Understanding the Times
This past week, the Supreme Court debated the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as union between a man and a woman only. Undoubtedly, this has caused quite a stir among the Christian community. It seems as if almost every Christian is up in arms in the cyber world trying to make their claim as to why gay marriage should or should not be allowed, or why everyone should just settle down and love everyone. There have been countless talk shows and online debates about the issue, and the entirety of America seems to be buzzing with opinions on the topic.
This whole situation is very intriguing to me because there are so many elements involved, and it runs a huge risk of being very complex because human feelings hang in the balance and many lives will be affected by the court’s decision. While I will not share my personal opinion about this issue, I will share what I believe about something else.
While I do not believe that politics are the most important concern of Christians, I think being aware of the times and its events should be important to Christians. Many people have gotten hurt and have been turned away from the church because of the issue at hand, partly because the Christian church is most known for not approving of gays and earning the reputation of anti-gay. For the sake of the church and the name of Christ, it is vital that Christians know what is going on around them, know what they believe, and know the best course to take based on what they believe.
In Chronicles 12:32, the men of Issachar are commended because “All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take”. These men were listed as leaders in the nation of Israel because they understood what was going on around them and were able to guide Israel in wisdom.
At CBU, there are plenty of ways to stay informed and get involved with the goings-on in the world. An active International Justice Mission club meets weekly on campus to represent the needs of oppressed individuals worldwide and make a difference. Many professors who have developed knowledge and insight about what is going on in the world are constantly on call and are more than happy to discuss world and American issues. An easy way to stay informed is to pick up a newspaper from one of the many newspaper stands located around Cal Baptist. With this form of media, it is also good to get several perspectives from other people and other media sources so that you do not get a one-sided bias. A Christian website that gives frequent updates of world events is the Voice of the Martyrs, at www.persecution.com. Another fun way to be informed is to attend events like Night of Nations, which will be this Friday in the Van Dyne gym at 7 p.m. CBU students participating in International Service Projects will be putting on entertainment that displays the cultures they will be serving this summer.
So get involved! Be informed. Know what is going on in the world around you and be able to deal with the issues at hand in a realistic way.
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