As I write this, the United States Senate is deliberating one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation in my lifetime. If it becomes law, the outcome will be a full-frontal attack by federal authorities to remove any vestige of Biblical Christian faith from the public square.

Labeled the Equality Act, this despicable bill is anything but that. Instead of equality, it could forever tip the scales of justice against the Judeo-Christian beliefs that have undergirded our nation—and most of Western civilization—for centuries.

Christians, churches and faith-based ministries will be in the crosshairs for believing in the authoritative Word of God as He asserts His uncompromising truth on marriage, gender and whatever He calls sin. Pastors who proclaim the Scriptures on vital moral issues will be called “preachers of hate.” The full weight of the U.S. government will bear down on Bible-believing Christians.

The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity as new protected classes. What that actually means is that the immoral, unnatural sexual agenda of the gay, lesbian and transgender movement would be force-fed down the throats of the American public.

This legislation would apply federal civil rights laws on sexuality to public schools, church-based ministries, Christian colleges that take federal scholarship money and private businesses. This would allow the government to impose its social standards wherever it chooses.

Our neighborhood public schools could be required to teach first-, second- and third-graders that they can choose to be a boy or girl, or neither, or both. Can you believe it? Boys and men could use girls’ restrooms if they “self-identify” as female.

Women’s sports in particular will be severely affected. Girls are already losing opportunities to compete fairly in sports now that biological males are joining their teams.

Faith-based ministries like the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Samaritan’s Purse and Christian colleges and schools could be required by this act to hire people who are hostile to our deeply held Biblical convictions. I can assure you that will never happen at the ministries I lead. We stand firmly and resolutely on the Word of God and will never, ever compromise. Not one iota.

This is all driven by the progressive Democratic majority—with President Biden leading the charge—and they will stop at nothing to promote the gay, lesbian and transgender movement. The traditional moral values that we have long adhered to as a nation have been abandoned for the sake of the new sexual orthodoxy that disregards all norms of truth, including Biblical truth and biological truth instilled by our Creator. They want to completely redefine the familiar God-ordained roles within the nuclear family of father, mother and children.

How in the world have we come to this point?

The sexual revolution began in the 1960s, about the same time that prayer was stricken from public schools. The floodgates for abortion opened in the early ’70s. Over the past two decades, acceptance of the LGBTQ movement has grown, and in 2015, the Supreme Court forced the nation to accept legal marriage between homosexuals.

Little by little, moral compromises have been made, rulings handed down, and now the full force of a dreadful and terrible new moral order is at our door.

Our society would not be the first to go over the moral cliff.

Writing to the Romans in about A.D. 60, the Apostle Paul described the human race’s descent into a moral abyss. People refused to acknowledge the power, wisdom and divine nature of God, suppressed the truth of God in unrighteousness, didn’t give thanks to God and became futile in their thinking. Their hearts were darkened, and they became fools, all the while claiming to be wise. Sound familiar?

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie. … For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. … And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. … Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:24-32).

What we are witnessing today in America is the same kind of decadent culture that has turned its back on God. Our leaders and many of our citizens have exchanged the truth about God for immoral lies that ultimately will reap the wrath of God on the Day of Judgment. Not only that, but they heartily promote, endorse and do everything in their power—especially through legislative fiat—to impose their “values” upon all of us.

The only answer is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ—the Gospel of repentance from sin and faith in the Savior.

Jesus’ message from the beginning was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). The only cure for turning our back on God is to turn back to Him. Immediately following the Apostle Paul’s description of the depraved nature of the culture in the first chapter of Romans, he declared that “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4).

We must continue to proclaim and pray for the kind of repentance that will cause our nation “to turn from their wicked ways” so that God will hear from Heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land (see 2 Chronicles 7:14).

In the meantime, believers must refuse to yield to the immoral wisdom of the world, and stand boldly and firmly on God’s Word. If the pressure mounts, “do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Believe the Gospel. Stand on the Gospel. Share the Gospel. Live the Gospel. No matter the cost. No matter the price. 

 

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.

Photo: Thomas J. Petrino/©2020 BGEA