My residence is in Crown Point, Indiana. Not a few miles down the road is Valparaiso, Indiana, home of great basketball, great people, great churches, and a tyrannical agenda called SOGI. For those who do not know by now what the acronym stands for it simply means Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Translated, most SOGI legislation is about forcing bakers and florists to facilitate homosexual weddings and how confused people can choose their bathrooms. I know that is a raw way of presenting it, but after months of being called a hater, homophobe, bigoted, Neanderthal, I have decided that I will be more direct. I have also decided that I would do whatever I could to expose and defeat what I consider to be anti-Christian bigotry.
Today, Dr. Ron Johnson (Executive Director of the Indiana Pastors Alliance) and I were on a phone call with two Valparaiso officials. These officials shall for the moment remain nameless in order to give them ample opportunity to retract from what they are exploring, but you need to know exactly what has been going on behind the scenes of this fair city. Currently, a SOGI ordinance is being constructed for consideration at an upcoming city council meeting. Under the direction of the mayor to explore such legislation, these two officials generously offered their perspective on this ordinance. We were able to read the actual ordinance and in all fairness what we read may not be the final version. However, what we read is clearly unacceptable no matter how many compromises are suggested.
In brief, the SOGI ordinance would provide special protected class status to homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgendered (confused) people in the public marketplace. Yes, there are religious “carve-outs” for pastors, churches, and officially recognized religious 501 (c) 3 organizations -AND- businesses that are wedding related up to TEN (10) employees (how magnanimous of them!). There are currently fines of up to $500, but as the conversation evolved we found out that the “fines” portion was negotiable if a violating business would sit down and be mediated (counseled?) by an appointed human rights board. Makes you feel safe huh? The most patronizing moment of the conversation was when one of these officials attempted to instruct us how Jesus would have handled LGBT issues. You cannot imagine how relieved I was to find out that this government official can now explain theology to me and untangle my erroneous notions of Scripture (sarcasm). So, the IRS thinks it can control my sermon content during election cycles and city government officials can control my theological application of the ministry of Jesus.
Folks…ever wonder what tyranny looks like? What it sounds like? Where it starts? Who it is directed to? Hoosiers are getting unveiled glimpses in recent months in both their state and municipal governments. It is making my blood pressure rise…if you love liberty yours should be escalating as well. There are people seeking to drive your faith convictions behind closed doors of churches. It is anti-Christian bigotry pure and simple.
More will be coming on this issue in the near future. There is a meeting on April 5th and 26th in Valparaiso at the Chamber of Commerce which people need to attend and voice their opposition. Ask questions like:
1. Why are pastors “carved out” to protect, but ordinary, everyday Christian business people are subject to fines? Why can’t citizens reflect their faith in events they choose or not choose to facilitate? Why are you driving the people of God out of the public square?
2. Why does the city council seek to restrict a Christian’s ability to make a reasonable moral judgment in their business dealings? Why are you restricting our rights to enter into relationships of our choice without government interference?
3. Why would you restrict a Christian business person’s success at 10 employees? Why do we give up our religious convictions at an arbitrary number?
4. Isn’t Valparaiso really putting a sign at the city limits saying, “Christian entrepreneurs need not come to Valpo”?
5. Isn’t the city opening up a Pandora’s box and possible litigation by codifying an ambiguous sexual behavior law that can be used for any one of a number of sexual perversions? Why is it limited to LGBT? Why not QRSLXPKG…….?
If Valparaiso passes SOGI legislation it will be the 18th city in Indiana to do so. Where do we draw the line as believers and make our voice heard and take our stand for religious liberty? We all know the incremental strategy of the LGBT movement. Now is the time to say, not in our backyard.
Stay tuned…this one is just getting started!
Daniel Speckhard
March 31, 2016 at 9:43 pmThank you for this, Dr. Baird. As a person of faith who grew up in valpo, I am hoping that our town’s commitment to religious freedom outweighs the desire of some to capitulate to progressive pressure.
*incidentally, “horizon” is spelled incorrectly.
Kevin Baird
April 1, 2016 at 1:59 amThanks for the input. If I have only spelled one word incorrectly that may be a record! Lol!
I too, am hoping Valpo reconsiders its direction.
Daniel Leeman
April 3, 2016 at 11:00 pmI attended Valparaiso and I love that town. I’m a Christian and a lover of freedom, but I use my faith to guide me into making moral decisions (I try my best) and also to support laws I veiw as preventing wrong. We share the same faith but it leads us to different conclusions about this. I choose to follow Jesus’ example. The story of him driving out the people who were buying and selling things in the temple is a great example. He was angry that people were twisting their religion to make money instead of keeping the Temple pure. Church and state are supposed to be seperate and using it to discuss a law is taking the purity away from that ideal. I think if we are truly honest too we know that there are non Christians who refuse to serve these people as well. Lets draw lessons from Jim Crow laws. Lets learn from the reformation in which people rebelled against the church as a government. We are straying away from the consitutional ideals when we decide laws with religous logic. Please stop doing things like this in the name of Christianity. It is not your political shield. It’s my faith too.
Kevin Baird
April 7, 2016 at 3:12 pmThanks Daniel for responding. There are a couple of thoughts I might throw out on the table…
1. The Reformation was not so much a rebelling from governmental influence as it was a corruption of doctrine from the prevailing religion. The Reformationists (Calvin in particular) as well as the Puritans and Pilgrims understood the place “faith” played in the codification of laws. There is a worldview which will prevail in every civilization. The question is which one? A conservative, biblical worldview is as viable (indeed maybe more so) than any other.
2. People are refused service now for all sorts of reasons (no shirts, no shoes, no service?). Hotels refuse service to couples who hook up late night at bars and want a room for two hours because they don’t want thei hotel to be known as a “flop house”. Refusing service and discrimination happens now for a variety of justifiable reasons. The Christian business person who opts out of an event because their conscience is uncomfortable should not be fined and coerced into participation by government. That is not the first amendment as I read it.
You certainly can practice your faith and apply it as you see fit. We may disagree (and I suspect we do) with regards to your hermeneutical method and interpretive application. That is great! You can bake the cake for the event and others may choose to do that too. But those who have a reasonably held religious objection should not be forced to violate that conscience. That is called tyrrany.