I was listening to a Christian news and commentary podcast this morning. One of the items commented on had to do with a lawsuit brought by a Christian against his former employer. He was fired, he claims, because of his views on one of the current hot social and cultural issues. His point boils down to this. 'I sincerely believe in certain things. You should not discriminate against me because of those beliefs.' The assumptions of all involved in the discussion on the podcast was that he should not be discriminated against just because of his beliefs.
I am not a lawyer so my comments here are not about the law. But as a pastor I know a few things about people and about attitudes. There are those on the other side of this issue who are making the very same point as that Christian bringing the lawsuit. 'I sincerely believe in certain things. You should not discriminate against me because of those beliefs.' The Christian bringing the lawsuit feels that something went very wrong when this company discriminated against him. Should we be surprised if those who disagree with us on this and other hot social issues feel the same way when we 'discriminate' against them by our words and actions? After all, that's how it feels to them.
My point is not about who is right when it comes to this particular issue. My point is how we respond to those who disagree with us. For many of them, what they believe about the issue is sincerely believed. We will make progress in bringing about change as we work at understanding them and understanding where they are coming from. Hopefully, they will then also listen to us to understand where we are coming from. This will make it possible for us to have a civil and helpful conversation. How can we draw them to Jesus if we can't even talk?
All of this is simply an application of one of Jesus' famous quotes. 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'