By Waylon Bailey, LBC President and Pastor of First Baptist Church Covington
With President Barack Obama’s inauguration complete and the second four years of his administration officially begun, what can Christians and the church expect over the next 48 months?
While we don’t know the specific answer in many areas like who will fill vacant cabinet positions and what policies will be emphasized, we do know what we have seen over the last four years.
I understand people can change, and I certainly hope and pray for change in President Obama, his world-view and political philosophy.
I also know that the best predictor of the future is the past. Based on this truism, I believe we can expect a continuation of policies that are antagonistic to the church.
First, we can expect an erosion of the First Amendment right of the freedom of religion.
We have already seen an emphasis on freedom of worship rather than freedom of religion.
Freedom of worship is vastly different from freedom of religion. Freedom of worship means we have freedom within the confines of our worship services and homes but we do not have freedom in public forums.
Yesterday I read an article about a mother explaining why she is raising her children without God. This paragraph concluded the article:
“I do not want religion to go away. I only want religion to be kept at home or in church where it belongs. It’s a personal effect, like a toothbrush or a pair of shoes. It’s not something to be used or worn by strangers. I want my children to be free not to believe and to know that our schools and our government will make decisions based on what is logical, just and fair – not on what they believe an imaginary God wants.”
This woman is advocating freedom of worship, but she completely rejects the freedom of religion.
For her, religion should be kept “at home or in church where it belongs.”
Not even Christians of the New Testament era dealt with this kind of religious repression. The Greeks often disagreed with the concept of resurrection, but they were willing to hear what Paul and others had to say.
Second, we can expect a continuation of making sexuality a “right” rather than a “gift.”
When sex is viewed as a “right,” then any kind of sexual expression must be accepted. To speak against such a “right” means you will be counted as a bigot and excluded from the public forum.
Atlanta pastor Louie Giglio was recently asked to step down from offering the benediction for the inauguration because some 20 years ago he preached a sermon in which he said homosexuality, like many other behaviors, was a sin.
Third, we can expect hardships for companies and individuals who seek to obey God.
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has made that plain. Many people will be hurt because they seek to live for God.
Again, in the minds of many members of the administration, religion is something for the home or the church. In their way of thinking, it should not have anything to do with business or government.
This is not the attitude of our Lord. He called us to take up our cross and follow Him. To be a follower of Christ is to count the cost and live out our faith in the public forum.