Christianity
Is Preaching The Gospel Becoming Hate Speech?
Noting that certain tenets of the Christian faith are growing more unpopular each year, two prominent attorneys on Thursday called on believers to pray for the Supreme Court and the rest of the judicial system, saying it’s essential that judges follow the Constitution and not the whims of the culture.
David Nammo, CEO of the Christian Legal Society, and Gregory S. Baylor, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, made the comments on the National Day of Prayer, emphasizing that Justices need prayer just as politicians do. They spoke during a virtual event sponsored by MyFaithVotes.org.
“I think one of the specific ways we can pray for judges is that they don’t get kind of sucked into the deep polarization and tribalism that’s plaguing our culture right now,” Baylor said. “We don’t want judges to become part of that – to think of themselves in one tribe or the other.”
Baylor urged Christians to pray that judges “do the job that God has called them to do.”
“Even at the recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings … there was a consensus that judges ought not to be legislators [and] ought not to be the primary resolvers of the big disputes and debates in our country,” Baylor said.
It’s especially critical to pray for judges as the culture becomes more hostile to the gospel, Nammo said.
“I think it’s important that [pastors] understand that preaching the gospel may one day become hate speech in this country,” Nammo said, noting that in many countries, “that’s already the case.”
“We’re blessed to be in this country,” he said. “… We should proclaim [the gospel] without fear, without worry. God is not worried, and He’s not surprised. And yes, we should do all we can to fight for the rights and the freedoms that are guaranteed to us in the Constitution, and to push back on a government that is by the people.
“… I don’t think pastors should be afraid,” Nammo added, “but I also don’t think they should hide from the fact that it’s getting hostile out there.”
