Christianity,  Politics

President Obama’s Revolution

On Saturday, President Obama delivered a speech to the Human Rights Campaign, one of the most ardent gay-rights organizations in the country. He promised to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to abolish the Defense of Marriage Act, and to sign into law the Matthew Shepherd hate crimes bill that was just passed in the U. S. House of Representatives. None of this is surprising, though it does seem inconsistent with his 2008 campaign statements affirming marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

What was astonishing, however, was his open admission of what his real goal is. He’s not simply trying to change the law. He wants to change society.

“There are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors, even loved ones — good and decent people — who hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; who would deny you the rights most Americans take for granted. And that’s painful and it’s heartbreaking. . . My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians — whether in the office or on the battlefield. You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.”

There is nothing moderate about this aspect of the President’s agenda. President Obama is advocating nothing less than a social revolution, one that stands foursquare against a Christian definition of marriage. He wants the entire country to embrace his vision for human sexuality, even if it means leaving behind “outworn arguments” like what we find in the Bible. What President Obama doesn’t seem to realize is that when he uses phrases like “outworn arguments,” he doesn’t sound like someone who wants to have a conversation, but like one who thinks the conversation is already over.

Make no mistake. There are many of us who continue to “hold fast to outworn arguments.” How could Christians do any less? The Bible plainly teaches that marriage is the covenanted union of one man and one woman (Gen 2:24; cf. Matt 19:5; Mark 10:7-8; 1 Cor 6:16; Eph 5:31). The Bible also teaches that homosexuality is a sin (Lev 18:22; Rom 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10). Nevertheless, it is clear that this teaching is precisely what the President and the Human Rights Campaign would overthrow. Thus, Christians can never embrace this revolution and still be Christian.

We are in the midst of momentous changes in the very fabric of our society. The earth is moving beneath our feet. Where we end up still remains to be seen.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

15 Comments

  • Kevin

    I feel that Obama is like Clinton, he plays to the room. He will say the things that the audience wants to hear and enjoying the adulation and applause.

    Mr. Obama is a man with no principles or agenda outside of serving his own ego, his handlers (Emmanuel and Axelrod) take care of the policy decisions and use Obama as the patsy and mouthpiece.

    Nobel Prize? my arse.

  • Jeff Miller

    For one thing, I really do not think his vision will function in this world. And, an all together different point is, “Our society,” as you speak of it, needs to be understood as distinct from our society in church, and our society in the Kingdom of Heaven. Then we will be better equipped to respond appropriately to any changes.

  • Sandra

    I disagree with Kevin. I believe Obama is following a very well thought out agenda he has nurtured within himself for decades, just waiting for the right leverage of power to put it all into play. I think he is strangely unfamiliar with the fabric of our culture that was woven with Judeo-Christian values and democratic principles. I think he is quite clueless to what the “average” American’s life is all about. He is systematically destroying every foundational concept our culture has rested upon since its inception at Plymouth Rock and Jamestown and Philadelphia. He apparently has no love for those places, what happened there, or how we evolved as a nation. I think he is sincere, just sincerely light years away from the goals most of us have for our country.

  • Lindsey

    I think it should be obvious by now that “most of us” with regard to the social climate of our country does not consist of conservative Christians! Our own feelings towards his policies aside, he would not be so beloved if people did not agree with and appreciate his rhetoric and philosophies; we would be well-suited to realize that biblical morality, while correct, is not popular.

    It’s rather unfair to make claims like “Mr. Obama is a man with no principles or agenda outside of serving his own ego” and to spit upon his reception of the Nobel Peace Price; for one, we do not know him or his heart, and for another, it’s not as if he nominated himself. I do not believe that criticisms of the Peace Price belong in a discussion of Obama himself, given that he had no control over who the committee selected.

    Frequently I hear statements like, “Christians can never embrace this revolution and still be Christian,” and, while I am inclined to give heed to those who are far more educated and wise than myself, I’m left feeling cold. Homosexuality is clearly spoken against in the Bible, but I know many Christians who feel that gay rights (including marriage rights–from a legislative standpoint) are an issue of human rights, and that enacting laws to enforce Christian morality saves people no more than the old laws of the Pharisees. In short, the government should offer equal rights to all people and the Church should be interested in saving souls rather than enacting legislation that, while preventing homosexual marriages, won’t bring anyone closer to Christ. And this would mean that they are not really Christians?

  • Don Johnson

    The Roman empire was MUCH more immoral that the USA is today, and this is where Christianity started and grew, with persecution.

  • Ken Abbott

    But to the extent that Christian morality reflects God’s will for man’s behavior, one of the proper uses of law is to restrain and curb evil. If godly law is able to reign in (not eliminate) sin, that is a good thing, whether or not it results in salvation (which it cannot, but the law is a pedagogue that can lead one to Christ, who saves).

  • PHIL

    We spend to much time on what government on this earth should do or not. We seem to forget that this not our final destination. Mr. Obama is ascending to power to fulfil God purpose one way or the order. I do not think the definition of marriage or gay right should the center of the conversation, Jesus should be. If we look back in old testament, God did not want let the Israelis fight much of the battle to the promise land, all they had to do is to believe and showed up. The message today does not change, just believe and show up, God will take care of rest.

    We’re fighting a battle that not ours, let God take care of this one and we should go back to do our basis job which is take care of sick,the poor and the widows, seek justice for all and least not last let’s love one another.

  • Lindsey

    Additionally, Ken, if a Christian person is persuaded that it is more important to draw the lost to Christ than it is to restrain and curb evil in this world, does that mean that the person is not actually a Christian? That’s the impression that I received from the statement I quoted.

  • Don Johnson

    When the word nomos/law is used in the NT, one needs to discern what is being discussed, among the following possibilities:

    1. Civil law.
    2. Torah of Moses (Pentateuch)
    3. Tanakh (what we call the OT)
    4. So-called oral law of Pharisees.

  • Ken Abbott

    Lindsay: I don’t think of it as an “either-or” but a “both-and.” The overall call of Scripture is for personal holiness (achieved through regeneration, justification, and sanctification) and societal righteousness. Evangelism is one means God uses to bring about saving faith.

  • Susan

    I agree total with what the Word of the Living God says about homosexuality and all other sins He warned against. Not meaning “I” have to agree with God-just saying I refuse to support this so-called “leader” in his destruction of American aka Judeo/Christian values and morals–nor do I support his anti-Christ ways.

  • Luther Butler

    President Obama took office at a very difficult time in our countries history. He has a very tough row to hoe, and he needs the prayers and support of all the citizens. May God help him.

  • Chris Carter

    I believe involvement in society is a good aim of the Church. However, it’s not essential, nor anything close to important as evangelism. And I don’t believe everyone is called to civic involvement unlike evangelism. And all Christians who take that charge must fulfill 1 Timothy 3. We’re a far cry from that goal.

  • jeff miller

    Hello Don,
    Thanks for continuing the discussion on the nomos/law spoken of in the NT. My own understanding of your four possibilties shakes out like this: concerning #1, to try and seperate out of the OT, or out of the Torah, something called “civil law” is not an activity present in the minds of the authors of either the OT nor the NT. And then concerning #4, I do not think that any NT author calls, the oral tradition, “the law”.

Leave a Reply to jeff millerCancel reply