Monday, February 11, 2008

Hog Wild for Jesus

From "Hog Wild for Jesus" by Dr. Scott Lively, posted 2/5/08 at Defendthefamily.com

What would you do if somebody built a “gay” nudist colony in your neighborhood? When that happened in a little town called Ava, Missouri, some Christian men decided to fight fire with fire so-to-speak, and built a hog farm next door. They apparently reasoned that one public nuisance deserves another. However, the “gays” disliked their new neighbors so much they filed a lawsuit.

Almost as predictable as the lawsuit was the condemnation by many Christians (including some pastors) that the men’s actions were “not Christian.” But is that right? Is it truly “not Christ-like” to show open hostility to evil? Is real Christianity so docile and effeminate that its only answer to aggression is to hide in the church and pray? Or to show only sweet and tender love toward the offenders so we won’t hurt their feelings or scare them away from the church?

The Jesus I worship was a man, not a wimp. While He could be, and often was compassionate and nurturing, He was not afraid to show intolerance for sin, and even to take forceful action against it when necessary. In John 2:15, this same Jesus made a whip of cords with His own hands and used it to drive the money changers from the temple, after kicking over their tables. And He repeatedly and publicly rebuked certain pious religious leaders as “a brood of vipers” and “whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones” Matthew 23:13-35.“ I wonder if this Jesus would even be accepted in membership in many of America’s churches, let alone be allowed to preach.

Now I’m decidedly NOT advocating or condoning violence against homosexuals. Nor am I necessarily endorsing this particular action taken by these men. As much I applaud their courage, I might personally have pursued a less lawsuit-inviting strategy. But as a spiritual matter, I ask you: what IS the appropriate response to the establishment of an open and notorious summer-camp for sodomy in a rural, conservative neighborhood in the “buckle of the Bible belt?”

Lets first not pretend that the builders of this “gay” sex camp are just innocent new neighbors looking for a quiet place to be left alone. The establishment of this base was a deliberate act of in-your-face, I-dare-you-to-hit-me provocation by political agitators, complete with drunken, naked men strolling down nearby roads in front of families...

Read the rest of this thought provoking editorial.