I don't care at all about what's happening in Indiana.
And that's no April Fool's joke.
Why? Because it doesn't matter.
"How dare you, Chad! It DOES matter! The very foundation of our religious freedom is at stake!!"
No, it's not.
"If we don't take a stand NOW the church will be destroyed!"
No, it won't.
"We have to stand and fight!"
No, we don't.
In his article, A Letter to Christians In Indiana, From Jesus, John Pavlovitz writes what he thought a letter would look like - from Jesus, to Christians in Indiana. It had nuggets that I really believe Jesus would say, such as:
This isn’t what I had planned. This wasn’t the Church I set the table for. It wasn’t the dream I had for you, when I spoke in those parables about the Kingdom; about my Kingdom.
And this:
My kindness, my goodness, my forgiveness; you were created to be the method of transportation for all of it.You were made to deliver the greatest good news to a world so desperate for it. This wild, extravagant, world-altering love I have for my people, was intended to travel from my aching heart, through your trembling hands, to my hurting people. This has always been your calling. It has always been your purpose. It still is. This very second it is.
And this.
Do you really think that the grandstanding and the insult-slinging and the side-choosing, that it feels like me? Do you truly believe that the result of your labors here in these days, is a Church that clearly perpetuates my character in the world? Is this the Gospel I entrusted you with? To be honest with you, I simply don’t see it. How did you drift so far from the mission? How did you become so angry, so combative, so petty, so arrogant, so entitled?
I don't know what the law does or does not say. I don't know what the intention behind the lawmaker's hearts was. But I do know one thing - for us as Christians to get torn up about this isn't what Jesus intended.
My Marine instinct says to fight. My Jesus says to love.
Yes, the church may be on a one-way track for a collision with the law and the liberals, but that doesn't concern me. My job is to preach and teach the Gospel to every creature. My job is to show the love of Jesus to everyone I know. My job is to make sure that I can encourage others to do so as well.
So if you find yourself getting really bent out of shape about all this, remember two things: 1) the media will do anything to stir up a dramatic story, and 2) this isn't what Jesus wants us to focus on.