Disturbing Notion of Religious Freedom

This article disturbs me: Restore Religious Freedom in America

While I agree 100% that what is being foisted upon us in this outrageous regulatory program of the administration is wrong and should be overturned, I find it disturbing that the “religious” imagine that doing so will restore religious freedom in the country. I find it disturbing that they seem to be oblivious to the usurpations of freedoms that span many decades.

For example, I remember when the LC-MS bowed down to certain changes in the IRS code so that the church body actually changed its definition of “ministry” and “minister” so as to keep certain income tax exemptions for teachers. So then, teachers, both male and female teachers, suddenly became ministers, a term previously only used for males connected with the pastoral office. This gave stimulus for many successive new definitions and understandings.

As I have learned regarding the ways of conservatives I have coined a phrase that seems to fit their mantra: “Compromise is absolutely unacceptable until it becomes expedient.”

Who can even count the compromises that have been made by the religious in the name of expediency.

As further example from my former church body, I did a search of the LC-MS web site using their internal search engine, searching for “501 c 3.” Here is the first screen of choices that was displayed.

In my perception the following recurring mantra is powerfully explanative:

We accept Visa, MaterCard, American Express and Discover.

Is this what is really meant by “religious freedom” that must be defended?

After all, has not the biggest ruckus arisen in connection with the regulations that require paying for these abortifacients and such?

If the real concern is the issue of compromising doctrine and especially practice, why did the mainline churches make the other compromises without hardly batting an eye? Why do the church bodies currently promote “fraternal” insurance and financial groups that already provide coverage for abortions and same sex relationships and such?

Why is this important? If I agree that the government is not to interfere with religion, that government is not to sanction and even promote and pay for abortifacients or even contraceptives, why speak with concern about the discontinuity of the religious groups crying out in this matter but not others? Why not simply praise them for this action?

The issue of concern is what is being compromised and lost. The issue of concern is the pure Gospel and the pure administration of the means of grace. The issue of concern is that the true definition of the very power of God unto salvation is being reduced to something that has no power to save and help and heal.

If the pure Gospel is compromised and thereby lost to the churches, what else really matters? Why even bother having churches if the pure Gospel is sacrificed on the altars of expediency?

What positive difference does it make to prevent a baby from being sacrificed to the gods of lust and avoidance of inconvenience and fear and responsibility, if in place of the Gospel they are given a worthless substitute?

Dear pastors and Christians, preach the Gospel as it is given from heaven and it won’t matter whether the government demands coverage for abortions and contraceptives and abortifacients. If the Gospel is preached truly and the Sacraments are administered rightly so that people truly hear and believe the Gospel, the demand for these unholy things will fade to nothing. People who truly hear and believe the Gospel love life and babies and honor marriage. If the Gospel is truly preached so that people live by faith, who will ask for these contraceptives even if insurance does cover them?

Moreover, if the churches were truly united in this Gospel so that the Church was clearly seen standing as one, what politician would dare even to suggest such things let alone to impose them forcefully upon the Church or even upon the populace? Then such a politician would never be elected.

Christians should not cry out as though they are being betrayed by their politicians. They should not cry out as though the politicians are betraying the Gospel. Rather they should look in the mirror and be converted again. Then the freedom that the Scriptures teach would be more than a slogan or political talking point.

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