Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s veto of legislation that would have protected the religious freedom of that state’s citizens signals “something entirely new in human history” — “the rise of erotic liberty at the expense of religious liberty,” according to R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Brewer, a Republican, vetoed the bill Feb. 26 after days of deliberation under intense pressure from gay advocates, corporations, the NFL and even Christians. The bill garnered so much national attention that similar legislation in Tennessee was shelved without consideration.
Russell D. Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, joined Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in supporting Arizona’s religious liberty bill, which was intended to clarify an existing state law.
Though the two-page bill did not mention sexuality, without it Arizona business owners such as photographers, florists and bakers could be forced to use their creative talents in celebration of same-sex weddings and other life events that violate their conscience, Moore and Mohler said.
Proponents of gay marriage said any business owner’s refusal to serve same-sex couples violates the couples’ civil rights, and several outspoken Christians also expressed that view.
Kirsten Powers, a political analyst who recently announced her conversion to Christianity, wrote in USA Today Feb. 19 that Christians supporting a religious freedom bill in Kansas were arguing for “homosexual Jim Crow laws.”
Powers quoted Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Ministries, the second-largest church in the United States, who said Christians should not use their faith as a reason for discrimination.
“Serving people we don’t see eye to eye with is the essence of Christianity,” Stanley said. “Jesus died for a world with which he didn’t see eye to eye. If a bakery doesn’t want to sell its products to a gay couple, it’s their business. Literally. But leave Jesus out of it.”
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