Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark

A few weeks back I posted about the direction our nation is headed with regard to the homosexual agenda and its effect on the church.  I said that:

Call it alarmist.  Call it radical.  Call it what you will.  The Church needs to wake up and prepare itself for how we will deal with these issues.  At the present rate, the day will come when pastors will face legal battles if they stand for truth and refuse to perform gay marriages.  Churches will likewise face sanctions if they refuse to host said "weddings." 

Little did I realize that on the global scene, we would see this play out so quickly.  Denmark has recently declared that the church MUST perform gay weddings.  Even if the local priest/pastor refuses, it's up to the bishop/leader of the area to replace him with someone who will perform the wedding.  In simple, the state is forcing the church to act against its conscience.  How well Shakespeare prophesied: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

And that rot which erodes the free speech and freedom of religion for individuals and churches will be making its way across the waves sooner than we might think.  I know what the head-in-sand types will say.  "Oh, that's Denmark.  Things are different here."  The only differnce is timing.  Denmark led the way over 20 years ago in legalizing same sex unions.  We eventually caught up.  There is little doubt we will eventually follow this latest lead as well. 

Don't misunderstand my intent.  I'm not promoting "hate", as anyone who disagrees with a liberal is accused of doing.  And I'm not advocating that the church go on a crusade regarding this one issue.  As Mojo & October Light put it: "is the church's job to stop homosexuals? No, it's to bring good news to dead souls."  Good words.

My point is simply that the church is facing a day and time when our freedom to proclaim that good news will be hindered, even refused altogether unless we play along with the state.  In the meantime, we can, and should, stay involved in the political process as good citizens, and work to prevent such a day.  Something is indeed rotten in Denmark.  And if we're not vigilent, it will spread to our great land as well. 

But even more, we need to be sure that our courage is firmly in place, that our stand is firmly on the Word of God, and we are prepared to face the consequences when this day arrives. The church down through the years has faced such manhandling at the hands of the state.  We've been blessed in this nation to avoid such.  But we must be strong and ready in case those blessings come to an end.