What does The Bible say about the government? 25 June 2015.

Recently, Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee announced that he would ignore the Supreme Court's ruling on same sex marriage. He also signed a pledge and asked other Christian leaders to ignore the ruling, as well. The problem with that, and the reason for this blog post, is that ignoring the government's orders and working against those in power is also against the Bible. Mr. Huckabee knows should be well aware of that, because he is an ordained minister of God's Word.  One thing that my fellow Christian brothers and sisters don't seem to pay much attention to is what the Bible says about those in power and respecting the authority of our government.

It's important for Christians to remember where exactly power comes from and how people are placed in office. God is very clear on it in his word.

Daniel 2:21
"God removes kings and sets up kings."

Proverbs 8:15
"By me, kings reign."

Daniel 4:17
"The Most High has power over human kingdoms. He gives them to whomever he wishes."

God places leaders in office by his will.  The Supreme Court has been assembled by the will of God and their decision is a result of that assembly.

The Bible is very clear about how we are to respond to the law. We are to obey the law, and not to speak ill of the law or those who place it into effect.

Romans 13:1
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment."

Titus 3:1
"Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient."

1 Peter 2:13-17
"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for The Lord's sake…Honour the king."

Ecclesiastes 10:20
"Curse not the king, no not in your thought; and curse not the rich in your bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which has wings shall tell the matter."

Titus 3:1-2
"Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men."

Lest we forget, everything that happens on Earth happens according to God's will.

Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.”

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you.”

It's fairly easy to see what the Bible says about the government.  God places people in power in accordance with his will.  We are to be subject to those and power and submit to the laws they have passed down.  Everything that happens on this Earth happens because it is God's will that it happens.

Equality Supporters Are NOT "Anti-Christian". 7 June 2015.

An alarming thing came across my Facebook news feed this morning. One of our local politicians, Jason Rapert, went on (yet another) anti-equality rant. This is nothing new, he has a strange obsession with homosexuality, but this one included something that inspired me to write a reflection on what he was saying.  I take issue with quite a lot of what he is saying in this post, so I do want to touch on a few key areas of what he is saying.  I am a straight, white male Catholic.  According to stereotype, I should be standing on the other side of the fence.  However, today I will be walking in the parade proudly carrying the Arkansans For Equality banner with a few other members who serve on the board of AfE.

Jason Rapert, in his post, calls those who are supporters of equality "Anti-Christian".  That was the first thing I took issue with.  As a self professed Christian, Mr. Rapert should know that only God knows what is on man's heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  I took particular offense with this statement because I do not believe Mr. Rapert has the authority to judge who has a relationship with the Lord and who does not.

Next, Mr. Rapert went on to say, "...they understand that the lifestyle they are glorifying on our streets is considered sin by every Bible-believing Christian...".  He may or may not be aware that the "homosexuality is a sin" belief is not universally agreed upon by every Bible believing Christian.  I've gone into this in detail in the past in an article I wrote, "Yes, You Can Be A Christian And Support Marriage Equality."  The original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible did not oppose homosexuality.  This common held misconception came about in later translations of the Bible.  So no, not all Bible believing Christians agree upon that, Mr. Rapert.

Also, Mr. Rapert made another baseless statement, saying "I submit that the same-sex marriage agenda that came before the U.S. Supreme Court warrants the same response from all Americans - remind the 9 justices that 96.2% of Americans should not be forced to affirm the confusion of 3.8% who demand our full attention."  I'm not sure he's seen the latest polls, but a majority of Americans support marriage equality. 61% support marriage equality and 35% oppose.

Mr. Rapert, I choose to stand beside the LGBT community and proudly march in Conway's Pride Parade today.  I'm proud to do it as a Catholic, and to stand up for what Christ stood for when he was on this Earth.  In Mark 12:31, Christ says "Love your neighbor as yourself."  He did not place exceptions or exclusions on this statement.  He did not say, "...unless they're gay." Corinthians 13:4-8 states, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." The Bible is very clear on what love is and how we are to love. I choose to live by what the Bible says rather than follow the more "hateful" form of Christianity.

We should also look at Christ’s behavior on this Earth when it came to people viewed as sinners. Everywhere Jesus went, he conversed and spent time with people viewed as sinners, and he did it unconditionally. He didn’t have a “love the sinner, hate the sin” mentality. He made friendships and welcomed these people to his table. Also, this wasn’t only Christians. If you read Matthew 9:10-11 and 9:13, he extended friendship to people who had no interest in the gospel, his teachings or repenting. Jesus loved unconditionally, period. He associated with all people, no strings attached!