June 26th is now one of those days of infamy that will become a marker in the decline of our nation. On Friday the 26th, the Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision redefined marriage forever. It removed one of the cornerstone bricks in our culture- marriage as between one man and one woman. This decision will start the bricks falling so as to bring down the house once built by our forefathers. Their decision is one more step toward the denial and dismissal of the U.S. Constitution.
Why is this so? Because the historic role of the Court is to interpret law, not make law. Our forefathers designed the government into three distinct “houses” for the express purpose of the separation of powers. The Congress, which represents the people, is the lawmaker. The Court and Executive branches are there as “checks and balances” not as creators of laws within themselves.
A Lawyer Committee
Think about it- a committee of nine Harvard and Yale lawyers have just redefined the meaning of marriage as defined by God, Moses, and Jesus Christ! A smaller group of five lawyers decided that marriage can be defined as two same sex individuals joining in covenant together. Do they represent the will of the people? Only if “the people” means “their” people who live in the East and West coasts of this nation. I read Chief Justice Scalia’s strong dissenting vote, which all my readers should read carefully. He rightly protests that a group of five lawyers, none of which is an evangelical Christian, can rightly decide for the millions of Bible-believing Christians and Jews living in the heartland of middle America.
There will be much debate about their decision in the weeks ahead, but the die is cast and the pollution has only just begun to spread. Millions are now asking what else is ahead for those of us who follow Christ and His Biblical values.
A House Divided
First of all, we need to acknowledge that the Christianity we see in America today is not the Kingdom of God. The modern American church does not reflect Jesus Christ as ruler/king of the universe. Hardly so! Much of what we call Christianity in no way represents the New Testament church. Jesus is not the fountain head of the modern church. If you doubt I am right about this, just watch what happens when the SCOTUS decision begins to manifest it’s applications in the years ahead. As the Court’s decision begins to apply to corporations, churches, Christian universities, hospitals and the like, you will see who is a sheep and who is a goat. I see a divided Christianity coming as a result of this redefining of marriage.
Entire denominations will split over Biblical definitions of marriage and this split will come from government pressure to comply with this new law. Those Christian organizations that are married to government favor will be loyal to government or simply be bought off over “tax exemption” status.
Nazi Germany
We have examples in recent history, when the church in Germany, which was state owned and operated, was divided by its loyalty to the Third Reich. Those dissenters to Hitler and his demands for loyalty were forced to leave and separate themselves from an apostate church. Those pastors and congregations became outlaws to the Reich. They were hunted down, imprisoned or killed. Why do we think it will be any different here? I predict you will see the day when those denominations or church cluster groups that refuse same sex marriages will lose all status with the government. They will face compliance or punishment.
New Labels
Secondly, because some will not bow down to Caesar, they will be labeled as social bigots. The cry is already being heard that the American church must recognize homosexual lifestyles as normal, and it will grow even louder. Those who hold to biblical truth will be degraded as ignorant, biased, backward and non-progressive. An American culture war is underway, there is no avoiding it now. It has been going on since the Sixties, but will soon become an all-out fight. The lines will be drawn, and the intellectual elites from our universities will be telling the world that we who are the Biblicists are the problem. We are the obstructionists holding back the progress of humanity.
We Have Lost the Culture
Finally, in this brief essay, let it be admitted that the culture is lost. The church as we know it has lost this battle. A Christ less church that has redefined the Gospel, replaced the Holy Spirit with human reason, was never really winning anyway. When we, the American church, were a majority in the land, it appeared we were in control, but we never were. We failed to live out the beatitudes and all that our King Jesus gave us as culture changing agents in the Sermon on the Mount. The church has failed to be “salt’ and “light” so now we must regroup, rethink, and come together to fight back. It remains to be seen who will be with us and who will be against us. Not all that is called “christian” is really Christian!
Minority Living
An entire generation of Christ followers will be asked to live as the minority voice as the darkness spreads across the land. Will you have the courage to do as the early church did? Can we be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might?” Will we be able to choose Christ over Caesar? We will see! I for one welcome the challenge. It will help me to know who is who in this battle for the soul of our nation. Like Joshua of Old I say, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” If God be for us-who will dare to stand against us!
I will have much more to say about all this in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned!
Barry