Here's my take:
People are mad because it seems this law allows business owners to discriminate based on sexual orientation or identity.
Other people think that if someone's way of life or beliefs are in direct opposition to their own, then they should not have to do business with those people.
From what I can tell, it's the politically conservative crowd that makes up this second group. It also seems it's safe to say that the majority of that group also identifies as Christian. And because they are "christians" they consider anything other than strict heterosexuality to be sinful and feel that doing business with anyone who doesn't easily and obviously fall into this category would be condoning sin.
I'd like to challenge this idea for one moment:
If you consider yourself a Christian that would mean you follow Christ. And by follow, I mean emulate, seek to be like, look up to, live by His teachings, believe His words and actions as undeniable truth.
The Jesus I know did not only associate with people who looked just like him, lived just like him, who believed exactly what he believed. He didn't turn away those who were living life differently than most. He never worried that fraternizing with sinners would tarnish Him or bring Him down in anyway.
In fact, He sought out those who society had cast aside as different. He used those opportunities to shine His Light into the darkness.
John 4 English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria
4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making andbaptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[a]
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.[b] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’;18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
John 7:53-8:11English Standard Version (ESV)
[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.][a]
The Woman Caught in Adultery
53 [[They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]
As Christians, we were not called to huddle together with our backs to the world in an attempt to never come into contact with those who are different from us. We were called to go make disciples of the nations. To live in the world, which is full of a variety of different people with different ideas about how to live, who to love, where to place their faith. To show Christ's LOVE to those who have never experienced it. To shine His light into the dark places of our world.
Luke 7:36-50English Standard Version (ESV)
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him,“Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Why do we use Jesus' name to hurt others? Never, as Christians, should we discriminate, for any reason, because Jesus didn't discriminate when He died for us on the cross. He died for EVERYONE. Jews and Gentiles. All genders, colors and sizes.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23
Jesus didn't die so we could tell people there's something wrong with them or they aren't good enough to do business with us. He didn't die so we could be mean or hurtful. He made the ultimate sacrifice and asked us to show that same love, grace and mercy to others. Our job is to love others as Christ loves us. I guarantee you Jesus would take every opportunity to shine light into anyone's life. He wouldn't turn away anyone. For any reason. And neither should we.
No comments:
Post a Comment