by God Himself, and it is very clear - marriage is the union of one man and one woman.  Period.  So, despite the opinions of 5 Supreme Court justices, that iron-clad definition has not and will not change.

Another area is the override of the democratic process.  Voters in some 30 states had authorized their state constitutions to include an amendment defining marriage consistent with the Scriptural view. As Emily Belz reported in her story for WORLD Magazine, Chief Justice John Roberts said, “Just who do we think we are?” He declared: “This is a court, not a legislature.”

Yet, another area of concern relates to what I mentioned earlier - the creation of a new so-called "right" - you could call it "sexual rights."   Several months ago, Dr. Jerry Johnson, President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, wrote this, in correlation with a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in this gay marriage case: “There is no way a constitutional right to homosexual, so-called, ‘marriage’ can be invented by the courts and enforced without using the police power of the state to impose cooperation by its citizens, and that is in violation of the 1st Amendment.”  He added: “For those who think sexual liberty trumps religious liberty, they need to be reminded that the free exercise of religion is explicitly framed into the Constitution. The same is not so for sexual rights, especially not a revolutionary redefinition of marriage."

And, moving forward, there is concern about the threat to one of our fundamental rights, built in to the First Amendment - the freedom of religion.   I do think it's telling that in that survey I mentioned earlier, less than a fifth of respondents identified religious freedom as one that is protected by the Amendment.  And, there has been analysis on my radio show about the use of the phrase "freedom to worship," implying a practice inside the church walls, as opposed to "freedom of religion," which would describe living out that faith in the public square.  This contrast is seen in the justice's opinions - Kennedy gave a tip of the hat to religious principles, when he said, according to Belz,

“The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.”

Belz pointed out that Roberts didn’t buy that, writing in his dissent, "The majority graciously suggests that religious believers may continue to ‘advocate’ and ‘teach’ their views of marriage," adding, "The First Amendment guarantees, however, the freedom to ‘exercise’ religion. Ominously, that is not a word the majority uses. … Unfortunately, people of faith can take no comfort in the treatment they receive from the majority today."  Alito, referring to some of Kennedy's language, wrote: “It will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy,” adding, “In the course of its opinion, the majority compares traditional marriage laws to laws that denied equal treatment for African-Americans and women. The implications of this analogy will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent.”

Guests on the program highlighted how people of faith can respond to this ruling.  I will pull together and review some of these principles in the days to come.  

I also recommend a piece that ran in newspapers across America yesterday - it was sponsored by Hobby Lobby and was entitled, "In God We Trust."  It featured the Scripture verse, Psalm 33:12, which says that, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."  You can access and download it here.   

It features quotes from a number of notable individuals regarding the role of faith in the history of our nation, including Founding Fathers, Presidents, and even Supreme Court Justices. It quotes one of the original high court members, James Wilson:  "Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine...Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants.  Indeed, these two sciences run into each other."  

By ignoring the laws of God and making a decision based on man's fallible reasoning, the U.S. Supreme Court has placed people of faith in a difficult position.  But, we can experience God's wisdom and strength as we respond.