"Accept This Acceptance"

“To accept” or “not to accept,” that is the question. In America this debate has been stewing for years, but now it has come to a bloody head. In this age of acceptance (or should I say qualified acceptance) we are commanded to bow and worship at the altar of tolerance, lest we find ourselves on societal “death row” (or in the Twitterverse, receive actual death threats #DieNowBigot). Isn’t it funny how, in the name of open-mindedness, we have become so closed-minded. Some people, with a strong desire to be approved by society at large, ask the question: “What will it take? How can I be accepted?” The “High Priests of Acceptance” reply, “Simply accept everyone as they are and don’t speak out against any position and you’ll be fine.” This prompts the person to ask, “Well, what if I don’t agree with their position?” With a devious grin and a twinkle in his eye, this priest replies, “Go ahead, speak out! The gallows are waiting for you when you’re finished.”

As the distinguished Dr. D.A. Carson has observed, there is now an “intolerance of tolerance.” The mindset of this country used to be quite different. We believed that, while the individual must be tolerated, in the marketplace of ideas, the most logically sound argument would prevail. As the French philosopher Voltaire said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Such a mindset seems to be a thing of the past. Today, the general consensus seems to be: All views must be tolerated. Don’t dare speak out against another position. The “Priest of Acceptance” would respond to Voltaire this way: “You’re on the right track, just take out the part about disagreeing with me.” Where is the outcry for the First Amendment? Why should the person who insists we all drink cyanide (the poison of relative morality) have credibility while the majority who know the screwball is wrong aren’t allowed to voice any opposition?

As Christians, what are we to do in light of this new social paradigm? Do we cower and just say, “Yes sir, not another word from me.” Or do we speak out against the injustices and worldviews that are counter to what Scripture says. As much as Christians want to tiptoe around these subjects, we must speak out. We have a responsibility to our Lord to not accept what society has deemed acceptable. Scripture is clear on most of these subjects. On the issue on homosexuality (not just homosexual marriage) the Bible is clearly opposed. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

This is a clear indictment against the homosexual lifestyle. We, as Christians, should speak out against it. In love, we should implore those in this lifestyle to repent and be saved by the blood of Christ.

Yet sadly, for an increasing number of Christians, the simple fact that the Bible says it is no longer good enough. They believe that, in order to remain relevant, they must accept this false and postmodern definition of acceptance. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were told that they could worship Jehovah as long as they bowed down to the statue of king Nebuchadnezzar. They refused and, when word got out of their defiance, were placed in a furnace to be burned. But God, in his sustaining power, spared them. This caused the most powerful man in the world at that time to come to repentance and acknowledge their God as supreme. We, as Christians, must be ready to step into that furnace of persecution for the sake of our Lord.

I’m not saying that, by steadfastly standing up for what we believe, a certain man who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will throw up his hands and declare Christianity the only foundation of truth. However, if we remain faithful to God’s commands He will sustain us and perhaps restore a measure of sanity to our nation’s insanity.

- Jordan McGehee