A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SEEMING INSANITY: By David Maddox
Several years ago as we were part of the Time to Revive team in a Southern city we were going out to share the love of Jesus – to pray with people – to minister to them – and if we got the opportunity – to share the Gospel with them. It was a Friday or Saturday night and God directed my little team to a part of the city that was where a very popular gay restaurant was located. We were totally unaware of that fact but excited at the crowds in the street relative to other places we had been in the city. We initially encountered four women who we would learn were lesbian couples. As we sought to share with them and identified ourselves as Christians who wanted to pray with them they sought to get me to condemn them and start an argument, but we were not sent to condemn – we were sent to love. After we got beyond their belief that we hated them etc. two of them identified themselves as Pastors which opened the door to an opportunity to really discuss what they believed. I asked how they handled Scriptures which said their life style was sin. They responded with words I have never forgotten – they said, “We don’t teach what the Bible says. We teach what it means.” That explains everything for you can make the Bible mean anything you want if you are not bound by what it says.
The two pastors suddenly began to shout to the crowd on the street, “Come there are Christians here who want to pray for us.” Immediately a group of at least 15 gathered in a circle around us holding hands and we asked them to tell us how we could pray. I got out my notebook to write down what they said so I wouldn’t miss anyone and one by one they went around the circle sharing deep hurts. As we neared the end of the sharing time and prepared to pray a man suddenly ran up to the circle screaming please pray for me. We would learn that he had just been released from jail. We had an amazing prayer time – no condemnation – they knew even as the woman caught in adultery knew that we as Christians could not agree with their life style, but even as Jesus did with that woman – condemnation is not required for people to be aware that what they are doing is wrong. What they needed they received – Jesus’ love and unspoken invitation to “go and sin no more”.
I remembered the words of those two lesbian pastors as I looked at what the US Supreme Court has done recently in their decisions relating to the health care law and homosexual marriage. In the two decisions on the health care law the Court followed exactly what the two lesbian pastors said – “We don’t teach what the Bible says. We teach what it means.” Likewise the Court in the initial ruling read the word “penalty” to be the word “tax” in order to uphold the law. This week it was the word “state” to be the word “federal” in order to uphold the law. In both instances the Court ignored what was written to reach what they believe was meant. The dangerous extension of that doctrine is really frightening. There are no limits on what nine people can decide what was meant by what was not said.
In the decision release today the Court went further than the lesbian pastors by completely ignoring what the Constitution says and basically rewriting it to justify what they want. Chief Justice Roberts wrote in his dissent – “Many people will rejoice at this decision, and I begrudge none their celebration. But for those who believe in a government of laws, not of men, the majority’s approach is deeply disheartening … The majority’s decision is an act of will, not legal judgment . . . If you are among the many Americans — of whatever sexual orientation — who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today’s decision … But do not celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it.”
God’s view of this kind of foolishness was expressed thousands of years ago through the Prophet Isaiah who warned, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)
About David Maddox – After a legal career in both Texas and Arizona that spanned over 40 years as a civil litigator, God called David to leave his law practice and work full time as Discipleship Director for Time to Revive. That call is really the fruit of decades of prayer for revival and teaching God’s Word, writing discipleship materials and seeking to make disciples. David married Janet Whitehead in 1976 and they minister together from their Phoenix home. God has blessed them with four children and thus far seven grandchildren.
