Marriage Articles
Will You Stand Up For Truth And Justice For Children?
By M. A. Snyder, J.D.
On the
battlefield of ideas, a war is raging to capture the current and
future generations of children. Why? Because, as lesbian author
Patricia Nell Warren wrote in 1995: “Whoever captures the kids
owns the future.” [See: Patricia Nell Warren, Future Shock,
ADVOCATE, Oct. 3, 1995] A white hot battleground of the
moment is the legal definition of marriage.
A future shaping question faces every citizen of our nation,
especially those who are also citizens of God’s kingdom seeking
to see and live life through a biblical worldview. It is this:
Will I join the battle and stand up to protect children from
untruth and injustice, even if it might cost me dearly? To help
us think about that question, we will first look at the
audacious, sweeping and sophisticated battle plan of GLTB
activists. Next we will examine how legalizing same-sex
“marriage” will have devastating effects on society, children
and the church. Then we will look at the pressure to conform
that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced and their response, so
that we may be encouraged and inspired to stand our ground.
Finally, we will look at how to begin to take a stand.
There is one point I want to make very clear before we go
further. This article addresses matters of public policy,
including the motives, tactics and goals of activist leaders of
the gay agenda. This requires plain talk - no tip-toeing. At
the same time, we have a clear command from our Lord to show
Christ’s love in our personal face-to-face relationships with
every person who engages in same-sex practices, including the
policy activists. We must never forget this or fail to
incarnate this in our own lives.
I. UNDERSTANDING THE BATTLE – KNOWING THE TACTICS AND REAL
GOALS OF THE ACTIVISTS
We are in
a war – a war that has been underway since the sexual revolution
of the ‘60’s. This war intensified greatly in 1988 in Warrenton,
Virginia, when 175 activist leaders of the gay and lesbian
agenda convened a “war conference” – their words, not mine. The
conference engendered a long range, comprehensive plan to help
them make progress toward the creation of a new core cultural
value: namely, same-sex desire and practice is normal and good.
Put another way, it is “worthy” – worthy of our respect and
societal support.
Homosexual activists are trampling biblical truth with
technology and technique. Do you ever wonder why positive
messages about same-sex desire and practice are delivered
winsomely, unceasingly and at ever increasing rates through
film, television, music and the news? It does not happen by
accident. In fact, it is the hard won harvest of their plan.
It is a plan to commandeer the major media to control
impressions, opinions and speech about homosexuality. An
in-depth analysis of the plan is detailed in an article by Paul
Rondeau titled Selling
Homosexuality to America. Now, two decades after they
adopted their plan, we must sadly acknowledge the huge strides
they have made toward their goal through unrelenting, systematic
and effective execution of their plan. How might they have
fared had more pastors with a biblical worldview been more
willing to lead their flocks to engage culture in this battle
and be savvier in doing so?
Based on
the most sophisticated principles of marketing and psychology,
the activists developed a three pronged strategy:
Desensitize . . . Jam . . . Convert. Rondeau summarizes
these terms this way: “Desensitization is described as
inundating the public in a continuous flood of gay-related
advertising, presented in the least offensive fashion possible.”
“Jamming is a psychological terrorism meant to silence
expression of or even support for dissenting opinion.”
Conversion “means the conversion of the average American’s
emotions, mind, and will, through a planned psychological
attack, in the form of propaganda fed to the nation via the
media.” You cannot have missed it. It is omnipresent. It is
intense.
A. The Prize: The Minds of Children
Although
the mind of every American is in the activists’ sights, children
are the most important prize. And it is children who are most
at risk of being captured. Children are exposed the most to the
media’s barrage of powerful, mind mangling messages. Children
are the most susceptible to being shaped and influenced by the
media. The post-Boomer generation was the first to be raised in
a pervasive multi-media environment. It should be no surprise
they already have more accepting views of homosexuality than
their elders. The activists are well on their way to enslaving
the minds of the current and future generations of our nation’s
children with ideas that contradict God’s design and desires –
His truth - about sexuality, marriage and family.
B. The Force and the Lever
Many
people ask: What’s the big deal about same-sex “marriage”? How
will it hurt anything or anyone? This is how: legal marriage
for same-sex couples will give the activists much higher ground
and much greater fire power to control the landscape of opinions
and speech regarding same-sex desire and practice. It will give
them legal high ground from which to reign down overwhelming
force upon anyone who dares express the view that same-sex
practices are not good or healthy, either for the individuals
involved or for society. What is this force? It’s the full
force of government, including our legal system. And to what
lever will the force be most effectively applied? It is our
public schools, a/k/a, child indoctrination centers. And the
object to be levered? The minds of children. For example,
consider this kind of leverage: what if every time a
traditional family is portrayed in a positive light in a
schoolbook or a classroom exercise it were required to give
equal space and positive portrayal to a family with two
“mommies” and a family with two “daddies.” Now you’d have 2/3
of two “parent” household portrayals having same sex
“parents”. Not happening yet? This future may not be far
off.
C. The Harm to Children
The stakes
are huge for our entire society. Dismantlement of the
traditional family as the core institution of society leads to
more crime and other social problems at a high cost. Admittedly,
due to a number of factors, not the least of which is our fallen
nature, many children do not have the opportunity to be raised
to maturity in a traditional family. It’s true that marriage as
an institution is deeply wounded in our culture today. But that
is not a reason to abandon the God-ordained ideal and
intentionally hasten its demise. Yet that is exactly what
same-sex “marriage” will do.
Why? Expanding the definition of marriage to include
arrangements that are not truly marriages strips the institution
of any real meaning. It literally “de-means” the institution and
diminishes its appeal to male/female couples. Evidence from
other countries that have legalized same-sex marriage clearly
shows disastrous aftereffects: marriage rates plummet and the
number of children who are raised without the protective
umbrella of marriage increases significantly.
Children will suffer terrible injustice if we give in to the
personal, self-centered desires of a tiny group of adults. Legal
marriage for same-sex couples will give them the right to adopt
children on the same basis as traditional married couples. The
ludicrous notion that children do not need a mother and a father
will be engrained in our laws, despite thousands of years of
experience and wisdom and much modern research to the contrary.
The law is a teacher and the lesson being taught will be that
society as a whole blesses and approves this notion as well as
same-sex marriage itself.
Children will suffer as they are forced to live in and affirm
unnatural and confusing parenting arrangements that contradict
what is written on their consciences. They will feel compelled
to say to their legal parents and to others how good these
social experiments are, especially their own living
arrangements. These “Catch-22” affirmations gradually will
overtake and bury what they know deep down inside to be true.
Their hearts will harden. Eventually, they will begin to
believe what they say. And that will increase the risk that they
will be more willing to experiment with same-sex behavior.
D. Undermining the Word
For
followers of Christ and His Church, the stakes are even higher –
the Great Commission itself! The successes of the activists
must surely delight the Father of Lies. It serves well his much
bigger agenda: separate children from Jesus, the Living Word.
How? Separate them from the Bible, His written Word, by making
it seem unbelievable! After all, if the Bible is unenlightened
and untrustworthy regarding homosexuality, how can it be trusted
concerning anything else?
E. Seeking Justice
Having
already become masters of the media, homosexual activists are
now seeking to wield the power of our law making and enforcement
system, in legislatures and through the courts. Every
legislative decision involves balancing competing interests in
search of the common good. Justice involves getting the right
balance and it requires protection of the voiceless and
powerless. That’s why this battle is about justice for children.
The present battle squarely pits two sets of interests against
one another. One is the best interests of children, who are
indeed voiceless and powerless. The other is the self-centered
interests of an extremely small but politically powerful segment
of our nation's adult citizens. This group seeks to wrest from
the political system total endorsement and affirmation of their
personal behavior patterns. Make no mistake, there will be a
winner and there will be a loser. We can’t have it both ways.
If children are the losers, it will be a grave injustice to
them, for reasons already mentioned. Traditionally, our laws
relating to child custody have always given priority to the best
interests of children over the desires of adults. The activists
would have us turn these priorities upside down. When you cut
through all the positioning and sophistry orchestrated by the
activists, their claim amounts to no more than this: “Freedom
means you must give me what I want because I want it, regardless
of its impact. And if you don’t, you are a moralistic, hate
filled, backwards, ignorant bigot, especially if you believe in
the authority of God’s Word.” Is this a convincing position?
Is it worthy of our support as a nation? Will we stand for
justice for children?
As we think about this, let’s not overlook Jesus’ priorities. He
reserved a special place in His heart for children. The
disciples didn’t want people to bother Jesus by bringing little
children to meet Him. He had a different view, “Let the little
children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14. In this setting
He demonstrated giving priority to the needs of children over
the agendas of adults. In another setting, Jesus displayed how
deeply He cared about protecting children. Do we view misleading
and mistreating children as seriously as Jesus does? Recall
these words to His disciples: “. . . ‘Things that cause people
to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom
they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea
with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one
of these little ones to sin’” (Luke 17: 1-2).
II. INSPIRATION FROM OF OLD: STANDING FOR TRUTH AND
AGAINST THE CULTURE IN BABYLON
Let’s go
back to the future and revisit the story of Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego (Daniel
3). It’s the story of three heroic Hebrews who were
significant influencers, holding important positions in
Babylon’s government. Yet they were willing to risk paying the
ultimate price and lose their lives to stand for truth. Though
they had no assurance things would work out well for them, in
fact they did. They received promotions in the government and
God was glorified – even through and edict of King
Nebuchadnezzar.
Consider
how the pro-idol, culture-shaping operatives of the day combined
with the head of government – King Nebuchadnezzar – in
opposition to God’s truth about Himself. It seems The King
wanted to know where every governmental official stood, so he
devised a loyalty test. He directed the making of a huge statue
of gold. At 90 feet high and 9 feet wide, sitting out on an open
plain outside the City of Babylon, it would be hard to miss. The
gold glittering in the sun must have helped its visibility at a
distance and conveyed the unmistakable message that this mere
man-manufactured thing was highly valued and valuable - it was
worthy.
As the supreme law maker, the King summoned all the governmental
officials to show up at the dedication of the statue. He
understood the power of the arts, the media and the “big event.”
It seems he enlisted the Babylonian version of the news media -
the herald - to get the message out to the rest of the citizens,
many of whom apparently attended the dedication. I say that
because we are told the herald was at the dedication and
addressed a message not only to governmental officials, but to
“peoples, nations and men of every language.” Then came the
moment to be moved by the King’s music. The herald “loudly
proclaimed” that “at the sound of . . . all kinds of music”
everyone “must fall down and worship the image of gold.”
What a multi-media experience! The visual arts, music, the news
media, the sight of the crowd and the threat of the fiery
furnace! All these were tightly and masterfully orchestrated to
create a cultural moment - and almost irresistible pressure to
conform. Undoubtedly, the show producers were expecting everyone
would comply.
Enter the astrologers to tattle on Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, because, in their words to the King, they “pay no
attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor
worship the image of gold you have set up." Why did the
astrologers care? For this reason: Because they were among the
visionaries, the cultural agenda setters, the ones who
determined cultural direction and values. You can bet they
manipulated the King and put ideas into his head time and time
again. But the three valiant Israelites threatened their
cultural agenda when they stood their ground and would not fall
down when the heat was on. So the astrologers wanted to silence
their witness forever and teach everyone else a lesson. The
King, inflamed by the culture makers, turned up the heat of the
furnace 7 times.
Even so, the King gave the three courageous heroes one more
chance to fall down before the idol. Their response is truly
inspiring:
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before
you in this matter. 17You have no authority over what we think
and believe; we answer only to God. If we are thrown into the
blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it,
and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he
does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve
your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
They were
not going to adopt or conform to his viewpoint. They would not
fall for a lie no matter what the cost. They were thrown into
the furnace because they stood for the truth. Even in the
furnace they were seen “walking around”– still standing for the
truth. But they were walking with a fourth person who
mysteriously appeared protected them. It’s was surely God’s
doing. Was it Jesus himself? They were not saved from the
fire. But they were saved in it and through it.
These young men showed a courage that would be incredible at any
age. But they did have an advantage. Commentators suggest they
were separated from their families and brought into the King’s
court for training when they were in their early teens. So they
had a full childhood of training in the knowledge of the God of
the universe before they made their decisions to stand. No doubt
it was that very training that enabled them to stand. As we
consider our response to the present threat to children, we need
to consider the impact on those who have not yet had deep
training in our faith. Would a 10 year old know the truth well
enough to be able to stand up for it? An 8 year old? What about
a 5 or 6 year old?
What happens when all public school text books present same-sex
couples and child rearing by same sex couples as natural, normal
and on a par with traditional marriages and families? What
happens when schools teach children constantly and ever so
subtly that denying this new man-made idea of “total
equivalence” is unenlightened, false, intolerant,
discriminatory, bigoted, extremist, even hateful? What happens
when all of that teaching is reinforced by the ever present
media outside of school? What happens when carefully
orchestrated peer pressure teaches them that those who hold such
views must never express them in public and ought to be
marginalized, pitied or shunned, like today’s cigarette smokers,
or much worse?
Before we move on, we must also note that it’s not just children
who are at risk. What happens when the heat is turned up seven
more times on organizations like the Boy Scouts and the
Salvation Army, and ultimately even churches? What if the fire
comes as laws and boycotts mandating or pressuring organizations
to conform to the activists’ agenda for hiring, benefits, core
values, etc.? What happens when preaching biblical truth about
homosexuality in American churches becomes prohibited hate
speech, as it already is becoming in some other countries?
If we allow same-sex “marriage”, be assured the heat will be
turned up at least 7 times.
III. HOW TO TAKE A STAND FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE FOR
CHILDREN
What then
can we do? There are three areas for action.
1.
First, we must always remember that we are engaged first and
foremost in spiritual warfare. We should remember and do what
Paul tells us in
Ephesians 6:10-18, especially verses 10-13:
“10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your
stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore
put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil
comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand.”
[Emphasis added.]
Three times Paul tells us to stand, but only while
wearing the full armor of God. And later in the passage when he
describes that armor he starts with the “belt of truth” and ends
with the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. He
begins with truth protecting our midsection, our center of
gravity. Why? So that when we take a “gut check” we will not
grow faint, and so that we will stay aligned with truth and
balanced between truth and love so that we do not fall. Paul
also ends with truth - the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.
It’s our only offensive weapon. And then he urges us to “pray in
the Spirit on all occasions.” We must do all of this daily,
without fail.
To prepare
their congregations to hear and act on forthcoming preaching on
these issues, pastors should follow Paul’s exhortation in
Ephesians 6:19. That is, they should ask their flocks to
pray for them, that they will preach the gospel fearlessly.
2. The second thing we must do is take the logs out of
our own eyes before we take on the distorted vision of the
activists. We must each repent of our own sins – all of them.
Given that the current crisis involves sexuality, our sexual
sins may especially wound or paralyze us so that we cannot or
will not stand strong on this battlefield, or even enter the
battle at all. Only by coming clean before the Lord and seeking
His forgiveness will we be able to hear His healing and guiding
voice: “Get up . . . and walk” (John 5:8). And we must never
forget that no one is beyond God’s redemptive power, even those
who oppose His Word. We are called to be agents of His redeeming
grace for those we meet in the course of the battle. We must
pray for them and be prepared at all times to speak the truth in
love to them as the Holy Spirit leads us.
3. The spiritual warfare addressed in this article is
being played out in the real world in the form of legal and
legislative battles. So the third thing we must do is
participate in obtaining the best legal solution. How? Become
educated voters and vote. Know where candidates for election
stand on these issues. Influence them as you are led by your
conscience. But make sure it’s a fully informed conscience,
scripturally and from a p perspective. Remember that Jesus calls
His followers to be wise as serpents. As we exercise stewardship
over the gift of the right to vote that God has given us, we
need to seek the Lord’s help and direction and then listen and
obey when he shows us the way.
When speaking to others in the marketplace, the public square or
over the back yard fence, be confident and do not be defensive.
We can take a lesson from the heroes of the fiery furnace when
they told the King, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to
defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17You have no
authority over what we think and believe; we answer only to
God.” Do not fear the heat of rejection. Instead let it get
you fired up to continue standing your ground.
People may act like they do not care what the Bible says, but
don’t worry. God’s truths found in the Bible are also wired into
the core of every human being. As one professor of philosophy
put it, these are things “we can’t not know.” [See: J.
Budziszewski’s What We Can’t Not Know, (Spence 2003)]
Referring to the Bible or God is not necessary to present the
nature of and need to respond to the current attack on truth,
justice and the well-being of children. The appeal can be made
purely on the basis of evidence, reason and common sense. At
times, this type of appeal will be the only one appropriate to
the particular situation. However, as followers of Christ we
should never be ashamed of the gospel and never shrink from
sharing biblical truth on this or any other topic whenever we
genuinely sense the leading of the Holy Spirit. We must always
remember that it is the gospel – not worldly arguments – that is
the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
Such faith comes through hearing the Word of God.
IV. CONCLUSION
Every
citizen will be involved in the outcome of this critical battle.
None can escape playing one of three roles: support the same-sex
activists; stand for truth and justice for children; or ignore
the situation and let others decide the outcome. But to those
who would take a pass on this crisis, please consider these
words from Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “If you are neutral in
situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the
oppressor.”
If you choose to stand for truth and justice for children, the
going may get rough. Never be discouraged. Sometimes important
battles take years. William Wilberforce and his collaborators
needed twenty consecutive years of costly, unceasing effort in
the British Parliament and among the elites and the grass roots
to achieve the elimination of the slave trade in the British
Empire.
On the other hand, sometimes taking a stand when the heat is
hottest can result in quick changes. Let’s return to that fiery
furnace in Babylon. After the three heroes were miraculously
preserved and released, God used their witness – their
willingness to stand - to work a change in the law of the land.
King Nebuchadnezzar decreed that no one may speak against the
God of the Bible. And then he did something else: he promoted
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to positions of greater
responsibility in the Kingdom of Babylon. So be encouraged!
Taking a stand can result in good laws and more opportunities to
serve in the Kingdom – in our case, the Kingdom of God.
Slow or fast, the battle is the Lord’s. But we must be his
soldiers. Our role is to stand – stand on and for the truth of
His Word. As Paul urged the church in Corinth: “Therefore,
my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that
your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1
Corinthians 15:58)
The idol called same-sex desire and practice has already been
skillfully crafted and strategically positioned in our culture.
It glitters like gold as the media presents its many facets to
us unceasingly. But only its most attractive features are ever
permitted to be seen or discussed. All of the cracks in its
foundation are hidden in darkness. The idol continues to be
repositioned and refined to appear ever more visible, attractive
and even celebrated – in summary, more worthy. Yet no matter how
relentless and sophisticated the marketing of the idol, the
truth of God’s Word does not change. We must stand for the truth
and not fall for fiction. The slumbering Body of Christ must
rise up to be the culture preserving salt and truth revealing
light God intended us to be.
Will you stand your ground? Will you stand for children? Will
you take a stand to preserve marriage and protect children from
untruth and injustice? I pray you will. |
