Gay wedding cakes and religious freedom
The blogosphere has been abuzz over the recent case of the Oregon couple whose bakery closed after they refused to make a cake for a lesbian couple’s wedding. But that case isn’t the only one of its kind. There are a number of cases right now which have lasting implications for issues where religious freedom intersects with civil rights.
Christians have offered differing responses to such cases…even on the same website. For instance, Os Hillman wrote an op-ed piece for Charisma News which argued that the bakery should have made the cake and in doing so, showed the love of Jesus to this couple. Many Christians applauded Hill’s piece and have shared it online.
In response, Michael Brown wrote a piece pointing out the way Hillman’s piece failed to take into account the religious freedom implications and the way cases like this are a danger to genuine freedom of conscience for any religious person. It likewise received much applause and many shares.
My own network of friends and readers have weighed in on both sides and it seems that Christians have strong disagreements regarding how to approach the same-sex “culture war” that America currently finds itself embroiled in.*
This is not unexpected, of course. Unity in Christ has never required uniformity in thought when it comes to controversial ethical issues. But for most who find themselves somewhere in the middle, the culture warriors–whether flying a rainbow flag and labeling anyone who disagrees as “hateful bigots”, or rallying their people to “take back America for God” through bullhorns and dismissing any show of love to the gay community as “capitulating” to the gay agenda–don’t seem to represent the fullness of the Gospel.
Categories: Blog, Ministry, New Testament, Political/Social issues, Theological issues
Leviticus chapters 18 and 20 sums it up for me but there will always be a debate…
by steve kennington on Sep 6, 2013 at 10:57 pm
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by Der Scheidungsanwalt on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:48 pm
Whatever you do, you must first abide the word of God, May God bless you.
by entrümpelung on May 16, 2020 at 7:26 am