The Media Has the Facts Wrong about State RFRAs, but We Christians Still Need to Repent

While American Christians Are Not in Much Danger of Persecution, the RFRA Can Help Protect Americans Who Are

Now, while the law may in fact be a useful tool in a pluralistic society, I do want to be honest and fair about some of the motivation that appears to be pretty clearly behind the state RFRAs. It’s very likely that much of the motivation for creating such a law has arisen due to a misplaced fear that religious liberties (particularly of Christians) are under assault in the United States. For those who are either atheists or part of a minority religion, such a fear probably makes little to no sense. American Christians are often tremendously blind to their own religious privilege and to how much their own religion dominates other religious groups. They often tend to apply “religious freedom” selectively as well. Many Christians’ fear of Muslims and atheists in particular troubles me greatly, and I can see many ways in which fundamentalists attempt to restrict such groups’ freedom or to force their own religion to be dominate over such groups.

I do think there are some Christians who see a broader application for such laws, however. I have come to the conclusion that it is probably useful to back the law, provided one is prepared to accept its application broadly and not selectively. I’m not particularly worried about religious liberties in America, except really for those who are outside my dominant group. Because this law may be useful in service of my neighbor, unless someone can convince me otherwise, I feel safe in being supportive of it.

American Christians Might Have a Legal Case to Refuse Service to a Gay Wedding…

Now, to the elephant in the room: although the law itself is broad, the debate surrounding this law has largely related to the issue of gay weddings (although another hot button issue has been whether Catholics and others are obligated to provide contraception in health care coverage or services).

The question has arisen as to whether Christian vendors, photographers, and the like have a legal obligation to provide services to a gay couple at such an event. I am of two minds on this issue. I think such Christians might have a legal case to refuse service, since an event that goes against one’s beliefs is very different than whether one serves an individual. At the same time, as my readers and I have discussed previously, there are plenty of things that the Christian faith would call sinful that Christians facilitate all the time. If one is going to appeal to the Bible to argue they should not have to serve a gay couple, they probably would need to show they are not facilitating other sins. And that, of course, would be impossible.

I am grateful for our nation’s many wise judges who can carefully hear and analyze what the law says and decide how it applies. I support more court cases to further think these issues through and to help us better know how to live peacefully in a pluralistic society.

…But Refusing Service to a Gay Couple Lifts a Pharisaical Wish for Spiritual “Purity” over Love of Neighbor

So, maybe…maybe such Christians have a legal case. But are they acting as Christians should act? Are they being faithful to their principles and faithfully the example of their Master? Are they living the new life in Christ? I would submit for your consideration that they are not.

If the Church had acted with perfect love and kindness to our gay brothers and sisters, perhaps it would be fair to stand on principle. But when you consider our own shocking moral failures, our frequent bullying of and fear of gay people, our insistence that gay individuals must undergo reparative therapy, it is time to recognize that we have done significant harm to the gay community.