WHEN TOLERANCE IS A ONE WAY STREET...

     I just heard about and read up on a story that hit very close to home for me and thus had to write about it. I was made aware of this through the blog of one of my favorite theologians, Albert Mohler and it is entitled '"It is the Price of Citizenship"?-An Elegy for Religious Liberty in America'. I encourage you to read it (among the many other posts he has on his page, as he is far more eloquent than I could hope to be).
     In short, the story is about a couple in the state of New Mexico, Jonathan and Elaine Huguenin. This couple is first and foremost Christian. And they happen to own and operate a commercial Photography studio. In 2006 they refused to photograph a same-sex couple's "wedding ceremony" and were in turn sued for this refusal. Just last week the courts ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and stated that the Huguenins had violated the human rights of the same sex couple.
     The reason that this hits so close to home for me is because I am also a photographer with my own business and clearly, I am also a professing Christian. That being said, the only difference between myself and the Huguenins is the state we live in. My religious convictions are the same as theirs. I believe - according to the bible - that homosexuality is a sin and by extension same-sex "marriage" as well. When I, like so many other business owners in this country, undertook to make my passion my vocation I did so with the full understanding and belief that it was my God that provided me with not only the abilities but also the means to do this. And this being the case I entered in to it with the mindset that I would honor God in all I do, from the business end to the photography itself. That meant no indecent images and nothing that ran counter to my beliefs or to the word of God. As a photographer, I can say that what I do is not only a passion, but is also deeply personal. The images we capture are an artistic display of what we naturally see in a scene, event or occasion. It is not possible to, at least for me, to separate what I do from who I am. I'm not a photographer that happens to be Christian. I am a Christian that has been blessed with the God given ability to take photographs. And this will continue to echo in my work and business.
      But we see many small and large businesses that show their Christian values in their business dealings. Chic-Fil-A, for example, is closed on Sundays in order to allow their employees to attend worship services, a practice clearly stemming from their Christian beliefs. No one complains about this or has sued them in an attempt to force them to open their doors on Sunday. Why not? Because it would be forcing someone to do something or offer their services 1) against their will and 2) against their consciences and convictions. After all, they offer a service and do so at their pleasure and their leisure.
     Yet in this case, the state of NM has the audacity to literally force someone to do just that or risk going out of business!
     This is not merely an attack on a business or on small business owners. No, this is an attack on the Christian values and God's people as a whole. If this travesty is allowed to stand, then where will the stopping point be? Today it's Photography, tomorrow it's the Florist, the next day it's the Caterer, and next week...the Church!
     We cannot afford to continue to turn a blind eye to the denial of religious liberties to our fellow brothers and sisters. We cannot afford to sit idly by while these kind of rulings come about. We can't allow ourselves to be forced to disobey our God for the sake of how a particular group of people chooses to sin/fornicate. This is simply a stepping stone in a much bigger campaign. The goal is not achieve some sort of "equality" as they would have us believe. It is to attempt to pull God from his throne. A God that claims the right and power to judge a people based on their sin and disobedience is a god that no sinner wants to tolerate. Why do I say this? Because it is exactly how I felt when I was reveling in my sins! And for this reason I also urge caution in how we deal with these issues. We are constantly accused of "hating" homosexuals and of "forcing our views down their throats". Though we, for the most part, understand that the very definition of Christianity bars anyone from being forced to practice or profess it, we cannot deny that there have been some that we would call brothers and sisters that have not exactly practiced love in their witnessing. Let's not give the enemy further ammunition against the truth of the gospel. Instead let us determine to take an unwavering stance against sin (no matter what it is) and to refuse to budge from our God given position, but to do so in love. After all, we long to see them repent and be saved from the wrath of their sins just as we have been.
     If we are expected to be tolerant of others, in this case homosexuals, and their choice of lifestyle then they should be expected to be so as well. But I think that we fail to realize that the very definition of tolerance means that we disagree, yet we do agree to live peaceably with one another. In essence, agreeing to disagree.
     But whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, let us do it all to the glory of God. So if you are a small business owner like the Huguenins, the Cathys or myself and you are a believer, find comfort in the fact that being obedient to God in your business dealings brings glory to him. And in the fact that we, along with countless others, are standing at the ready to pray for and defend you.
     If the choice is between being in business and compromising what I believe and remaining obedient but going out of business, I will always choose the latter. And to God be the glory.
   

CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD: MUSIC

     Let me preface this article by saying the following. I have always had a soft spot for the Hip-Hop genre and was a huge fan of some of the original artists. But since God graciously saved me years ago I have struggled with the question of whether or not it is okay to continue to listen to and support this particular genre (and others like it that I myself may not have been a fan of). So my personal apprehension plays a part in my view of this matter.

     And my most recent experience has reaffirmed my initial answer to that question once again.
   
     I sucked it up and watched two (yes, just two) clips from the much talked about MTV: Video Music Awards to see what all the hype was about. The feeling and thoughts that I came away with weren't necessarily surprising to me, but what is unbelievable is that so many people - especially professing believers - don't seem to see the same thing. As a point of clarification, the two performances I watched were by Miley Cyrus & Robin Thicke and by Kanye West. Now, I'm not critiquing West's "skill" or "talent" for performance, no not at all. In fact, I'm sure that numerous artists performed last night that have amazing talent in that same area. My thoughts and comments are not on their ability, but rather on something that isn't even subtle anymore about them and the music they produce. After watching those performances I am even more convinced than ever that the Devil (Satan, the Enemy or whatever you choose to call him) is having a field day in the secular music industry.

     Now, before someone points out that we shouldn't expect to see Christ in any secular arena and that all of this should be nothing surprising, allow me to say that I get that. My point here is not to say that I'm at all surprised by the secular music industry or those that make their living through it. They are, after all, secular artists and it should not be a shock to the system when they don't honor God in or through their music. The real issue here is how many Christians regularly tune in to, buy and otherwise support these things. Even in light of some of the artist's very own confessions about their thinking. From such artists as Lady GaGa and her unwavering support for the "LGBT community" to the point of rewriting the Star Spangled Banner to Kanye West and his oft confusing view of himself as an equal with Jesus to Beyonce (yes I said it) and her "possession" when she gets on stage, the fact that they stand for and believe the things that we as believers should oppose is undeniable! Yet so many of us are  unapologetic about our compromise and still listen to and support them.

     Scripture is replete with stories about and warnings against mingling with unbelievers. From God's commands to Israel in the Old Testament to not allow anyone to live among them with pagan beliefs (thank God for his grace in this age) to the command to refrain from being yoked with unbelievers in the New Testament, there is no room for doubt that while we are obviously "in" this world we should no longer be "of" it. I understand that this is not always easy and that we all struggle with not straddling the fence, I often find myself questioning what I should and shouldn't be doing in that regard. But let's be honest, there are some things that so clearly run counter to what it is we believe and teach that there should be no confusion about our doing it or not doing it.

     I'll play my own Devil's advocate for a second. What a person believes in their personal lives shouldn't keep us from supporting them, should it? I mean, what about painters, or actors, or photographers? Should we not look at their paintings, or watch their movies or enjoy their photographs simply because they may not believe the same things we do? And how many times do we do these things not knowing what they believe at all?

     All of these are valid and reasonable questions. And the answer is yes and no. I'm sure I didn't do anything to alleviate your confusion with that answer, right?  Well, let's look at the questions briefly and answer them reasonably. This is really about two main questions. Are we free to mingle with the world? And, should we be mindful of what others think of us in light of what we profess to believe? It is true that in our daily lives we have dealings with people and in some way support many of those same people without knowing what they believe or stand for. You may purchase your food from a vendor and that person may be an atheist without you knowing it. I'm sure we all own some painting or photograph taken by someone that does not believe as we do. And if we start speaking of movies, we could go on for days about the actors, directors, writers, etc., that would fit into this same category. But this is why I say the answer is both yes and no. If, for example, a painting or photograph is of a beautiful landscape or something else entirely then it isn't a problem in purchasing it. If, however, the painting or photograph depicts and glorifies this persons unbelief (or you know that the proceeds will go to something that is un-biblical) then it shouldn't be purchased. The same can be said for movies. I can't count how many movies I've watched that starred actors which have publicly made it known they are atheist, or follow some other belief system. And it could be argued that we shouldn't watch those movies because they are directly benefiting from the money we pay for it. But the movie itself may not have depicted their personal views. And there are countless examples of movies that I could not support or watch because the content or story itself is blasphemous or un-biblical (i.e. Legion, The Knowing, etc..). And this finally leads us back to the music industry. I'm sure that not all artists on my iPod are Christians and I may never learn whether they are or not. But if their music or video speaks of or depicts things I should be opposed to, then compromising simply because they have talent, is not acceptable! By right, I have to delete it and not support it. The rules are the same across the board. I can feel free to eat the meat purchased in the market without constantly questioning who prepared it. But if I am made aware that this meat has been sacrificed to Baal and by consuming it I appear to pay homage to an idol, then I should spit it out and not touch it again!

     I can also freely listen to music without constantly questioning whether the artist is a Christian. But if that same music speaks only of things that I should oppose (idolatry, drugs, violence, etc..) then perhaps I should refrain from mentally consuming it.