Should Christians Refuse To Service The Gay Community?

In the time and life of Jesus the nation of Israel was under Roman dominance and control. The Israelites were allowed to live there, practice their faith (for the most part), pay taxes to Caesar and obligated to obey Roman law.
 
The Israelites believed Romans to be heathens, or ungodly. In the land that was promised to Moses, when God brought them out of the bondage in Egypt, the Romans had no place ruling God's chosen people in God's chosen land.  To put it simply, this was blasphemous to the Isrealites.

One Roman law stated that any man could be required to stop whatever he was doing and carry a Roman soldier’s equipment as far as a mile.  This type of practice was completely despised by the Isrealites and they were awaiting a Messiah that would stand up and remove this persecution and control by the Romans.  A king that would force Roman control out of the land of promise. 

With his followers gathered around him, Jesus referenced this very law in His sermon on the mount and told His followers what they should do.  “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also,” he said. “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mathew 5).  Yikes! ... that was obviously not the conclusion that the people would have come up with on their own.  They wanted blood!

If you believe gay marriage is wrong and a gay couple comes in to patronize your shop, what should you do?  If God causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on the wedding days of straight and gay couples, then what is our responsibility?  If you believe strongly that their lifestyle is immoral, what should you do?  What if local, state, or federal law says it is discrimination to refuse service to the couple wanting to get married, what then?

Christians, our Jesus said, “Go with them two miles.”

If you are wondering if you need to stand up for what you believe is right, if you have missed the hurt in their eyes when you refuse them service and only see an angry, media-driven, ACLU-led mob attacking the small business owner who is only standing up for what you believe in ... yes, stand up and do the right thing!

Christians, our Jesus said, “Go with them two miles.”

Our Redeemer said not only obey the law, but take it to a higher standard of love. Christians should be the FIRST to offer our services!  We should be like an overbearing relative and smother them with service and love. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Jesus
 
We are hurting so many people when we dig our heels into our dogma and forget the primary message of Jesus, to love as far as our enemies.  Behind the ACLU and the media are real people, ... real people who have been hurt over and over in the name of Christ by Christians. I know most of us may have good intentions, but in the end ... Jesus is the last thing they want to hear about after we get done with them.  Show them love, show them Jesus.


They will know we are Christians by our love, ... by our love.

- Kev

Speaking Truth To Power

It is difficult for many of us to visualize a timeline of the world's empires, especially since most of us generally view the world from a Biblical perspective. The ancient world consisted of long lasting empires that did not know about one another. While Asia flourished, Egypt and South America also had flourishing civilizations. One of the longest surviving empires of the world was the Mayans and they have been largely ignored in global views until they ran out of room on their calendar and now they have received to much attention.

But even if you look simply on the history of empires, from Egypt to Assyria, Babylon to Rome, Arab and British ... you come down to the Soviet Union and the United States. What we learn from this is the inevitable reality that empires rise and fall. It seems the cycle of rising and falling gets shorter as time continues it's march forward.

The United States, early in the 20th century, began to pursue it's imperialistic pursuits as Colonialism was dying. However, technological, economic, and military colonialism started taking its place. America was the leader in the early development of things that has forever changed society like films, flight, computer technology, and transportation but we grew and advanced so quickly that our TV and movie industry dominated the world and pushed our culture, fashions, and values onto the rest of the planet earth. Pilots all over the world want to fly and talk to the control tower but you have to speak English..... it's our toys, so it's our rules.

Cultural empires expressed themselves, in the west, in Greek, to Arabic, to Latin and now into English and for those of us born in the second half of the last century, it is difficult to see that we are the king of the hill for this moment in time. The world's technology, culture, military and economy will not always be ruled by our influence.

The Soviet Union was the rival of our lifetime. Then eventually the Soviet Union under the sheer weight of the arms race could no longer finance it's approach and fell for good. Now we to are expanding our military presence across the world but especially in the Pacific around China as if we could launch enough ships to contain them. As China's economy is growing, we are expanding our military spending in exactly the same way the Soviet Union did and we will likely hand world domination to China because of the lack of foresight on our part to stop following in the footsteps of those that have gone down the same path.

Take Afghanistan, long known as the death of empires. We watched as the Soviet Union deplete their capital resources in a useless war there and now we have been there from 2001 to the present trying our best to commit the same economic and political suicide ourselves. We also maintain more than 700 military bases in 130 nations, many of which are related to WWII issues ... a war that ended 70 years ago.  Without any thought about the fall of Russia, we now are hearing the drum beats for a war in Iran.

Both parties, in the American political debate, have had recent presidential candidates that tried to bring to the forefront the self destruction this military empire we have built will bring upon us, Paul and Ryan, two different men from opposite ends of our political system but they have both been painted as being lunatics. Every politician deserves to be seen a bubble off of plumb but these two have been sent to the far reaches of political consideration because, as Ron Paul said, "Telling the truth is treason in the empire of lies."

Before you think that I am supporting Paul too much, let me quickly say that he paraphrased that quote in his book from George Orwell who said that, "In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

I don't mention the inevitability of the demise of the American empire to be upsetting nor to suggest that we should take steps to remain at the top of the mountain. I'm just making a observation about power just as a spiritual person and a simple citizen.

As a spiritual person I refer to an Old Testament lesson which comes from the 17th chapter of Ezekiel where the prophet is declaring that the day would come when God would raise up the kingdom of Judah to rule the world. He uses the image of Israel as a mighty cedar tree growing tall and all of the birds of the air, representing the nations of the world, come to build nests in its branches. This Zionist vision is repeated here and there through the Bible and is sometimes so subtle that even modern Americans seem to be persuaded that God wants to put this particular government and this particular piece of real estate in a prominent position. I to believe in God's chosen people, but not to the point of lunacy.

The lesson here demonstrates that Jesus was not taken in by Ezekiel's excesses of nationalistic enthusiasm. In Mark chapter 4, Jesus likens the Kingdom of God, not to a giant cedar tree but to a tiny mustard plant. He mocks Ezekiel saying that birds build their nest in the mustard plant but not any bird that is not intent upon almost immediate extinction because the mustard weed only grows to be about a foot to a foot and a half tall.... It can be crushed by stepping on it and it dies in the first frost. To rub it in just a bit further, the mustard weed was not kosher and was used only to feed cattle and sheep. Jesus chose the weakest, most disgusting and unlikely plant to represent the Kingdom of God and he did that just as Roman armies were carrying their fierce symbols of military might all over the western world.

If we are to "speak the truth to power" we must first accept that speaking is the only power we have but I am always suspicious of power because every empire eventually becomes one built upon lies.

Take for example that we not only invaded Iraq under false pretenses, once our first set of lies were discovered, then the defense for occupation was that Saddam was a horribly corrupt dictator that violently put down protest and tortured prisoners. But wait a minute, don't we torture prisoners and violently put down opposition? How about the amount of corruption within the pentagon and the hundreds of millions of missing dollars?  This forces one to wonder, in a contest between our Government in Iraq and Saddam's management ... which one was the most deadly and oppressive and corrupt?

Honestly, I have no idea what the answer is to that question would be. However, I know for certain you will not hear this question asked by the media channels that are owned by the same corporations that profit from the war nor in any denominational church because speaking the truth in the empire of lies is considered to be treason.

When Jesus points to the vulnerable, non-kosher mustard plant as the symbol for the kingdom where we want to hold our citizenship it is an anti-empire symbol. A citizenship not attached to any earthly Government.

I am an American and I want my country to be the one that delivers emergency relief aid. I want them to provide medical treatment to the millions throughout the world without such capabilities.  I even want my nation to be the one that helps to stop genocide, remove murderous dictators, and to promote human rights around this global community of ours. But I know that power always corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and we start believing things like, "Water boarding isn't torture because Americans do it and America doesn't torture..... so water boarding can't be torture." Round and round we go with the justifications.

So if speaking the truth is treason in the empire of lies, I just want to make sure that I am guilty of treason. Or if you prefer George Orwell's wording so that speaking the truth in an age of deceit is a revolutionary act, fine. But no matter how you slice it, we should never be afraid to speak the truth to the empire because without us, they are sure to prefer their lies.





Israel Exalted at Last
Ezekiel 17:22-24

"Thus says the Lord God: “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it. "

Parable of the Mustard Seed Matt. 13:31–35

"Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples."

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Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Beautifully sung, please listen.

The Drunk and the Hypocrite

I've played music in churches and bars all my life. In many ways, these two gatherings are very similar. Both sets of “regulars” are looking for meaning, carrying out a ritual of sorts—hoping to find purpose, something that makes sense of the pain.

At first glance, it might seem the Church is a better place to look for hope than the bottom of a bottle. Every day, alcoholism and drug abuse destroy families, ruin careers and wreck communities. On the other hand, theological beliefs and misunderstandings have been blamed for divisions, divorces and wars around the world. The trouble with each institution lies within us. True, alcohol feeds a different fire than pietism, but neither a drunk nor a hypocrite look very good in the daylight.

We carry our problems into the church the same way we carry them into a bar—they just react differently in each location. Unfortunately, the sins that exist within the walls of the Church are harder to spot.

Pride, for example, can hide incredibly well in the religious community. I rarely hear the words “I don’t know” uttered at church. And yet the triune Creator of time and space will always be wrapped in mystery and holiness. Why not start in the seat of humility? Surely all of us have gotten a few things wrong in our attempts at Christianity.

Isn’t it pride that causes divisions among us? When we begin to slander other believers in the name of God, we know we’ve gotten off course. Did our Master’s words fall on deaf ears? “Love each other as I have loved you.” “Let them be one, Father, even as we are one.” These are not optional thoughts on how things could be done, but rather prerequisites for entrance into Kingdom of Heaven life. Unity is serious business. The Church is called to be one even as the triune God is one. The comprehensive salvation of our planet is built on the final unity of the Church and her God: the bride and her Savior.

Unfortunately, unity within the ecclesial community is the exception, not the rule. It’s to our shame many folks looking for hope find more grace at the local bar than the local church. When we speak with a fire and anger that burns differently than the fresh air of the cross, we do the Gospel a disservice. We know deep down something is wrong. So we revolt against those fiery speeches. We say the method needs to change. We call the old model irrelevant. And yes! The fresh winds of the Spirit are ready to blow upon us, let us pray for new tongues of the same eternal flame.

And yet if I speak with the tongues of angels and of men but have not love, it profits me nothing. If I rise up against the cheesy Christian T-shirts but have not love, it helps no one. If I hate the legalistic hatred but have not love, it builds nothing. Has the enemy tricked us into a new form of legalism? Is not our judgment committing the same offense? Ah, we may have found a way, but it is not love.

Walking the line between the clubs and the Church, I’ve been misunderstood by both sides. I’m sure you’ve felt the same thing: people throw rocks at the things they don’t understand. But it hurts worst when it comes from well-intending brothers and sisters, the folks who are purportedly filled with the love of Christ. Our knee-jerk response is to retaliate, to fight back. And the cycle begins again. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. God will take care of the speck in my neighbor’s eye. The more faith I have in Him and His strong voice, the less I have to yell. The more faith I have in Him, the freer my hands become to serve those around me.

Washing feet is not extra credit. We are called to bear each other’s burdens. Unity is a miraculous achievement, but it’s intended for this side of the grave. Unity is the transforming work of the power of the cross in our lives. In the dark, blood-stained shadow of the cross, our boasting is laughable. Our differences are minute. Take another look at the cross. Look at how much He loves you. Look at His surrender, His sacrifice. Unity comes into focus only when we realize the magnificent grace of the Savior.

Let us acknowledge our neediness, our beautiful desperation. Yes, our unanswerable, aching, longing poverty is a prerequisite for the balm of salvation. We, the people—the failures, the losers, the outsiders—we have found our King. Christ, the King of the fools; the Lord of the sick, broken souls like us. Let us remain in continual awe of the love we have been shown. And let us love! Let us celebrate the reckless love of the one who risked all that we might be loved. And let us follow in the path of a God who loves us. The tax collectors and the rabbis. The prostitutes and the Sadducees. In the bars and in the churches. Yes, God even loves Christians.

- Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman is the co-founder and lead singer of the band Switchfoot and lead singer of Fiction Family. You can follow him on Twitter @jonforeman. This article originally appeared in RELEVANT.

The Religious Right

I live in the intolerant capital of the United States, Alabama. The religious right is behind everything ... churches, schools, the press, and anywhere else they can get a foothold. When they speak, hatred spews from there lips. When they write, hatred roles onto the paper. When they teach ... hatred is passed onto the next generation.

Many that subscribe to the same core principles as radical racial groups like the currently milder KKK and others are also very active in the religious right movement. The intolerance and bigotry for homosexuals, immigrants, faiths, and others are supported by both groups and so many share positions in both causes with a wink and a smile. Gandhi said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

I believe in equal treatment for everyone under the American government. That includes all races, religions, and sexual preferences. There is no place, for intolerance toward those that are different. There is no place for bigoted ideas in America. Our constitutions true intent was that all have equal rights, not just Christians.

I believe that there is right and wrong. I DO NOT believe that it is my place, or yours, to regulate moral and spiritual values through the passing of laws so that I force someone to live the way I believe they should. There will be a judgement and we all will answer for our actions and intent. God will handle punishment and reward. I only pray that he takes it easy on us Christians.

Please do not include me in any more religious right activities or organizations. I am tired of disguised hatred. Repent, find Christ.

~Kev