Romans 1:32 Politicized

POSTED

Dec 9, 2024

Censorship, Conformity, and Coerced Compliance . . .

“I’m going to start taking people’s houses and their vehicles and their toys and draining their bank accounts and garnishing their wages”^[1]

The town was also cited for failing to fly “an LGBTQ2 rainbow flag,” despite the fact that they don’t have an official flag pole.^{^[2]}

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools.”^[3]

Many Christian traditions worldwide recognize Advent – the rehearsal of anticipating God the Son taking on human flesh: the Incarnation. Why do so? This seems odd. Every professing Christian understands that the Incarnation comprised a unique one-time event. Moreover, the Christian worldview embraces a linear, not a cyclical, view of time and history. Why then rehearse anticipating the Incarnation? Why? – because fundamentals matter and we, as fallible humans, tend to forget, discount, or depreciate them, often becoming “too familiar” with them.^[4]

In the same way, TXC on occasion rehearses new iterations manifesting the foundational precept that truth is being exchanged for the lie.^[5] Why? To remind us, and to train us to be discerning – to understand the times^[6] – beyond the headlines. Let’s get to the gist.

Foundational to TXC’s approach to cultural apologetics is Paul’s Romans 1 analysis. There, he outlines that fallen man: (1) suppresses the truth in unrighteousness;^[7] he then (2) exchanges the truth for the lie;^[8] this leads to him (3) worshipping the creation instead of the Creator;^[9] resulting in (4) unrighteousness, particularly sexual unrighteousness, being practiced – theology and ethics correlate;^[10]and finally, (5) pushing to normalize unrighteous practices by seeking their approval in culture and often the law.^[11]

Consider a recent Canadian incident involving LGBTQ activism and radical sexuality illustrating Paul’s point. In the province Ontario, the State, which is supposed to be God’s minister/servant for His justice,^[12]fined Emo, a small Ontario town:

$10,000 and its officials [were] ordered to complete mandatory “human rights” training after it refused to celebrate Pride Month.^[13]

In particular, the province’s “kangaroo court,” euphemistically known as the Human Rights Tribunal,

[R]uled that Emo, its mayor and two of its councillors had violated the Ontario Human Rights Code by refusing to proclaim June as “Pride Month.”

The town was also cited for failing to fly “an LGBTQ2 rainbow flag,” despite the fact that they don’t have an official flag pole.^[14]

The tribunal additionally imposed a personal fine on the mayor because he had quipped – quite factually – during the town council’s deliberations:

“There’s no flag being flown for the other side of the coin … there’s no flags being flown for the straight people.”^[15]

The government tribunal’s vice-chair deemed this factually correct statement as constituting unlawful discrimination – so, a statement’s truth becomes immaterial to the province’s ideological agenda:

As Human Rights Tribunal vice-chair Karen Dawson wrote in her decision, “I find this remark was demeaning and disparaging of the LGBTQ2 community of which Borderland Pride is a member and therefore constituted discrimination under the Code.”^[16]

Note well: A political official’s official political speech occurring during official political deliberation is deemed to violate law. How can officials effectively govern unless they can – without threat or censorship – grapple with the issues? Plainly, this law is nothing more than a viewpoint-based speech code, and thereby a foe of free speech. It only serves to protect a favored ideology, not free thought. Its goal is coerced conformity, not constructive conversation.

By the way, the not insignificant fines imposed ($15,000) go directly to Borderland Pride, the LGBTQ advocacy group which had twice baited the town by demanding that it celebrate “Pride month.” What a grift! Borderland Pride is evidently financing itself by pressuring others to “approve” their practices, unknowingly, but unmistakably, echoing St. Paul. In fact, Borderland also recently received $35,000 because it objected to a man’s Facebook post: free speech for me, not thee.^[17] Not a shabby pay day for mere online trolling. The formula is simple and profitable: (1) Troll online; (2) Disagree with something; (3) Claim offense; and (4) Viola! Collect extracted money; (5) Repeat!

In fact, Borderland admits that it intends to in essence bully its targets. It seeks to not only fiscally deplete them, but to coerce and compel them to embrace and broadcast its message, a message the town rejects. This may comprise a form of involuntary servitude. Notice the hubris dripping from Borderland’s demand:

Borderland Pride also said it would return one third of their financial reward to the Emo Public Library, but only if the library hosted a “drag story time event” on a “date of our choosing.”^[18]

These tactics are intentional, and designed to punish those who disagree, that is, fail to approve their unrighteous practices – again confirming Paul’s analysis:

Borderland Pride director Douglas Judson outlined his intention to continue imposing “consequences” on anyone else who attacked them.

“As a lawyer who does this work that means I’m going to start taking people’s houses and their vehicles and their toys and draining their bank accounts and garnishing their wages because no one is going to stop behaving this way until there are real consequences,” he said.^[19]

So much for love, tolerance, live and let live, etc. Such rhetorical platitudes are simply pretextual in the hands of the Left (and their search & destroy lawyers). Borderland recently doubled-down proclaiming:“We intend to collect our judgment.”^[20] As Jesus taught, we will know them by their fruit.^[21]

Further, as the late-night huckster shouts, “But that’s not all!” Not only are violators fined, and their property confiscated; not only does the State compel them to speak and behave contrary to their convictions, but the State here also “sentences” them to what amounts to little more than a Marxist-inspired “reeducation camp.” The offenders must complete a course denominated “Human Rights 101”:

But McQuaker and Emo’s chief administrative officer were also ordered to complete an online courseknown as “Human Rights 101” and “provide proof of completion … to Borderland Pride within 30 days.^[22]”

With a straight face [no pun intended] these folks claim this course is not designed to punish. Hmmm. In fact, the process IS the punishment. The “offenders” – duly elected and appointed leaders – must pay monetary tribute and then in effect bow to their attackers like good little reeducated comrades, genuflecting to their ideological superiors. Mao would be proud.

Notice too, the standard articulated in this reeducation course for determining culpability: subjective impact, not objective misfeasance:

Students are also told that “it doesn’t matter if you didn’t intend or mean to discriminate … it’s the impact on the person that matters.”^[23]

That sounds fine at first blush, until one realizes that this becomes the tyranny of the offended. No objective standard exists for assessing liability. “I feel, therefore I’m right” becomes the governing rule. This sort of standard can never be falsified, verified, nor rebutted. It just is. Feelings are thus weaponized, particularly as directed toward sexuality.^[24]

This deeply contrasts with the Biblical conception of justice. Justice stems from God; the State must only punish overt wrongful conduct, assessed from God’s standards. Those standards erect objective criteria and do not depend on subjective impact. Paul sets the record straight:

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.^[25]

Justice, biblically considered, focuses on overt wrongful conduct by the wrongdoer. The victim may be entitled to restitution,^[26] but that is not the State’s primary focus, and it’s certainly not the criterion for establishing culpability. Here, Borderland Pride, with the State’s complicity, utterly inverts justice. None of this surprises the Apostle Paul, nor should it surprise a Christian thinking Christianly about the public square.

Moreover, the thinking Christian understands that because the tomb is empty, neither mankind nor the culture is stuck in the Fall – Redemption has come. Paul’s analysis concludes not with Romans 1; rather, he informs us that because reality – “all things” – exist “from him and through him and to him,”^[27] we can in fact be “transformed by the renewal of our minds,”^[28] complete with a redeemed body which worships the Creator rightly. Transformed people transform culture, including public justice – Ontario and its kangaroo tribunals notwithstanding. This foolish injustice shall pass.

TXC exists to Inform the public, Equip the Church, and Protect the future. We are now arranging and scheduling our unique TruthxChange Intensives for 2025. If you or your ministry or church is interested in face-to-face energetic engagement with TXC Scholars, please contact us soon.

Also, please SAVE the DATE for our next Every Square Inch gathering: September 26 and 27 on the beautiful campus of Providence Christian College in Pasadena, CA. It won’t change your oil, but it just may change your life!

^[1] https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ontario-town-fined-10000-for-refusing-to-celebrate-pride-month

^[2] Id.

^[3] Romans 1:22

^[4] Don’t Get Too Familiar with the Bible, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/dont-get-too-familiar-with-the-bible

^[5] Romans 1:25

^[6] 1 Chron. 12:32

^[7] Romans 1:18

^[8] Romans 1:25; for some odd reason most English translations botch the parallel between “the truth” and “the lie” substituting “a lie” – yet, the Greek uses the definite articular – ho – for both.

^[9] Id.

^[10] Romans 1:32

^[11] Id.

^[12] Romans 13:1,4

^[13] https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ontario-town-fined-10000-for-refusing-to-celebrate-pride-month

^[14] Id.

^[15] Id.

^[16] Id.

^[17] Id.

^[18] Id.

^[19] Id.

^[20] https://www.borderlandpride.org/single-post/statement-on-mayor-mcquaker-s-refusal-to-comply-with-tribunal-orders