Most Christians get it, but some clearly do not! Quick review. A hotel in Madison, Wisconsin told me their ballroom was available for us to rent for a conference. I agreed to the rental fee and to the seating limitations of the room. I was told they would email over a contract that same day. It was not until they visited our website that they sent us an email stating our event was not a good fit for them. 

I received this email while live on the air, and I immediately told my radio audience about it, expressing my righteous anger on the air. I called out the double standard by the many liberal, and God-haters in Madison that claim to be so tolerant while being the very definition of intolerant. Since expressing my righteous anger on the air that Friday, I received many emails and Facebook posts agreeing with my expressed convictions and righteous anger.

HOWEVER, I did get three emails that reveal that some Christians just do not get it. 

One email accused me of sinning by being angry over the issue at hand. Anger is not a sin if it is a righteous anger or hatred of sin, evil, or injustice. Christians that never have a righteous anger are clearly people that have few convictions, or at the very least, convictions that do not run deep to their very soul and center of who they are and what they are striving to live. The response by Jesus in the temple is a perfect example of a righteous anger, and one more Christians should embrace. (Matthew 21:12)

Jesus became angry in Mark 3:5 at how the Pharisees were behaving. The key is that our anger must never be rooted in selfishness. Our anger must not be because we did not get our way. It is never a sin to be grieved or angry over the sins of man that result in people being mistreated, or the sinful actions of others that victimize the helpless, or a government that abuses its power and purpose to harm and punish the righteous. 

A second email stated that I was wrong to be upset because we should expect to be persecuted and count it all joy. This is also thinking out of context. We can rejoice in our persecution because it is evidence of our faith, faithfulness, and because we understand that persecution brings reward for those that endure. However, such joy does not mean that at the same time we cannot have a righteous anger toward the behavior of the ungodly that seek to persecute Christians, muffle the gospel, or use the power of government to punish the righteous and reward the wicked. Such behavior is in direct opposition of the God-ordained purpose of government, according to Romans 13. 

If one does not have a righteous anger toward evil and the unjust from time to time, then I seriously question their discernment, convictions, and passion for contending for the faith.

A third email sent to me stated that we should be fine with people choosing who they rent their buildings to and who they do not rent their buildings to because that is freedom. This person seems to have a misunderstanding of freedom. 

If EVERYONE has the right and freedom to choose who they do business with and choose who they rent a building to or not, then that would be just fine with me. However, right now it is not that way. Conservatives and Christians get sued for living out their convictions and seeking to exercise their freedoms. Liberals that live out their convictions are praised and often protected by the law and courts that seem bent toward setting up a system where Christians are the only ones deprived of freedom and thus persecuted. 

While I expect persecution, that does not mean I have to invite it or make a way for it by not exercising my right to access the courts and legal system when appropriate. We should oppose evil, and the courts are a great place to do just that. Christians should use every Biblical and legal path available to slow down the systematic criminalization of Christians meeting and assembling in public places or exercising their freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Make no mistake, the current double standard is the systematic setting up of a group of people for persecution. When Christians live out their faith and are dragged into court, it is the state that imposes on to Christians and conservatives the jail time or punitive fines that rob them of their freedom and business, and thus their personal liberty. 

So to the 99% that get it, I say thank you. To that 1% of Christians that do not get it, let me tell you that you need to start thinking with Biblical reason, logic, and context and if you don’t, then you are part of the problem for sure.  

I repeat, let everyone have the freedom to choose who they do business with and who they rent a building to or to whom they don’t rent a building. 

However, allowing a one sided system that fines, jails, and shames only Christians for their convictions is a dangerous road to a tyrannical government. So to the 1% I say, be pious, be passive, be ignorant, be wrong, but don't you dare complain when such wrong-headed thinking gives a clear and unrestricted path to the God haters and the courts to tell you what you can and cannot teach your children, what your pastor can and cannot say from the pulpit, or what we can say over the airwaves. 

Don't you dare have righteous anger over such persecution unless it is towards yourself for squandering your God given freedom to speak up when you had the chance.