Manhattan Declaration: What I hope will happen

Yesterday I reported why some Christian leaders have or have not signed the Manhattan Declaration. But I never said exactly what is in it.

In its simplest form, it affirms three principles:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

I have known these were the major emphases of this declaration for some time now, but it wasn't until I listened carefully to Pastor Allen's sermon Sunday that I realized another implication of this Declaration. In a sense, it is like the Declaration of Independence. It is a bold statement that we as Christians will no longer stand by silently and unengaged as these three beliefs are trampled on in the public square. Sign me up for that.

Look specifically at the last paragraph of this document:

"Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s."

I hope all the signers understand the implications of this paragraph. In many sectors of our society, Christians are already being opposed (and many are capitulating) on these very points. But notice the verbs in this paragraph:

will not comply...

nor will we bend...

nor refrain from...

Now pay attention to what this means:

1. We won't comply with a law that would use taxes from a privately owned business for embryo-destructive research.

2. We won't pay spousal benefits to same sex partners even if our state legalizes gay "marriage."

3. We will not stop preaching the truth, no matter how many "hate crime" lawsuits are filed against pastors and churches.

I hope everyone knows this is what that paragraph means. Only if we act

resolutely...

at risk...

with conviction...

in unity...

...will we see positive results from this declaration. I hope signers will stand by these commitments.

To read the entirety of the Manhattan Declaration (and to sign!), go here.