Dr. Ken Hutcherson on Focus on the Family - July 7, 2004

The original Op Ed written by Dr. Ken Hutcherson for the Seattle Times on March 23, 2004

What is this world coming to?

Another day brings another definition of love, marriage, religion, truth, civil rights, and the church. Can anyone remember the day when confusion over issues like this was as extinct as the dinosaur? Only in a culture bombarded with "tolerance" could these institutions be debated with any seriousness. The issue, in which I will attempt to resurrect some common sense, is that of gay marriage.

It has been said loud and proud that gay marriage is a civil rights issue. If this is the case then one must identify gays as the new African-American community. I am here to tell you now and hopefully for the last time that the gay community is not the new "African-American". Gay marriage is an issue solely because a few rebellious, headstrong judges in Massachusetts and a mayor in San Francisco openly defied state law. In California, the judges and the state attorney general were too scared to take any action I am sad to say, fearing homosexual voters. What is this world coming to when the law can be skirted allowing a minority group, 3% of the population of the U.S. at most, to control an entire state? I must agree with Thomas Sowell who said "Gay marriage is not a local issue but a national issue because maintaining the rule of law-or what is left of it-is a national issue of historic importance if we are not to see America degenerate into the world's largest banana republic, or worse. The time is long overdue to start impeaching judges who think their job is to veto laws they do not like or condone lawlessness that they agree with. An independent judiciary does not mean judges independent of the Constitution from which they derive their power or independent of the laws that they are sworn to uphold." I wish I could have said it as well as Mr. Sowell, but since he has I don't have to.

Our own Mayor Nichols, energized by such actions in other parts of our country, made an executive order recognizing gay marriages for city employees. My assumption is that he is willing to give up his own salary to pay what it will cost our state to benefit couples that are breaking the law. I didn't know that the budget and how to allocate it was up to the discretion of the mayor, but voters of this great state will have the last word. When the voters go to the polls next election, to cast a vote for mayor and governor we will not forget the servants who think they are above the law. What is our world coming to when the mayor and King county executive stand for what is against state law?

Homosexuals and their supporters insist that marriage is a fundamental right, and that to deprive them of this right is the most vicious form of discrimination. They also believe that to deny them this right makes them second-class citizens. As Christians we believe that homosexuality is simply a sin issue and that God does not condone it and neither will we. What is this world coming to when a church says that a women minister has not violated God's law by being a homosexual? If the church is afraid to discipline her on that issue, what about what the Bible has to say about sexual sin when the participants are not married? For the church, this is not a civil rights issue, it is a sexual behavior issue. I think the church should stop being "evangelly-fish" with no "spiritual vertebrae." "We are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ" should be our battle cry from here to eternity. Do we believe that the Bible is the word of God or not?

I Kings 18 & 19 "Elijah troubled all of Israel…" When was the last time the church troubled America? We need churches today that believe the Word of God, some "Elijah perspective." Let's put God to the test…He's good for it! If homogeneous is right, follow it, but if cross-cultural is right, follow it. Choose this day what is biblically correct and don't settle for anything less. Don't sit on double opinions and breed division. How many churches are afraid to stand on truth just in case God doesn't come through? We are afraid of looking like a fool. I'm going head-on because I KNOW that I will be delivered, either in life or in death.

Some of us play it so safe, so no one would ever know if God comes through or not. Our greatest trials always come after our greatest success. Elijah went into the desert and cried, even after God had come through in a dramatic, miraculous way at Mt. Carmel. Even if you are the only one, and everyone else has walked away from cross-cultural ministry, and you alone are left, God is good for it! God came to Elisha - Not in the wind…Too many of us want God to blow in, shake things up, and make a big fuss. We can serve a God like that. Not in the earthquake…too many of us want God to come and shake the joints, shake the world up. Not in the fire…too many of us want God to send a consuming fire, that would burn things up.

Too many churches running around trying to get the big mighty wind, trying to get the mighty earthquake, trying to get the consuming fire, and missing God…missing God…missing God…because God didn't' show up in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. He showed up in a still, small voice and broke his servant…it's the Word, it's the Word, it's the Word of God that makes YOU the wind, make YOU the earthquake, makes YOU the fire… only then do we become a family that troubles the world! - Dr. Ken Hutcherson addresses the 6th National Multi-Ethnic-Cross-Cultural Ministry Conference in Indianapolis.

"Take me, for example. I will stand up for God in any situation to any person. I don't care how big the church or organization is, if you are wrong, I'm in your face. I'm fearless before God. Because the worse thing they can do to me (which is the best thing they can do to me) is put me to death. And what then? Well, then I'm on my way to my Father and my family collect a big insurance check" - Before All Hell Breaks Loose, page 71

"Let's see what we can do together that we can never accomplish separately"

"I have always admired "tea-kettle" Christians. They can be up to their neck in hot water and still sing!" - The Church—What We Are Meant to Be, page 101

"It doesn't matter where you've been, what you've done, or how you've done it. If you open the door, He will come in." - Before All Hell Breaks Loose, page 96

"I see an all-white church on one side of town. I see an all-black church on the other side of town. I see Hispanic churchers and Korean churches and Chinese churches. And some of these fellowships of believers are excited and growing like crazy. But it's strange...I can't find anywhere in the Instruction Manual that says Christ's church is supposed to be racially or culturally divided in that way." - The Church—What We Are Meant to Be, page 14

"But what do we try to do with new believers? We try to give them all kinds if information about "how to get busy." But the truth is, if you're head over heels in love with God's Word, being obedient to the Word, you'll be busy doing the right things, not just doing "busy work." - The Church—What We Are Meant to Be, page 60