Wednesday, March 18, 2015

March 19, 2015

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

I understand the inherent risk of mixing politics with religion but since liberal/progressives insist on politicizing just about everything, they have changed the game. Since they have, I’ll play.

First, praise God for a political victory in Israel!

On a far less significant note, but a matter worth addressing, the Starbucks decision to have their baristas raise the issue of racism is another reason to avoid Starbucks and support some of the locally owned coffee shops.

Let me say, I have always enjoyed going to Starbucks. I have a couple gift cards I need to use up so I will likely continue to go until those are spent. I will miss going there, so hopefully they will reconsider their policy.

Also, I must defend their right to institute whatever policy they choose on any issue they support. It is their business and their stores and they are free to operate the company and the stores as they see fit. I believe in free enterprise and capitalism and I don’t want either of those important freedoms abridged.

But, by the same standard, I have a right to shop elsewhere or to continue going to Starbucks until one of their baristas actually throws the race issue out there. Here are several possible responses I could give should that happen:

1) If they raise the issue as I order, I can cancel the order and announce I am going to Blackstone instead.
2) If they raise the issue after I have ordered and paid I can refuse my order and ask for a refund.
3) I can respond, “I don’t want to talk about racism because race isn’t the issue sin is. Would you like to talk about Jesus?”
4) I can grab my phone and proudly show them pictures of my beautiful mixed-race grandchildren and great-children and ask to see theirs.
5) I can also respond, “I belong to a movement (Wesleyan Church) that has been at the forefront of fighting slavery and racism for nearly 200 years! So, how about you?”  In fact, the Founders of The Wesleyan Church were some of the earliest leaders in the abolitionist movement 30 years before the Civil War. We became a separate denomination because our Founders were kicked out of the Methodist Church due to their strong moral opposition to slavery.
6) I could give them a history lesson on the fact that it has predominantly Liberals who have consistently opposed freedom and civil rights for black Americans from the early days of our nation and especially during the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s. Google names like Margaret Sanger, George Wallace, Bull Connors, Orville Faubus, Albert Gore Sr. and Robert Byrd, just for a few.
7) If I am standing behind a person or people in line who have been engaged in the discussion, thereby hindering customer service I can step out of line and mention I am going to another coffee shop where the service is better.

You can probably think of other appropriate and polite responses.

It is time to kindly, respectfully, and clearly confront the foolish ideas of our culture with Gospel truth. You have more influence than you think you do and God’s truth has more power than you realize.

Jesus has called you and me to be salt and light! Salt refers to the godly influence we should have as followers of Christ. Light refers to the truth of God’s Word that guides our decisions and shapes our convictions.

The time for silence is over. It’s time to speak up and stand up and live up for the truth!