Issues, Etc.

How do we walk out our theology? This is the driving question behind my pursuit of God's will for my life. The truth is, our understanding of different issues reveals what we truly believe about them. I like the analogy of an Alaskan guide who tells his hiking group that there is a very real threat of being eaten by bears on their trip. What would we think if this guide did not carry a firearm? He either does not really believe in the possibility of death by bear or he does not believe death by bear to be an experience to avoid. The fact that he chooses not to carry a gun shows us that bear maulings are not really an issue to him.

I suppose the first Tuesday in November every fourth year is one of the greatest revealers of our personal theology. What is important to you? What do you worship? How will you vote? The truth is, for evangelical Christians, God will hold us accountable for how we exercise stewardship of our voting perogative. What issues will guide how your ballot is cast? The media in America has already cast thier ballot: not for any candidate per se, but for issues. The media is consumed with issues like the economy, war, and the environment. But what of issues like homosexuality, abortion, and criminal justice? Paul wrote that the governing authorities do not "bear the sword in vain", but are given by God to hinder evil and prosper righteousness. Ironically, even the most hardcore atheist views government as creating and enforcing ethics - rules for what is right and wrong.

The question for believers becomes the following: do the ethics proposed by any given candidate line up with the ethics of the Bible? Consider the following two issues: abortion and homosexual marriage.

There are many people and political candidates who believe that abortion is morally acceptable. Abortion is not morally acceptable. It is murder. "Thou shalt not kill" does not exclude tearing a helpless child limb from limb or sucking its brains out with a catheter. After using forceps to pull a first-trimester infant to pieces, the abortion doctor routinely reassemble the pieces to make sure all of the child was removed. We wouldn't want a stray arm to rot inside the mother. This is worse than gross murder. It is a rebellion against God. Has this issue taken a back seat to the gods of economy or safety? In Isaiah 1 God tells Judah, "When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood."

Consider homosexuality. It was for homosexuality that God rained fire on Sodom and Gamorrah. Later, in the New Testament, Paul would remind us that "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9-10)
God has clearly condemned this practice as sin. And yet, for some, homosexual marriage is non-discrimination and ultimately good! These people, however, are in the vast minority. Notice the following quote from Dr. Mohler's blog:

Same-sex marriage is, for now, legal in three of fifty states in the United States. Beyond our borders, it is legal in the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, South Africa, Canada and Norway. This represents a very small percentage of the world's population. Same-sex marriage is, by any measure, the exception rather than the rule. Even when legalized civil unions and domestic partnerships are thrown into the mix, the countries that consider same-sex unions and heterosexual marriages to be equal before the law represent a small percentage of the world's nations.

While this demonstrates how unnatural homosexuality is, it does not determine our perception of the issues. God has damned homosexuality. As Christians, will we agree with the Bible, or make up our own religion?

I am afraid that many professing Christians have ignored the clear commands and ethics in the Bible, and have re-created God in their own image. In our lustful, selfish idolatry we have chosen to put issues like finacial stability ahead of issues like murder by abortion or perverted sexuality. I urge us all to have our minds renewed by the power of the Word of God. Jesus asked God to make us holy through the truth - "Your word is truth". Have a right perspective this November.