SCOTUS: What should the Church have expected? How should the Church react?
0 comments Posted by Russell Tusing at 2:03 PM
How up in arms should Christians be over the ramifications of the SCOTUS judgment? How ought we to respond and react to homosexual unions being officially recognized by the federal government and state governments? The initial fall out has been variegated to be sure. Media coverage, protest campaigns, innumerable blogs, doctrinal statements and so on and so on. Facebook and Twitter have been lit up like the Fourth of July. I actually stumbled upon a picture on Facebook where a young lady was posing in front of an American Flag holding an assault rifle in one hand and a bible in the other. I mean, really, is G.I. Jane imagery an appropriate counter measure? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Needless to say, the reactions and the responses from the Church and the confessing Christian community have been all over the place.
It seems to me that much of the reactions and responses have much to do with our expectations as the Church of Jesus Christ in America. Maybe more to do with our expectations than the actual far reaching implications of the SCOTUS decision. So, should we be up in arms and ready to make our voices heard among the viral community with our digital graffiti by way of protest and outrage? Should we plunge ourselves into the political machine as a measure to throw a wrench in the legislative cogs? On some levels, sure. Being disciples of Jesus Christ who stand for the truths of Scripture and contend for the faith once and for all delivered, it is our delight and privilege to fight the good fight of faith. We should define homosexuality as Scripture does and without liberal theological revisions or evangelical and ecumenical compromise. It is an egregious sin (Lev.18:22; Rom.1:24-28;1 Cor.6:9-11). It betrays God's glorious creational intent for male and female (Gen.1:26-28, 2:18-24; Mal.2:14-15). It besmirches the portrait of Christ and His Bride, the church, that marriage between man and woman alone is designed to portray (Eph.5:22-33). Of course, as the Church of Jesus Christ we need to stand our ground and defend the sanctity of marriage God instituted as a creational imperative now redeemed in Jesus Christ - but not before we define what our expectations should be or should have been in the first place to such a cultural change and reality. The shock and awe many are experiencing (and really shouldn't be -read further) needn't produce a shock and awe reaction. Shooting off our Christian Gatling guns all over the place before surveying the terrain or environment is hazardous and is an inadequate and ineffectual response on our part. We must turn to Scripture to help us accurately define our expectations of this new norm as we determine how to respond and react redemptively. Scripture needs to inform our expectations which concurrently inform our attitudes, emotions, dialogue and rhetoric.
While the Church of Jesus Christ should stand against homosexual unions and define homosexuality according to the above rubric we shouldn't be overtaken with a sense of shock and surprise. We are taught in Scripture that this is to be expected from a sinful culture outside of the church whether we like it or not. I wonder if much of the churches expectations are more informed by a sense of Americanism. The New Testament clearly establishes that homosexuality was commonplace within the culture of the early church. Paul spends much space writing to the Church in Rome about it (Rom.1:18-32) while also referring to it in his letter to Corinth (1 Cor.6:9-11). The "sexually immoral" and "impure" of Ephesians 5 (and Colossians 3) would have likely subsumed homosexual relations within this description. The Church has always been entrenched by this sort of cultural sin. We shouldn't react as though this is some new atrocity simply because it is more visible to us in the U.S. Church. It has always been an atrocious sin. Paul wrote Timothy, who was pastoring the Church at Ephesus, about understanding that this sort of sensual sin will characterize the world around the Church during these last days (2 Tim.3:2-4). This doesn't mean that we simply accept such behavior with a sense of approval but that we understand it as a reality that is around the Church and will be until Christ returns and the Church is perfected in a world without sin. The world is no more sinful and unrighteous now than it has ever been because homosexual relations have received legal standing in the U.S. Our reaction or response should be informed by this understanding. We are not better or worse off than the Church was in the age of the N.T. We are in the same "lasts days" as they were - living for the same Jesus as they were - trusting in the same gospel as they were despite living in a sinful culture like they did. Our passion, mission, identity and faith as the Church remains what it is in Christ despite what Caesar or SCOTUS decrees. SCOTUS may decree (whether they were Constitutional or within their purview is not the object of this blog) for the U.S. but CHRIST decrees for the Church.
As the church, our reactions need to be conditioned by this expectation as we have, do and should respond. Unlike the following expectation based reaction of: “emotional and mental suffering,” “acute loss of confidence,” “doubt,” “excessive sleep,” “felt mentally raped, dirty and shameful,” “high blood pressure,” “impaired digestion,” “loss of appetite,” “migraine headaches,” “pale and sick at home after work,” “resumption of smoking habit,” “shock,” “stunned,” “surprise,” “uncertainty,” “weight gain,” and “worry.” This was actually what a homosexual "couple" described in a law suit as their reaction to an Oregon bakery declining to provide them with a wedding cake. This sort of expectation based reaction will be commonplace among homosexuals and the sinful culture we live among. Peter writes the church about this sort of reaction from a sinful culture (practicing such things as homosexuality) as a reaction they and we should expect, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12). Moreover, just prior to that statement he taught that the church should have a mind to suffer as Christ did and be maligned by those among a lasts days sinful culture who practice such sins as homosexuality. In our reactions and responses we need to guard against responding to a fool according to their folly (Prov.26:4) unless we become like them in their sinful passions or reactions! Their reactions toward the church shouldn't be our reactions toward them. Their expectation based reactions are governed by sinful turpitude. Our expectation based reactions are governed by the gospel and Scriptural precedent.
The Church of the N.T. didn't resort to"'truth guns" a blazing, popping off with hair triggers. She was taught to understand the sinful culture that she was engulfed by and to retard it from her own practices as a city on a hill (not a city of capitol hill) focused on preserving and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. We don't get the sense from the pages of the N.T. or the partristic period (2nd - 4th centuries) that the church was waging shock and awe campaigns in response to the threat of homosexuality or organizing coalitions to turn the legislative homosexual tide among the cities or countries they lived. Her priority was not to draw a political line in the sand, to wage a legislative campaign, to line the secular landscape with statement of faith leaflets but to treasure the gospel herself and to make Jesus Christ known by proclaiming His gospel message among that sinful culture.
What does homosexuality being legally viable mean for the church then? It means that we need to be busy pleading the gospel of Jesus Christ to a sinful culture as our priority instead of pleading for Congress or the Judiciary to change sinful culture. Please don't misread the above paragraph. I'm not saying the above mentioned actions are out of bounds or are to be shrugged off. Not at all. As responsible Christian citizens we should be culturally engaged. However, legislation, political action, Christian Coalitions, statements of faith, separation of governmental powers and even the Constitution didn't prevent the recent SCOTUS fallout or the present cultural reality.
Only the gospel of Jesus Christ will overturn and/or transform this new norm. The other day I watched an interview with the owners of the aforementioned Oregon Bakery. The reason they relayed to the homosexual couple for not providing them with their services was because their faith wouldn't allow for it. Hey, I applaud their conviction. They are facing challenging and turbulent times as a result and need our prayers and support. They are standing upon their Christian convictions. (Although, I'm not sure refusing to provide a cake is the right hill to die on).
But why not lovingly and convictionally share the gospel (if they did this wasn't shared during the interview) with the homosexual "couple" instead of making a statement of faith while evoking constitutional rights and breaking out the Christian code of conduct to non-Christians? This is what Paul did with the Corinthians when sexual sins were intruding upon the church. He reminded them to treasure the gospel among the church (1 Cor.6:11,17-20). This is what Peter understood and expected from the church in the surrounding sinful culture of the last days (1 Peter 4:6,17). This was how Jesus reacted to others involved in sexual sins (John 4:1-43; 8:1-11). I realize the last few sentences speak to the churches actions (and I'll be touching on that in a second blog) more than it does her expectations and reactions, but there is a systemic point of expectation at play in that scenario that is compelling their reaction. It seemed as though they, along with the crowd of support, reacted more to the breach of constitutional rights more than the reality that the homosexual 'couple' was in bondage to sin. I'm not trying to rub any one the wrong way regarding the Constitution et al but maybe reactions to the sinful culture around us are expressed more in relation to this worldly systems of government instead of reacting to the prevalence of a culture and population of sin that needs to hear the Gospel. Perhaps our expectations are more wrapped up in how government can punish or penalize sin or retard sins intrusion into our lives that we aren't reacting the way we should by heralding the Gospel. Perhaps, our expectations of the American dream have displaced a passion for gospel expectancy. Perhaps we have allowed the gospel expectations of the founding fathers, expectations that predominated their lives over and above the Constitution, to fade into history and out of memory. Or perhaps, I'm off base.
Nevertheless, we, as the Church, shouldn't be overly consternated by sinful culture outside of the church producing sinful legislation or rulings. It is normative for secular culture. Sinful culture produces sinful culture. We certainly don't like it nor should we passively accept it. However, our expectations mustn't be governed by pride in nationalism but pride in the gospel. Christ's focus is primarily upon building and preserving His Bride, the church, not the United States of America. Our reactions mustn't be compelled by dis-satisfactory legislation or rulings but compelled by gospel mission in the face of sin. Peter concluded his first letter, written to the church surrounded by a sinful culture much more oppressive than ours but nevertheless helpful for us to hear:
Resist him (the devil), firm in our faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by our brotherhood throughout the world. And after we have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:9-11
We can find much victory and consolation in knowing that while we are surrounded by sinful culture we are not alone. We as the church are a united "brotherhood" that will not be overtaken as we have been called by God who has eternal dominion. No other human agency can dominate us. . .even when though it might feel like it. Despite whatever societal or cultural inconveniences that may be forced upon us 'legally', God has called us through the Gospel to glory, and He will "restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us". Wow! This gospel promise reduces the sting of all threats from without. This is what we should expect. This is what should inform how we react. What a gospel. I am so glad to pastor a local church where members treasure the Gospel and for our local church to be apart of a family of churches that does so as well.
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