The Begining of Sorrows

This morning I had a very disturbing article sent to me. I encourage you to read it at http://www.californiafamilycouncil.org/PeopleGetReady. This article recounts how a preacher speaking in Canada was made to sign a pledge that he would not speak out against the practice of homosexuality or the religion of Islam in his sermon. While I am completely against hate speech in any form, what I see here is a violation of the right to freedom of expression. This is something that we in the west have long valued. It is one of the things that distinguishes us. Silencing one's ability to speak freely on whatever he or she may desire is something we have all long associated with totalitarianism. In our minds, it is something that occurs in Iran or Soviet Russsia, not in western Europe, Canada, or the United States. Yet what we have in this case, is a totalitarian policy being enacted next door. The state is telling a preacher what he or she cannot say.

This is exactly what happened in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Hitler's totalitarian government made every effort to silence men who preached against the moral corruption of Nazism. Men like Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Martin Niemoller, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer were among those targeted by the state for their preaching. Barth and Tillich, while continuing to oppose Nazism, were forced to flee to Switzerland and America, respectively. Niemoller and Bonhoeffer were imprisoned because they stayed and continued to fight the injustice that was prevalent in that country. Bonhoeffer was hanged for his opposition to Nazism, while Niemoller survived his imprisonment.

What then, are we as Christians to do? We have two options. Either sit back in our respective countries and try to not say anything the state would disapprove of, or vehemently voice our opposition to such injustices. It is my personal belief, that what I see happening in Canada could soon be a reality in my own country. When that happens, it will be up to the Christians to peacefully oppose that law. We can say, just like the apostles did when told to refrain from speaking the truth, "We ought to obey God rather than men." The Christians in Canada should not be silenced by this legislation. They must continue to speak the truth of God, even if it means fines or imprisonment. Those of us in America, where we still have the right to speak freely should support our brothers and sisters to the north, helping them and equipping them in every way possible. We must also ready ourselves for the possibility that someday soon, those of us who speak out against sin will be persecuted as well. Are we going to sit back and comply with the laws of man, or are we going to obey the law of God and continue to call sin what it is in hopes of bringing the good news of the gospel to those who need it?