Federal civil rights law in America prohibits job discrimination on the basis of sex. Well, last week the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, a federal appeals court in Chicago, ruled that sex also includes the expanded definition of sexual orientation. This ruling forbids discrimination “against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees” for that circuit.
The Seventh Circuit, a leader among the other circuits, is not known to be very liberal, so it seems likely that other circuits will follow this ruling and will decide to rewrite federal law, as the Seventh Circuit did. Inevitably this issue will make its way to the Supreme Court.
How will this affect religious nonprofits and for-profits? We don’t know yet, but it’s a sign that the religious beliefs of Christians and others are not likely to be protected. This ruling follows in the trend of many other state laws that equate sex and sexual orientation and that refuse to recognize this as a moral—not a civil rights—issue. This is of grave concern.
Rulings like this are no surprise in a nation that is increasingly doing what’s right in its own eyes.
Rulings like this are no surprise in a nation that is increasingly doing what’s right in its own eyes (Judges 21:25) and thumbing its nose at the commands and precepts of God’s Word. As our culture continues to ignore God’s Word and accept homosexual and transgender behavior, we will continue to see judges making decisions like this.
As Christians, we need to stand boldly on God’s Word—no matter the political climate—and preach the gospel to the lost and hurting. It isn’t popular to say that there is such a thing as sin and that sin—any sin—deserves judgment, but it’s the truth. People need to recognize their sin problem and turn to the only one who has the solution—the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.