Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
(1 Peter 2:13-17) KJV
God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, wrote the Bible and God knew that this day would come. Peter, foreseeing that the Church could come under attack for failing to obey local law, exhorts us to obey all laws.
It should be clear that the 5 pillars of Conservative Christianity are not its foundation, but they are part of a built structure which was specific to a particular time and dispensation. Most of it is now illegal, and even if not technically illegal is is universally despised. Sadly many Conservative Pastors think that they can prove to God what macho Christians they are by doubling down on these pillars and insisting on them. You hear them say things like:
One of these days they’ll make it illegal to preach against gays so I guess I’m going to prison!
– Conservative Pastor
It’s already illegal. It’s called hate speech. Conservatives are using their liberty as a cloke of maliciousness to perpetuate hatred of people that they don’t like. And then they have the gall to say that they love them.
The problem should be clear: Conservatives are trying to maintain control over something which is out of their control. Do we hunker down, demand that our terms be adhered to, and watch the Church be outlawed? We’re already a laughingstock, for all practical purposes obsolete, do we also want to be illegal? Does the Church need to adapt and survive?
Are we going to break the law in order to stay true to our convictions, or are we going to stay true to our convictions and obey the law?
Can we adapt to become a vessel which can carry the gospel forward which neither needs to be controlled nor desires any control? Can we develop a sweetness and grace which will allow us to be carried along by the current of popular culture, even while maintaining our personal holiness? Can we put to silence anyone who wants to accuse us of being hateful and discriminatory, and completely unravel the theoretical foundation of modern science in such a way that the truth about God is obvious?
It’s going to be fun finding out.
Matty's Paradigm 