From the Desk of Pastor Meyer
Dear friends in Christ,
In my February Messenger
article, I wrote and encouraged you to pray for our government officials,
including those with whom we disagree socially, politically, and theologically.
I urge you to continue doing this most important and noble of tasks in your
dual vocations as Christian and as citizen. I also encourage you to be mindful
and attentive to what is happening in government so you can be well informed as
a Christian citizen. Be prepared to offer both a Christian worldview and
critique to fellow citizens and to the men and women who serve us in
Washington. Support them when you are able; disagree when you need to; oppose
when necessary – always in Christian love.
On Thursday, February 25, the
United States House of Representatives passed a bill that has been called “The
Equality Act.” The bill passed by a vote of 224 to 206, largely along party
lines. This bill now heads to the Senate for debate and vote to become law. Because
of this bill, it may be time for us to speak against that which is taking place
in Washington.
The name of the bill is
laudable: every citizen does deserve to be treated equally under the laws of
the land. Unfortunately, in many ways, this Act does exactly the opposite. The
Heritage Foundation is a social and political conservative research group. A
recent article on their website summarizes this bill in this way (https://www.heritage.org/gender/report/11-myths-about-hr-5-the-equality-act-2021):
The
proposed Equality Act of 2021 (H.R. 5) would make mainstream beliefs about
marriage, biological facts about sex differences, and many sincerely held
beliefs punishable under the law. The Equality Act makes discrimination the law
of the land by forcing Americans to conform to government-mandated beliefs
under the threat of life-ruining financial and criminal penalties. Presented
as a bill with commonsense and decent protections against discrimination, H.R.
5 is anything but. The Equality Act politicizes medicine and education
and demolishes existing civil rights and constitutional freedoms. (Emphasis
mine.)
The article offers careful
criticism of eleven popular claims made by the bill’s proponents. I would
commend the article, and other resources at www.heritage.org,
for your information.
There is no doubt that with its
current language, the Equality Act will negatively impact the Christian Church
and our confession of faith in the public sector. The Act stands opposite of
our beliefs regarding what the Word of God says about sin, repentance, and grace.
It will attack the Biblical role of genders, forcing girls to compete against
boys in unevenly matched athletic contests and making women share private
spaces (like restrooms, dressing rooms, and locker rooms) with men who claim to
be women. It opens the door for taxpayer-funded abortions, gender mutilation,
and will force health professionals and educators to follow this line of
thinking under threat of losing their jobs. It would even strip parents of
their right, responsibility, and beliefs regarding gender and sexuality issues
for their child.
It is easy and tempting to
think all is hopeless. With it having passed the House, President Biden has
indicated his support for the bill to become law should it pass the Senate.
What can you do? Instead of
playing the hopeless victim of an increasingly secular society, I offer you
both a spiritual and a temporal response.
Spiritually speaking, know
this: we are battling against things that are not of this world and an enemy
that is not flesh and blood, satan himself. He is hard at work to neuter the
Church and Her confession – anything to get in the way of God’s Word proclaimed
in truth and purity. Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” must be able to be
answered without retribution. The devil wants to silence these words and he is
gleeful, I am sure, at what is being done behind the premise of legislation couched
in “equality.” In times like this, the words of St. Peter are most apropos:
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that
those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed
of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
The greatest weapon you have as
a Christian citizen is prayer. If you do nothing else, carry this to the Lord
in your prayers, for wisdom and courage as you speak against this bill; that He
guides Congress to humble themselves before Him; that He leads our citizenry to
repentance; and that He gives the Church leaders who are willing and able to
stand firm for the Gospel. The Psalms offer many prayers for God’s people when
facing enemies that attack, such as this.
Temporally speaking, get
involved as a Christian citizen. We are blessed with two state Senators who
oppose the bill. Take nothing for granted: write them, anyway, indicating your
strong support of their opposition to this bill. You can find the contact
information for Senators Cornyn and Cruz at https://www.senate.gov/states/TX/intro.htm
and write, call, or email. Be succinct, courteous, and kind but be firm in
expressing why you oppose the bill. It may be helpful to briefly summarize the
points from the Heritage Foundation article, or those I expressed above, in
your communication. We need to speak out about this together, as members of our
congregation, as Lutherans, as Christians, as part of the body of Christ who
are also citizens of this nation.
The same is true in your
relationships with other people. Speak winsomely but firmly to persuade others
of the Biblical worldview against this bill. If you know people who live in
other states, encourage them to become involved, too, in contact their
senators, speaking with others, and joining in prayer.
Lest you think this is all an
academic exercise, that this could never happen in the United
States, Canada is already under a similar law. Clergy and churches have been
forced to neuter their message against sin, sinful behavior, and so-called
“lifestyle choices.” To those who have refused to comply, clergy have been
jailed and churches severely punished with fines, forcing some to close their
doors. This is a real and present danger to our Christian confession as
American citizens.
Finally, remember this: the
Lord is still the Lord even if all around us seems to be crumbling. Jesus
warned us that there would be temporal enemies against the Church. This is not
unexpected. We continue to live in the world as Christian citizens by being Biblically
aware, socially informed, and involved. Remain strong in faith, trusting that
in the Lord, our labors are not in vain. Be of good courage and speak boldly
knowing that the Holy Spirit will guide your words of confession. Be as wise as
serpents and as gentle as doves. I’ll continue to share information on this as
I know more.
May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, that you may overflow in hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.
Pastor Meyer
Awesome Info! Thanks For Sharing.
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