Honestly, did anyone expect the situation to get this bad in Indiana?
Every single day seems to bring worse news.
The situation of the O’Connor family in particular has me sick to my stomach. Local news ABC 57 went looking for a restaurant owner that would go on camera to share their beliefs and found an unsuspecting girl behind the counter of a small-town pizzeria who said she would have no problem serving gay people but that they would not cater a gay wedding if asked.
Notice, there wasn’t even an act of discrimination — the girl simply answered a hypothetical question.
For this “offense”, thousands upon thousands of gay activists have inundated the pizzeria’s social media accounts with hatred and filth. The O’Connors have received death threats, they were forced to close the business, and now they may even leave the state.
For Christians, even when we feel we must condemn sin, we remember that we must always love the sinner, love the person.
The people attacking the O’Connors don’t bother with that distinction. For so many of them, the O’Connors are evil people who deserve evil things to happen to them. And they wish them evil.
It angers me to see innocent people like the O’Connors suffer, but it also greatly saddens me to see people like the ones attacking the O’Connors be led and lead themselves down the road of actual hatred. People who hate destroy themselves more than they injure the object of their hatred. The time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is a perfect time to pray deeply for those who hate and persecute us for His sake. Because love is the only thing that can overcome hate.
So I’m asking you to join me in praying for all those fomenting hatred in Indiana and against those who believe in the sanctity of marriage.
We should especially pray for those in the media and those leading the charge against religious freedom. They bear a huge weight of responsibility for the lies, distortions and dehumanization that makes this intensity and prevalence of hatred possible.
We should also pray for the courage to stand up for religious freedom and for civility in our society. Christians have a duty to stand up for the truth, particularly in the face of intimidation and persecution. May silent prayer lead us to bold action.
Amen.