Responding to the question, "Why are many Christians picking just two issues to vilify-abortion & gay-marriage?"<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
 [Excerpts from the new book, One Nation Above God: www.OneNationAboveGod.com. Permission granted to print, copy, or distribute.]
 
1.      Those who ask this question often fail to recognize diversity. In my opinion, failure to recognize diverse gifts may explain why many people are divided on this issue. For instance, John MacArthur, Jack Hayford, James Dobson, Chuck Colson, Chuck Smith, Billy Graham, and D. James Kennedy have/had different ministries, but all fall under the umbrella of Christian service. God creates, within each of us, varying desires, talents, and levels of interests. If God has called a man to preach and teach His Word, that will be his passion. If God has called a Christian to pursue politics, that will be his or her passion. If God has called a Christian to concentrate on the environment, that will be his or her passion. If God has called a Christian to the mission field in Africa, that will be his or her passion, and so on.  Problems arise when we become judgmental and fail to respect our differences. Activists should not expect everyone to share their passion for politics, and those who believe Christians should stay out of politics must understand that God clearly calls some Christians to the political arena. God established the concept of government, why would He not desire godly leadership? Granted, there will always be a moral divide in America, but this should not deter us from making a difference. Instead of continually criticizing, we should thank Christians who are involved in promoting the sanctity of life and marriage, and the reverse is true. I wish there were more who would engage the culture.
 
2.      Those who ask this question often fail to recognize foundational truths. Certain "rights" and "wrongs" called absolutes are given by God to save man from himself. In the same way that a foundation supports the entire structure-house or skyscraper, foundational biblical truths support the social structure. Nearly all social issues are related to the stability and structure of the God-ordained family. All issues cannot be equal-if everything is a priority then nothing is. "Can we legislate morality?" No, we cannot change a person's heart by forcing a set of laws or rules upon them, but we can restrain evil and deter wrongdoing. Most laws are connected to some type of moral system-the laws of a nation establish the foundation. For example, some legislators have attempted to redefine marriage and the family in order to accommodate gay-marriage. I believe Christians err when they embrace one of two extremes. At one extreme are those who insult, or who are violent toward those trapped in this lifestyle; homosexuality appears at the top of their sin list; there is very little love or compassion. The other extreme excuses this sin and looks the other way. Biblically speaking, homosexuality, like all sexual sin, is morally wrong and harmful. In Matthew 15:19, when Jesus said, Out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications . . . these defile a man, He condemned all sexual activity outside of marriage-"fornication" includes all illicit sex. Many other passages in the Bible contain strong warnings against any sexual activity outside of marriage as well. This really isn't debatable.
 
God's principles are guardrails through the canyons of life. They don't prevent us from enjoying life; they protect us from falling. You may say, "Times change." And you are correct, but God's standards do not. The sin that once amazed us now amuses us; just look at what is considered "entertainment" today. No matter how many laws are passed in favor of same-sex marriage, it will not change God's mind. I am the Lord thy God-I change not (Malachi 3:6). Marriage between a man and a woman is a foundational truth that cannot be degraded, changed, or altered. This applies to abortion as well: Psalm 139:13 says that God formed my inward parts; He knit me together in my mother's womb. We will always have the "freedom" to choose, but no one has the "right" to do what is wrong-no one!
 
On the issue of abortion and gay-marriage, there is only one position-God's position. Topics such as the environment, health care, and poverty, are all affected by the stability of society, which, in turn, is dependent on the stability of the family (as God designed it). We should be concerned about the environment; however, how can we truly be con-cerned about the environment but not saline abortions-where a salt solution is injected into the mother's sac for the baby to swallow? Once swallowed, the baby begins to experience a violent, slow death-so violent that the mother can actually feel the baby in her womb fighting for his or her life. How can we truly be concerned about health care and not D & E abortions-where a large crushing instrument is inserted into the uterus as the physician grabs the baby with this instrument and pulls off pieces (limbs) until he or she is completely removed from the mother? What a travesty to place oil drilling in Alaska, or the spotted owl before the sanctity of life and marriage. "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:30).
 
3.      Those who ask this question often want to avoid controversial issues. Today, foundational truths have been neglected, watered-down, or avoided altogether in the hope of "not offending," "securing an audience," or being "politically correct." Nevertheless, we are to do what is right because it's right, not because it's popular. Politics that once focused largely on the economy, national security, and the deficit, now tackles important moral issues. These major issues have enormous implications; to remain silent actually makes a statement that we are not concerned enough. This is not just about the loss of jobs; it's about the loss of morality. We're not just talking about adding millions of dollars to the national deficit; we're talking about aborting millions of babies. We're not only talking about fluctuations in the housing market; we're talking about creating life simply to destroy it. Topics that are "too controversial" are often critically important; we can no longer ignore them.
 
In response to the question, "Why are many Christians picking just two issues to vilify-abortion & gay-marriage?" I believe that Christians are not vilifying certain issues at the expense of others; they are underscoring the enormous importance of them. Unfortunately, those who are bold in supporting biblical truths are often seen as irrational, judgmental, bigoted, and intolerant, when the opposite is true. How can we warn if we never confront; correct if we never challenge; and contend if we never question? We must speak the truth in love!
 
Unfortunately, we forget that apathy today will be our downfall tomorrow. The greatest threat to Christians in America is not false religion, secularism, atheism, or any other "ism," but compromise and apathy. When we compromise and remain apathetic, we avoid the difficult truths of the Bible and decentralize the Scriptures. We "play" Christian but compromise everything that Christ stood for. We pursue riches, wealth, and prosperity, but neglect boldness, righteousness, and godly confrontation. When we compromise, we can easily become insensitive, indifferent, ineffective, and self-righteous. "Where does Christianity destroy itself in a given generation? It destroys itself by not living in the light, by professing a truth it does not obey" (A.W. Tozer). Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but the conscience of the state." He continues, "If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority." What an insightful perspective, especially for us today.