Historian Arnold J. Toynbee, who once said that history is a vision of God’s creation on the move, also observed that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills. Missouri Southern Baptists, like other people of faith, are engaged in a “battle of wills” with the government and secularists over religious freedom.
President Obama’s Health and Human Services mandate (part of ObamaCare) went into effect Aug. 1 drawing people of faith and the Obama administration closer to a climactic showdown. ObamaCare demands that religious entities like the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Southwest Baptist University, Hannibal-LaGrange University and perhaps the Missouri Baptist Convention staff provide coverage for abortion-inducing drugs in their employees’ health insurance plans. So the battle is on.
Fifty-six religiously affiliated institutions have filed lawsuits against the mandate. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has pledged to repeal and replace ObamaCare. If the court challenges fail and Obama is re-elected, then it is possible the Church may have to resort to civil disobedience – and the consequences, including imprisonment and fines. The wolf is at our doorstep.
Denver, Colo.-based Hercules Industries, like our entities, refuses to comply with the mandate because the abortion coverage goes against the faith values that govern Hercules’ operation. Just prior to Aug. 1, a federal judge issued an injunction against ObamaCare after the federal government threatened to fine the company millions of dollars if it did not provide the abortion coverage to its 265 employees. Such is the face of tyranny.
For too long the Church has been soft on sin. It has let too much of the world infiltrate its worldview. Inundated with pride, moral relativism and misplaced priorities, is it any wonder our heavenly Father has something against us? In Rev. 4:15-16, He tells the Church at Laodicea that it is neither cold nor hot thus, “I will spit you out of My mouth.” Perhaps God is allowing this growing assault against our religious freedom to awaken the Church. Could it be that God – through such public policy challenges – will send revival? America has no hope unless the Church gets right with God.
The passage of Amendment 2, or the so-called “Prayer Amendment,” by a stunning 83 percent demonstrates how seriously Missourians are taking the threats against their religious freedom. Time will tell if it means more than that.
I attended a private meeting in Kansas City June 28-29 with 850 pastors and church leaders, mostly Missouri Baptists. The meeting was called The Missouri Renewal Project. I am not at liberty to share what was said, but the high level of concern for the Church and our nation was evident. Baptists, from Roger Williams and John Leland, have championed religious freedom and Missouri Baptists – true to our forefathers – are stepping up.
Missouri Baptists led the fight to pass Amendment 2 and we praise God for the overwhelming victory. MBC leaders met with other faith organizations at the Baptist Building to discuss how we could partner for passage of Amendment 2. The MBC did a plethora of interviews in support of Amendment 2 with national and local media. Just in the final week, MBC Executive Director John Yeats was quoted by USA Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Huffington Post, Boonville (Mo.) Daily News and Baptist Press.
Pastors, like MBC Christian Life Commission Chairman David Krueger of First Baptist Church, Linn, wrote editorials that were published in their local newspapers. Others like Rex Green, pastor, Edmonson Baptist Church, Lincoln, and Buck Morton, pastor, First Baptist Church, Portageville, wrote letters and encouraged support of Amendment 2 from their pulpits. In New Madrid County, where First Portageville is located, Amendment 2 garnered 93 percent of the vote. Phil Hopper, pastor, Abundant Life Baptist Church, Lee’s Summit, was a recent guest on a National Public Radio program in Kansas City. Despite being outnumbered 6-1 by liberals on the program, he winsomely defended the faith, offering a strong argument in defense of Amendment 2.
Earlier this year the MBC launched the most aggressive voter registration campaign in its history. The MBC also mailed 186,000 Amendment 2 bulletin inserts. Advertisements were purchased in The Pathway and newspapers statewide.
These are but a handful of examples of how Missouri Baptists have stepped up in the face of government domination. As we continue our defense of religious freedom, we must remember that, for Christians, in politics, it is not about winning. It is about obedience to God motivated out of love for our fellow citizens. True victory will only come when Christ returns.