Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Forced Gay Acceptance
UPDATE 1:30PM Same Date
As they say in the NFL, "Upon further review..." apparently the brush up was that certain Illinois legislators were threatening to apply the new statute to churches, but the statute lacks the wording to make that happen. The statute passed, Illinois SB3186 was an amendment to an existing law. While the amendment does not contain the usually standard exemptions for churches, the underlying law does and it therefore applies to the amendment.
Those facts not withstanding, the research has been helpful and there are two organizations that I would like to recommend to those interested in donating to legal protections for the church. As mentioned below, ADF is one of them. The other is Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Claremont Institute. Please, click and be generous.
(Thanks to John Eastman at the CCJ for his input!)
UPDATE 8:45AM Same Date
And prayer is answered quickly! In the research I promised in the post below, I ran across this piece from the Alliance Defense Fund which indicates the law recently passed does not have the sweeping affect indicated in the initial reporting. ADF looks like a good resource in this type of situation and I will keep them in mind and consult them in the future.
Original Post
In the Agora picks up on a State of Illinois press release, JollyBlogger picks up on a Worldnet Daily Story, while Evangelical Outpost, Wittenberg Gate, and SmartChristian pick up on them concerning an anti-discrimination law signed in Illinois this week that might make it illegal for churches to discriminate against gays in their hiring practices.
In the words of Douglas Adams -- DON'T PANIC. I am sure this law is a long way from practical enforcability. I would not be surprised to see this make it all the way to the Supremes. Which raises what I see as the first, most important question -- Where do I send a check?
We have to fight this one. Separation of church and state has to be a doctrine that runs both ways. If the church is somehow limited in its operations in governmnet, then so too should governmnet be limited in its power to affect the church.
When ever this subject, or similar subjects come up I always find my self reflecting of Jesus' statement to "render unto Caesar...." I have a very solid sense of where I stand morally -- and homosexual practice is just wrong. The line about where my moral and religious convictions should or should not be forced into the public sphere is much less distinct.
But on this I have little doubt, those of us in the church, with strong moral convictions, CANNOT allow government to change those convictions, and particularly not when they are shared by a majority of people in the country. I am going to research places where we can send money and let you know.
Pray hard about this one.
As they say in the NFL, "Upon further review..." apparently the brush up was that certain Illinois legislators were threatening to apply the new statute to churches, but the statute lacks the wording to make that happen. The statute passed, Illinois SB3186 was an amendment to an existing law. While the amendment does not contain the usually standard exemptions for churches, the underlying law does and it therefore applies to the amendment.
Those facts not withstanding, the research has been helpful and there are two organizations that I would like to recommend to those interested in donating to legal protections for the church. As mentioned below, ADF is one of them. The other is Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Claremont Institute. Please, click and be generous.
(Thanks to John Eastman at the CCJ for his input!)
UPDATE 8:45AM Same Date
And prayer is answered quickly! In the research I promised in the post below, I ran across this piece from the Alliance Defense Fund which indicates the law recently passed does not have the sweeping affect indicated in the initial reporting. ADF looks like a good resource in this type of situation and I will keep them in mind and consult them in the future.
Original Post
In the Agora picks up on a State of Illinois press release, JollyBlogger picks up on a Worldnet Daily Story, while Evangelical Outpost, Wittenberg Gate, and SmartChristian pick up on them concerning an anti-discrimination law signed in Illinois this week that might make it illegal for churches to discriminate against gays in their hiring practices.
In the words of Douglas Adams -- DON'T PANIC. I am sure this law is a long way from practical enforcability. I would not be surprised to see this make it all the way to the Supremes. Which raises what I see as the first, most important question -- Where do I send a check?
We have to fight this one. Separation of church and state has to be a doctrine that runs both ways. If the church is somehow limited in its operations in governmnet, then so too should governmnet be limited in its power to affect the church.
When ever this subject, or similar subjects come up I always find my self reflecting of Jesus' statement to "render unto Caesar...." I have a very solid sense of where I stand morally -- and homosexual practice is just wrong. The line about where my moral and religious convictions should or should not be forced into the public sphere is much less distinct.
But on this I have little doubt, those of us in the church, with strong moral convictions, CANNOT allow government to change those convictions, and particularly not when they are shared by a majority of people in the country. I am going to research places where we can send money and let you know.
Pray hard about this one.
