Political Correctness vs. Hurt Feelings: When to be correct, not politically-correct (Part 2)

In an article I wrote recently, located here, I started a series addressing the Christian's response to political correctness. I told the story of a factitious a pastor named Pastor John Peterson. Pastor John surprised his congregation with an announcement of his resignation due to complaints he received. He opted to resign as the senior pastor as he was unwilling to be accommodating with the issues that was presented to him; but he also didn't want to become an irritant either in the church's proverbial side. Lets review the complaints Pastor John received:

• A word that he tends to use when he describes someone with a physical disability - crippled. 
• That choice of word offended one of his church members. 
• The proclamation that homosexuality was sinful and associated with his encouragement for everyone to speak out against it with prejudice was responded with:
• "You can't say that as not everyone agrees with you." 
• How he walks and talks and fluctuates his voice as he leads a 40 minute sermon.
• Some of his church members felt confronted by his mannerisms and they didn't like being confronted. 

In part one I discussed the reality of there being people who seem to have their sensitivity meeter on overdrive as they seem to get offended by absolutely everything including perfectly acceptable english words such as "crippled". I concluded in part one by teaching that although it would be bowing-the-knee to political correctness to accommodate requests such as to switch out a perfectly acceptable word to describe X for another acceptable word that means the same thing. However the Apostle Paul argued that for the sake of the Gospel, such a compromise would be the right thing to do, (cf. Romans 14:1-3, 15-16).

However does this apply also to doctrines that proclaim to be fact such as, "homosexuality is sinful"? To reiterate political-correctness is the philosophy that encourages the practice of being "...careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people."[i] Political-correctness in the minds of many Christians is demonized in-toto as a compromise on the truth of God. But as pointed out in part one there is a time for the Christian to be politically-correct namely when being dogmatic against political-correctenss is harmful for the Gospel. However should one compromise on doctrinal truth - truth that will ultimately bring one into a relationship with their creator? In short, no, as there is a difference between being accommodating to one's hypersensitivity to a term and one's disagreement with a doctrinal view. In fact Paul instructs people to steer-clear of those who compromise on the truth of Scripture:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. - Romans 16:17

So if you succumb to political-correctness and believe and teach doctrines that is counter to Biblical teaching you should be treated as a heretic. Compromising on a proclamation of Scripture may it be Jesus is the only way (cf. John 14:6) homosexuality is sinful (cf. Romans 1:26-27), there is only one God (cf. Isaiah 46:9), etc. would be an obstacle that is contrary to Biblical teaching. Romans 16:17 is where Paul is wrapping up his letter; he has said all that he wanted to say in the first 15 chapters and so when he encourages his readers to watch out for those who cause divisions and present obstacles that are "...contrary to the teaching you have [learned]" he is referring to what he has just finished saying. Paul opens up the book of Romans by explaining in relative detail The Fall (cf. Genesis 3).

God warned Adam that if he was to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would die (cf. Genesis 2:17). This did not only regard physical death but also a mental death. One of the first recorded effects of sin on creation is not recorded in Genesis 3:14-19, but rather in verse 12: Adam succumbed to self preservation, self reliance and the reliance on the image of wisdom instead of the embodiment of wisdom, namely God.

The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. - Genesis 3:12

Adam's response was:

1. I've got to get out of this situation. 
2. Accomplish (#1) by passing the blame to God for giving me Eve. 
3. Blame Eve for giving me the fruit.  

Even though I took it and ate it, if God didn't give me Eve she wouldn't have existed to give me the fruit so ultimately its his fault that I broke his law; and if only she didn't give me the fruit I wouldn't have been able to take it; I wouldn't have eaten the fruit on my own so by extension it is also her fault. 

Conclusion: I am the product of my environment; I am not at fault!" 

Any rational thinking person should recognize immediately that this is utter foolish thinking and "foolish" this is the exact terminology that Paul uses to describe the mind after being affected by sin.

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools - Romans 1:22 (my emphasis).

To put Paul's words in context he states:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.  

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. - Romans 1:21-27 (my emphasis).

One cannot deny the connection Paul is making with foolishness to idol worship and homosexuality.

• They claimed to be wise. 

• They became fools. 

• They recognized God. 

• They did not give glory to God. 

• They exchanged the truth about God for a lie.
• They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images. 

• They worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. 

• God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 

• Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 

• The men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

The proclamation of wisdom when one's frame of reference is one's own mind is internally foolish as it is circular reasoning - it is relying on itself to be its own evidence of its proclamation; this is a value that political-correctness adheres to as it values human thought over Godly rationality hence its discouragement against saying that another person's view is wrong. As a result people try to rationalize their own behaviour thus treating themselves as their own God. The truth of God is thus exchanged for a lie - the view concocted by the human mind. The mind gravitates to the creation (ultimately itself) rather that the creator; and one manifestation of a self-absorbed mind is the desire for its mirror image. Therefore homosexuality is a logical extension for a self-absorbed mind when it is thinking of sex.

So to conclude to compromise on Scriptural doctrine so to cater to political-correctness is exchanging God for a man-made invention (idol worship), resulting in actions that are based on human rationality which includes in the realm of sexuality.
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[i] - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/politically%20correct - accessed July 14, 2014