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Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2006

Grace Church of Burlington October 22, 2006 “A system that originally welcomed Biblical standards in political discourse while denying the ecclesiastical establishment access to government power has increasingly applied Thomas Jefferson’s wall of separation metaphor to religious values as well as church institutions.”   Doug Bandor             When America was founded some of our founding fathers wanted to establish a state church much as European countries had. That was the basis for the “wall of separation” and it was primarily to protect churches from governmental intrusion. We have digressed greatly in that in modern America, not only is the Church supposed to stay out of politics, many do not want the Church or Christians to give any values opinions. Sadly, in the public square today the most ostracized and villified group are Bible-believing Christians. But our Constitution still guarantees us the right to speak out.             With that in mind, there are two proposed amendments to Wisconsin’s Constitution that are up for referendum vote on November 7th. As you know, normally we say little if anything about political issues, elections, etc. Our mission as a church is not to reform culture but transform it through the message of Jesus Christ. Too many churches have lost sight of this and instead have opted to pour themselves into politics and thereby limited their message to those who agree with their political views.             However, there are times when the teaching of the Bible and political issues converge. For me to remain silent on Scriptural teaching when this occurs would be cowardly. We are to teach the Bible even if what Scripture says is a hot button in contemporary politics.             It just so happens that two of the amendments being proposed intersect with teaching in Scripture. So as Christians, are we willing to allow the Bible to shape our thinking? Will we have a Biblical worldview?             Those two issues relate to gay marriage and the death penalty. In regards to the death penalty, it is interesting that Wisconsin was the first state to outlaw it and now appears to be poised to reinstate it. Should Christians favor the death penalty? Genesis 9:6 lays out the principle: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” That seems to be pretty clear as to what God thinks about the subject. If someone is clearly, beyond the shadow of a doubt, guilty of cold-blooded murder, in doing so God says he has forfeited his own life. Case closed. Government has the right to then take his or her life.             What about gay marriage? Once again the Bible is pretty clear. Genesis 2:24 says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” For all of history, in every culture on earth, marriage has been understood to be a public contract between a man and a woman. There never has been a time before now when this was in question. Even in cultures where homosexuality became accepted (i.e. ancient Greece) marriage was always between a man and woman in order to create an environment conducive for and encouraging the healthy raising of children. It has always been that way, it is what God ordained, and even with law changes and redefinitions, a real marriage will be the uniting of a man and woman.             Now I would never tell you what candidate to vote for from the pulpit. As Christians, though, we must “vote yes for marriage” and vote yes for the “death penalty to be enacted for cases involving a person who is convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, if the conviction is supported by DNA evidence.”  As believers, we must know what the Bible teaches on these matters and that should affect how we conduct ourselves and influence our culture.             Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is––His good, pleasing and perfect will.”   Romans 12:2