2 Timothy 4:2-3
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.”
John 3: 19-21
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
This week, a man named Floyd Brown was fired from the Kennedy Center because of his Christian beliefs. These beliefs had nothing to do with his work. According to Brown, he posted this on his ‘X” account:
My firing came approximately two hours after CNN sent an email asking me to comment on my past writings and statements about traditional marriage and homosexual influence in the GOP…. The only explanation is the one given to me at the time of my firing: ‘Floyd, you must recant your belief in traditional marriage and your past statements on the topic, or you will be fired.’ Needless to say, I refused to recant.”
CNN had interviewed him and asked about his Christian beliefs, and Brown had stated what all true Bible believing Christians know and understand the Bible to teach about marriage; it is for a man and woman exclusively. Jesus reiterated this in the gospel of Mark, chapter 10:7-9,
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
As many are beginning to see, there is an open hatred for things Christian. In Seattle, there was a recent outdoor meeting that was interrupted by Antifa persons, and the Christians were blamed for the problems:
In Seattle, a peaceful outdoor worship event was disrupted by Antifa activists. Instead of defending the rights of the worshippers, the city’s mayor sided with the protestors, prompting concerns about governmental hostility toward public expressions of Christian faith.
The hatred is becoming more and more animated, and the rhetoric that is used about Christians, like calling us ‘homophobic’, ‘transphobic’, ‘white nationalists’, and the like, only adds fuel to the fire. True Christians are none of these things. We may disagree with the homosexual lifestyle and the trans movement, but we are called to love these our neighbors as we exemplify Jesus to them. But loving them does not mean that we condone their lifestyles.
I am overweight. I was a lot bigger at one time, and those that loved me kept encouraging me to lose weight, eat better, move more, and choose better. This is what love is. Those that make it seem okay to be overweight and obese, knowing it will kill you, do NOT love you. But the world system has taught an entire generation of people, and especially kids, that if you love them, you will condone evil and detrimental behavior. This is NOT love. God is love; as such, He has to at times call us out for doing evil and point out that we are in need of repentance and forgiveness.
As we get closer and closer to the return of our Savior, these kinds of incidents will become more and more regular. We will be called to account for our beliefs in the Bible and the Word of God. We will be held accountable for the belief in its inerrancy and that it does not allow us to pick and choose.
Now, just to show that real evil is behind this, the Quran does not promote homosexuality at all, and today, in Muslim countries, homosexual and lesbian persons are killed. I recently saw an interview in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, between a conservative reporter and a Muslim man. The man noted the very high birth rate of the Muslims as compared to Canadians, and he estimated that by 2060, they will be able to take over the government of Canada, and then they will bring in Sharia law. Make no mistake; they will kill the homosexuals, the trans, and all the other sexual deviations first. But no one attacks the Muslims; no one calls for them to be expelled. Thus, we can see that the issue is not the beliefs; it is that we serve the one true God. And the god of Islam, Satan himself, cannot stand by and allow Christianity to go unchecked.
I pray that when the time comes, I will be able to humbly stand and affirm my trust and belief in Jesus and His ways. I pray that you will be able to stand too. Brown sees that God is in charge and does not regret standing for the Lord and speaking the truth.
Brown, who has written multiple books and frequently speaks at churches and Christian conferences, says he remains committed to his faith and will not back down. “I am at peace,” Brown stated. “My beliefs are much more common to biblical Christianity than the cultural elites would like to admit. I was hired to serve, and I did. I was fired for standing.”
I pray we will all have the same trusting faith and that we will stand for our Savior. May the Lord keep us in the troublesome times and help us to stand for Him and His ways.
Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario