Can the “thought police” get you?

It’s called “Hate Crimes” legislation. An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act offered by Senator Ted Kennedy has nothing to do with national defense but everything to do with stifling expressions of traditional family values. Analysts say it goes way beyond mere hate crimes to thought crimes, where motives and intentions could be illegal and subject to punishment. What is proposed can make the old moralist the new criminal. Simply holding out and, of course, speaking out for the authority of Scripture and its moral guidelines could be a “hate crime.” Pluralism and political correctness are being potentially used to silence critics of immoral lifestyles.

Actual Christian love is being reinterpreted to be hate speech or even hate thought. “Oh how I love thy law,” as Ps. 119:97 says. Paul said, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). That will be increasingly hazardous unless our Christian voices are safeguarded.

As the country becomes more secular and accepting of immoral lifestyles, Bible believers will be more criminally suspect. Unless these freedoms are safeguarded by our legislators who reflect citizen demands for free Biblical speech, Christians will be legally oppressed and perhaps subject to fines and imprisonment, as is now the case in Canada. Tax-exemption for churches and Christian organizations will be jeopardized or even removed and will be viewed as a license to say only certain things in certain ways. National Religious Broadcasters has warned its members, “Christian broadcasters and communicators could lose their right to speak out biblically if this bill is signed into law, as has happened in numerous other nations where ‘Hate Crimes’ legislation has been passed.” Freedom to sin will trump our freedom to object.

Paul asked the church in Galatia, “Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16). He wrote regarding a local church conflict, but when it came to worshipping only God instead of Caesar, it cost Paul his life. John the Baptist lost his head when he spoke out against Herod’s adultery (Mark 6:18-25).

Some think we live in a Roman Empire situation, which is far from the political truth. Christ directed people to render to Caesar the things that were his (Luke 20:25). For citizens of the Unites States, that’s involvement in the political system. Our “Caesar” is the Constitution, which makes the people the government. That means voting, perhaps personally running for office and, in the case of “hate crimes” legislation, voicing concerns to elected representatives to head hate criminality off at the pass.

Political and religious freedom is like the daily manna in the wilderness. Use it or lose it.

David Virkler