In April here, here, and here, and in May here, here, and here, I reported about H.R. 1913/ S. 909, “The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act,” which expands “hate crimes” language to include sexual orientation. Several reputable conservative Christian scholars, commentators, and institutions are gravely concerned that the bill will create the possibility for restricting the free speech of Christians particularly as it pertains to homosexual behavior.
On July 1 The Reporter, the official newspaper of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, noted an important June 22 statement by LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick on this legislation.
Unfortunately, I believe The Reporter article does not convey the full sense of urgency in President Kieschnick’s statement. The president’s original statement “However, I urge you to be informed and involved citizens, and to contact your representatives in Washington now with your questions and concerns,” is truncated, and whereas originally appeared in the fourth paragraph connected to the lack of legal analysis argument made by Dr. Kieschnick, it is now positioned as the part of the lede: “LCMS President Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick is urging church leaders to contact their congressmen with questions and concerns.”
I believe The Reporter’s deletion of the President’s “I urge you to be informed and involved citizens” significantly diminishes the force of his statement on the “hate crimes” bill and needs to be reinserted somewhere in the piece.
I would also suggest that discussions concerning issues such as this proposed legislation need to take place within the overall context of marriage, and not merely rely on a blanket condemnation of homosexuality. We must begin to understand that at the root of all of these issues is the devil’s attempt to thwart God’s design for the estate of marriage, not simply God’s prohibition against certain types of behavior. God does not generally hate homosexual behavior merely out of caprice or malice, he hates it specifically because it militates against His institution of marriage.
It is a safe argument to condemn specific sins disconnected from their greater context and that we ourselves don’t commit. Hitting closer to home is to realize that there is much more at play: Anything that goes against God’s revealed will expressed in creation is a sin.
