Your Choice … Choose Wisely!

Things are ‘heating-up’ for the U.S. Supreme Court hearing of Hobby Lobby Stories and Conestoga Wood Specialties opposition to Obamacare’s mandate requiring employers to fund abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception.  I’ve written rather extensively in several previous blogs (2 Dec 13,   13 Nov 13, 6 Nov 13, 25 Sep 13, 5 Aug 13, 2 Aug 13) explaining what has led to this ‘show-down’ regarding the 1st Amendment’s guaranteed freedom to exercise religion based on conscience.

 

Two scholars from the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (IFWE) have teamed-up with Rick Warren, Wayne Grudem, Bishop Harry Jackson, Ravi Zacharias … and more than 30 leading Christian theologians and pastors … to file an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties.  The brief states that the HHS mandate violates the 1st Amendment rights of Christians whose doctrine teaches that all work is sacred.

 

The Executive Director of IFWE, Hugh Whelchel, and Vice President of Theological Initiatives, Rev. Dr. Art Lindsley, are co-signers to the brief.  “This case throws into sharp relief the problems that can arise when the Christian doctrine of work is not properly understood,” said Whelchel.  “We as Christians cannot compartmentalize our faith from the work we do every day; whether we're a pastor, a plumber, or business leader.  The Bible teaches that all of life is integrated and matters to God.  This fundamental doctrine needs to be preached more often in our churches as well as understood in our courts.”

 

The brief contains four main points:

 

1. Christian doctrine requires that faith govern every aspect of a Christian's life.

2. Christian doctrine teaches that an individual’s vocation is ordained by God as a spiritual enterprise in which Christians must serve in accordance with their spiritual callings.

3. Christian doctrine states it is a sin for a Christian to enable or aid another in doing what the Christian believes to be sin.

4. Requiring a Christian to choose between violating the government’s regulations or violating his sincerely held religious beliefs substantially burdens his exercise of religion.

 

For the true believer in Christ, such a Christian is not confronted with Jesus’ words of render to Caesar or to God what belongs respectively to them; but challenged with His words that state – “No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and manna.” (Matthew 6:24) … meaning our sinful impulses at the same time, because they're utterly opposed to each other.  Service to one means complete opposition to the other.

 

So, if you are genuinely a Christian – make your choice.  As Joshua asked the children of Israel – “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served … in whose land you are living.” (Joshua 24:15)

 

Like Joshua, the owners of Hobby Lobby Stories and Conestoga Wood Specialties have made their choice, saying – “But as for me and my household [my business], we will serve the Lord.”

 

How about you?  Given the choice – Which master will you serve? 

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel