Belief Rooted in Love

The new sexual
revolutionaries have shifted focus from the legal sanctioning of gay marriage
to the elimination of dissent. Around the country, so-called
“non-discrimination statutes” undercut the rights of religious believers to
live according to the demands of their faith when those demands conflict with
the “new normal.” Must people of faith conform to values that contradict their
beliefs?

Granted, these
laws don’t affect pastors, priests and rabbis. Not yet. The LGBTQ movement is smarter
than to go for that now. Instead, they are starting with people like you. Everyday
people doing everyday jobs: photographers, florists, bakers. Unlikely
combatants in a war they didn’t ask for. The successful attacks on these common
people are cracks in a
foundational principle of justice and the
common good
that affects
the freedom of every American, regardless of religious belief. Churches will
fall in line eventually, or be crushed.

If this sounds
like paranoia, consider that even influential evangelical Christians like
mega-church pastor Andy Stanley, Christianity Today editor Skye Jethani, and
FOX News correspondent Kirsten Powers suggest that Christian conviction
requires the faithful to accede to
unconscionable acts.
“What would Jesus do? I think he’d bake
the cake.”
Powers summarizes
audaciously.

Well, Jesus was
a carpenter, so it’s unlikely anyone would have asked him to bake. But do you
see him building the altar at which gay men exchange vows? What about the pews
for those celebrating the sanctioning of sin? Or the lectern from which a
pastor would quote Jesus’ own description of the reason a man will leave his
father and mother and be joined together with his wife.

Our LBGTQ
neighbors are made in the image of God, and entitled to all the rights due
every other human being. The Jim Crow comparison may be an effective talking
point, but it has no basis in fact. Racism is a sin. It denies the humanity
of human beings; the Gospel elevates their worth. As servants of the Gospel we
have no choice but to fight doggedly for a culture that enables every human
being to experience the abundant life God promises. Racism is a hindrance to
that life, as is homosexuality. The tragic irony is that proponents of
no-holds-barred sexuality are condemning others to a life of bondage. My
conviction is that I ought to have no part in forging the slavers’ chains.

When I travel
the country and teach on the meaning and purpose of marriage I am often asked
whether it is right to attend the same-sex wedding of a beloved family member
or friend. My answer is always the same: It depends. Then I begin asking
questions:

Have you prayed
about it? How is the Holy Spirit leading you? Do you feel you can attend the
service without compromising your responsibility to be a witness to the Truth?
Will attending enable you to continue a Gospel presence in the person’s life?
If so, then perhaps you should go.

Or are you
merely afraid of telling the truth? Of the consequences should someone know
what you believe? If so, then this may be the time to respectfully decline the
invitation, and explain why.

Individuals may
be led one way or another according to their conscience. One may feel they can
provide the service without endorsing or celebrating the event; another may
feel the opposite. Religious freedom and the right of conscience preserve the
rights of individuals to come to their own conclusions in such circumstances.

Of course not
every act of commerce amounts to an assessment of the moral nature of
homosexuality. But every so often a creator is asked to use their talents for
something their conscience cannot abide. It may be a wedding cake for a
same-sex ceremony, or a cake in a lewd shape, or a cake
celebrating abortion. In those instances, the Bible fails to provide an absolute
answer. What is a Christian to do? The answer is a matter of individual
conscience. Not whether Christians should or should not do something, but whether they
must do something.

Life in a
pluralistic society requires us to recognize and respect our differences, and
find ways to get along in spite of them. This is a difficult, educational and
deeply fulfilling task—if it is allowed. There have been times when we have,
as a nation, agreed that certain ideas are undeserving of participation in the
public square. The belief that marriage is solely for one man and woman ought not
to be included in that list alongside racism and miscegenation, for it is a
belief rooted in love. Even if you disagree, you ought to respect that fact. You
might even learn of some Good News.

Eric Teetsel is executive director of the Manhattan Declaration.

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