Religious liberty has become the 'hot-button-issue-of-the-day" in America. From what I've seen, people are really quick to form an opinion. I have been very slow in forming one, and I'm still not quite sure what I think. The controversy mostly centers around the issue of gay marriage. A common theme might include whether or not a cake baker has the freedom to deny baking a cake for a gay wedding in states where gay marriage is legal. Or, is that baker forced to bake a cake for all who walk in the door.
I'm no politician, and I have not interest in being one. My calling is to discover what it seems like God has called people of faith to do. So, how should we respond? What is the faithful witness Christians should have on this issue and those that relate to it. Well, I think it's a very complex issue, which is why I've been slow to form an opinion.
First, let's be honest: gay marriage will be legal in every state in a very short time. So, we've got to figure out how to navigate this issue. If you want to know my thoughts homosexuality and gay marriage, you can check them out here, here, and here. The short version is that I believe homosexuality is not in line with Christian teaching, but gay people and the issue of homosexuality have been treated terribly by the Church. I believe there is a way for us to be in community and dialogue together. Though I can't faithfully affirm homosexuality and believe that God has a better plan, that doesn't mean we can't be friends with people with which we disagree. And it doesn't mean that we can't love each other genuinely. The Church ought to be a place where people from all walks of life dealing with all kinds of issues can come to connect with their Creator.
As for the issues we're facing now, I would ask a Christian cake baker, "For whom do you bake cakes?" The problem here is that I don't think the issue is Christian marriage. Would these same cake bakers bake a cake for a man and woman who were living together before marriage or had engaged in pre-marital sex? Would this cake baker make a wedding cake for an atheist couple who planned to have a civil ceremony with no mention of God? Would this cake baker make a cake for a couple that had been divorced? What if it was their 3rd, 4th or 5th marriage? Would this cake baker bake a cake for a serial cheater? What if the wedding is "Christian" at a local church but everyone plans to get rip-roaring drunk at the reception down at the country club? What if the cake baker doesn't think people from different races ought marry because they have been (wrongly) taught that? Is it okay for them to deny mixed couples? Does this baker only bake cakes for Christian couples who kept themselves pure in courtship, are actively engaged in a local church, and have a Christian wedding in which the name of Jesus is invoked?
Is the witness Christian business people in our country want one of the exclusion? Do we want to be known for closing off our lives to those in the outside world? Is that what Christians did in the New Testament? Is that what Jesus did? Is that why Jesus went to Levi's house to have dinner with his tax collecting friends and sinners? Was Jesus 'endorsing' their sin because he went and ate with them? There was one group that thought that :) I don't really wanna be in that group. It seems we should bake the best cake we could as a witness to our love for people. It seems like one cake could start a relationship which might lead to a conversation which might lead to our Jesus. And when people meet Jesus -- things change.
Of course, the problem we're having here is that we're seeing how ill equipped our laws are to deal with what are moral issues. And this is just the beginning. Soon, people will be asking, "If the government can't tell me what gender I can marry, why should the government tell me how many people I can marry at once?" OR, "Who is the government to tell me what the legal age of marrying should be?" In other cultures, polygamy is common and people marry at much younger ages. As the U.S. becomes more and more diverse, those questions will continue. Do we reach a point where the laws can make no moral judgments about love and marriage? And to what extent do have the freedom to live by the convictions of my faith. I don't really know, I just know that this issue is at the heart of the matter.
And that points to how complex it is -- because then there's me and pastor's like me. Now, I'm pretty up-front in my premarital counseling. If couples are living together, I ask one to move out until the wedding. I ask them to be abstinent. I've counseled couples to not get married, that I didn't think they were ready or didn't feel like I could stand in good conscience and ask God to bless their union. Does the government have the right to force me to marry anyone? What if my faith, denomination and personal convictions stand against that? Should our church building be subject to the same demands as the baker? It's a little different. The church isn't in a for-profit business, but it raises questions, doesn't it?
Where do we draw the line? A good friend of my has a daughter who runs her own photography business. She does weddings, senior portraits, and family photo shoots. What if someone approaches her to shoot some pornographic images between consenting adults? It's completely legal? At what point does she have the freedom to stand on her convictions about who and what she photographs?
See there. It's complex. I'm not sure what the answers are. I just know that I hope for three areas of discretion and patience.
1. I would hope that all people, but especially my brothers and sisters in Christ, would be diligent in forming an opinion about an issue about which it is so easy to draw quick conclusions.
2. I would hope that Christian business owners would prayerfully consider how they can help live out, display and spread the Gospel in every situation. But we don't have to protect it. The Gospel will take care of itself. Death couldn't hold it down.
3. I would hope that those on the other side pushing hard in the name of equality would understand the concerns about where the line stops. Most Christians I know don't won't to hurt people, but they wonder what will come next and, if this isn't where people of faith draw the line, where exactly do they?
See there. I told you I didn't solve much. We need to be prayerfully consider these things. We need space for conversation and understanding. It's too easy to jump to conclusions. God wants more thoughtfulness from us. This issue deserves it. People deserve it. Our calling to reach all people demands it.
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