I see Erick Erickson is complaining about about what he views as the predictable: an “orthodox” Montana pastor who makes some income on the side as a realtor has been caught in a squeeze play in which the realtor association, to which he must, practically speaking, belong, has banned ‘hate speech’ – such as condemning homosexual behavior.
Which this pastor does.
So Erickson manages to wind up with this:
The real world implications here are pretty significant. If the left insists people give up their worldview to participate in the private sector, the right is going to destroy the private sector. The left will be just fine with that. But it won’t end well for anyone. If we cannot all mutually tolerate each other’s views, we cannot remain united States. Together, the illiberal left and right will burn it all down.
The National Association of Realtors knew pastors and people of faith could be targeted by their hate speech code. A lot of public discussion revolved around that at the time they enacted it. But the association proceeded anyway and now, as so many predicted, Christians are being targeted for punishment by the wokes. It was all foreseeable, predictable, and they did it anyway because more and more trade associations have embraced Woke-O Haram.
And, having read this, all I can think is Welcome to the other foot. Existential hatred of homosexuals was, and is, the stock-in-trade for many “orthodox” Christian churches throughout much of the 20th century and earlier. Keep them out of the military, out of the public square, chase them out of the private square.
Call them pedophiles and Satan worshippers and what have you. Engender murderous hatred where possible.
It’s just the other fungus-afflicted foot now, isn’t it?
But it’s worth noting this: while most homosexuals will tell you they have no choice about being homosexual, this pastor certainly has a choice. How do we know this?
Because interpretations of the Bible change over time. We already know they change from sect to sect, but we also know this because, in most locations, suggesting we have a good ol’ fashioned witch-burning would be met with understandable and civilized horror. But we know we used to kill them – or, more importantly, those so accused – such were the Salem Witch Trials, eh?
So what Erickson is inadvertently highlighting is an ongoing change in Biblical interpretations. It’s been going on for decades, because social change only occasionally happens instantaneously; even today, if you look hard enough, you can find a few Bible literalists who, honest to the end, cry out Death to witches, rather than appreciating that general Biblical practice no longer tolerates blood lust in that regard.
Whether or not the realtor association should be taking this position is something of an open question in my mind, although I am inclined to say yes, but remain open to argument. I also tend to see this as Erickson trying desperately to keep his conservative base together through the use of infuriating epithets and refusing to consider the entire situation.
But that’s a rant for another day.
