Readers, I'm always on the lookout for informative articles which underscore my positions. The Left's War on Free Speech in the April 2017 issue of Hillsdale College's Imprimis provides an in depth analysis of the issue of free speech, and suggestions as to how citizens can defend it. Thought I'd pass it along.
Crosshairs.
Everyone I know seems to be in them, myself included, for
one reason or another. You know what I mean – that feeling of being the
bullseye for an omniscient Archer, who means to train and equip the object of
His darts for larger battles down the line. Or, on the other hand, the unsettling
sense of being target practice for the enemy.
Yes, the arrow bearer may be Friend or foe. Well-meaning
well wishers counsel the one under fire to keep his chin up and bear in mind that
God’s testing and preparing him for some greater purpose. Voices from another
corner sagely suggest Beelzebub’s making the Christian his plaything, trying to
thwart almighty ends.
Either way, it’s small comfort.
Many folks I’m connected with are dealing with job
stressors. Some desperately need jobs, and can’t find them. Others are dying to
change jobs, but feel stuck in their current positions till they find new ones
(cue previous concern). Still others have “good” jobs with benefits, but are so
overtaxed by their work environment, they’re hankering for retirement.
For some, employment is proceeding uneventfully, but
illness has come crashing into their lives with a vengeance. Others mourn for
loved ones who are in prison or rushing headlong into disaster through
addiction or irresponsibility. Still others wrestle with desires which loom
large – longings they feel God implanted in them and promised to fill – which
yet linger, unyielding and unmet.
My current assignment in the crosshairs concerns standing
for an important issue – something which, if not addressed, has potential to negatively
impact innocent people. The details aren’t important for the purposes of this
post, but what does matter is that weathering this storm has caused me to
reflect on why we’re here as Christians in the first place, and how we should
respond when we find ourselves at odds with powers that intimidate us, be they
friends and family, employers or even government.
Turn
the Other Cheek
That’s one way of responding to attack, and at times it’s
the right one. Jesus counseled believers to “turn the other cheek” in certain situations. The commentaries I’ve consulted suggest this response is
optimal when a personal slight has occurred – in this case, a slap in the face,
which was apparently considered an egregious insult at the time. Seems Jewish law required the offender
to pay a fine to the aggrieved after this particular affront. As in so much of
His teaching, Jesus was challenging laws which had been stretched and twisted
to suit Pharisaical ends.
Bottom line: often, turning the other cheek applies to
overlooking personal, non-life-threatening insults, not ignoring actions which
could have deadly consequences, especially for innocent bystanders.
Develop
Thicker Skin
As Christians, we’re going to need it. As a writer with a
Christian perspective, I’m going to need it. I’ve written a novel which will
rankle supporters of abortion and other camps. It not only defends the cause of
the unborn, but also calls into question reproductive options such as surrogate
gestation, which in this writer’s mind places childbearing on a par with who’s
going to drive the carpool.
There are, I’m painfully coming to realize, only two ways
to behave in life, and especially in the Christian life. We can either stand on
the sidelines or join in the game.The game, by definition, involves opposition. Whether we're talking Yahtzee with the neighbors or bullfighting in Barcelona, stakes are involved
which matter to players. Stakes can be low – such as penny ante poker – or high,
such as passing the bar exam. The higher the stakes, the greater the
opposition; hence, the closer we need to walk in almighty company.
The
Pacifist Argument
I beg to differ with those who suggest Jesus would have
been a pacifist. Despite rebuking Peter for pulling out a sword to fend off His
arrestors, He very clearly did NOT condemn the use of a weapon, but rather, its
use in this specific circumstance, which had been foreordained and to which He
willingly submitted.
Jesus was also not suggesting we look the other way when
global terror is on the march. One need only peruse the many instances in the
Bible where military strength is described and even encouraged (see https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-pacifist.html)
to realize the Bible allows for national defense.
However, we as Christians must realize when we accept the
challenge of speaking out against the prevailing wisdom of the day (for
example, taking Biblical positions on subjects like marriage and sexuality), we
will likely be ridiculed and perhaps even threatened (see 2 Timothy 4:2). This is nothing new. Truth in the face of prevailing wisdom has always been a
scarce commodity, and teachers of “tolerance” often exhibit less of this virtue
than those they dub haters. Again, the greater the risk of retaliation, the
closer we must cling to the Savior.
Examples
of Principles Worth Defending
Realize that, just as Copernicus and Galileo faced repercussions
regarding what their studies had proven (that the earth was not, despite
centuries old “common sense,” the center of the universe - see http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=123), likewise, truthtellers today will have to confront opposition.
We now have scientific evidence that the earth revolves
around the sun, not vice versa. It just took time for researchers to catch up
to what God already knew and had revealed to a few trend-bucking scientists.
How much more critical that we weigh evidence about life and death issues like abortion?
At first, the baby didn’t seem aware of the cannula. It
gently probed the baby’s side, and for a quick second I felt relief. Of course, I thought. The fetus doesn’t feel pain. I had
reassured countless women of this as I’d been taught by Planned Parenthood. The fetal tissue feels nothing as it is
removed. Get a grip, Abby. This is a simple, quick medical procedure. My
head was working hard to control my responses, but I couldn’t shake an inner
disquiet that was quickly mounting to horror as I watched the screen.
The next movement was the sudden jerk of a tiny foot as the
baby started kicking, as if trying to move away from the probing invader. As
the cannula pressed in, the baby began struggling to turn and twist away. It
seemed clear to me that the fetus could feel the cannula and did not like the
feeling (Johnson 5).
This is only one facet of the
whole ethical question surrounding personhood of the fetus. The battle may be
unpleasant, especially for those like me who aren’t naturally wired for
confrontation, but discomfort in no way diminishes the importance of staying
the course.
Fight
the Good Fight
Why should we think we’ll escape criticism and consequences
for being in the minority who contend that the emperor really is, after all,
standing stark naked in the public square? If a physics concept like the order
of the universe brought down enough wrath on Galileo to force him to recant
what he knew to be empirical fact, how can we expect moral principles to be any
less controversial and costly?
We live in a time when much is tolerated from a personal
freedom standpoint, but somehow there’s little room in the discussion for moral objections. If we’re going to embrace dialogue and tolerance, surely those rights need to
extend to everyone. The First Amendment does not roll over and play dead just
because the speaker happens to espouse an "old-fashioned" or politically incorrect viewpoint. Let's not forget that the
Fairness Doctrine was challenged because it had the potential to muzzle free speech
(or at least keep it on a government-held leash), and was rightly repealed. As Christians, we need guard jealously any assaults on public discourse, for
where debate is squelched, behavior is sure to follow.
In the
Footsteps of Esther
If we have the mind of Christ,
clearly that extends to knowing when to rally the troops versus when to shake
things off. Nowhere in Scripture are we promised that acting on convictions which
society deems unpalatable will be applauded or even tolerated. However, we can muster
courage from the words of a little-known Jew named Mordecai, who counseled his
trembling cousin, Esther, to speak out against injustice to her people: “Do not think in your
heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other
Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:13-14).
__________________________________________
Work Cited
Johnson, Abby with Cindy Lambert. Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former
Planned
Parenthood Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line. Carol
Stream: Tyndale Momentum, 2010.
Print.
2 comments:
Masterfully written, Thea. We may have different subjects on the subject, but you know I am always opened to being enlightened.
Thank you, Lisa. I can always count on you to read and consider. You are a blessing!
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