{"id":1961682,"date":"2023-06-30T16:22:02","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T20:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/courage-is-a-christians-only-path-forward-from-the-legal-hell-the-winsome-gospel-wrought\/"},"modified":"2023-06-30T16:26:44","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T20:26:44","slug":"courage-is-a-christians-only-path-forward-from-the-legal-hell-the-winsome-gospel-wrought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/courage-is-a-christians-only-path-forward-from-the-legal-hell-the-winsome-gospel-wrought\/","title":{"rendered":"Courage Is A Christian\u2019s Only Path Forward From The Legal Hell The \u2018Winsome\u2019 Gospel Wrought"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcourage-is-a-christians-only-path-forward-from-the-legal-hell-the-winsome-gospel-wrought%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1961682&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<p><em>303 Creative<\/em> has finally been decided, and Christians \u2014 and all Americans \u2014 won. In a 6-3 landmark decision on Friday, the Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/30\/in-landmark-free-speech-decision-supreme-court-rules-government-cant-force-americans-like-lorie-smith-to-violate-religious-beliefs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a> that graphic designer Lorie Smith can\u2019t be compelled to affirm values that conflict with her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sweeping-lgbt-bill-passes-house-gop-lawmaker-vows-to-fight-in-the-courts-and-beyond-if-it-becomes-law\/\" title=\"Sweeping LGBT Bill Passes House, GOP Lawmaker Vows To Fight \u2018In The Courts And Beyond\u2019 If It Becomes Law\">deeply held religious beliefs<\/a> about marriage by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-to-decide-if-colorado-can-force-christian-website-designer-to-work-with-same-sex-couples\/\" title=\"SCOTUS to Decide if Colorado Can Force Christian Website Designer to Work with Same-Sex Couples\u00a0\">designing wedding websites<\/a> for same-sex couples.<\/p>\n<p>As we celebrate this victory \u2014 and we all should because, as the majority rightly stated, \u201cThe First Amendment\u2019s protections belong to all, not just to speakers whose motives the government finds worthy\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s worth reflecting on how we got here. Smith isn\u2019t the only one to have fought this battle, and she won\u2019t be the last. Life-destroying left-wing lawfare came for cake artist Jack Phillips and florist Barronelle Stutzman all the same.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2003464151\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-110f69a12a51cabdecc4033ad424c724 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-110f69a12a51cabdecc4033ad424c724\"><\/div>\n<p>Of course, a major piece to the puzzle is that we live in what Aaron Renn astutely terms the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/article\/2022\/02\/the-three-worlds-of-evangelicalism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">negative world<\/a>.\u201d This era of Christian living began around 2014, just after Phillips first declined to design a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/masterpiece-cakeshop-christian-baker-on-trial-again-this-time-sued-by-transgender-activist\/\" title=\"Masterpiece Cakeshop Christian Baker On Trial Again: This Time Sued By Transgender Activist\">cake celebrating<\/a> a homosexual union and just before the Supreme Court\u2019s <em>Obergefell<\/em> decision cemented Christians in what Renn called a \u201cnew low status.\u201d In this negative world, church attendance has plunged, intolerance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-two-countercultures\/\" title=\"The Two Countercultures\">traditional religious values<\/a> has skyrocketed, and Christians have been dragged into court for their faithfulness \u2014 many into the court of public opinion, if not an actual courtroom.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d be foolish to ignore the other contributing factor, however, and it\u2019s not one that can be wrapped up into a nice little bow called <em>Obergefell<\/em> and draped around the necks of our political foes. No, this other factor comes straight from within the church. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Go Forth and Be Charming?<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s called \u201cwinsomeness.\u201d Being winsome is not a novel idea, obviously, nor even a Christian one. To be winsome is to be charming, attractive, or appealing with one\u2019s demeanor or character \u2014 an admirable goal, to be sure, and one that should apply to Christians. <\/p>\n<p>But in coopting the idea into a veritable doctrine, Christian leaders morphed winsomeness from a desirable trait into a hermeneutic through which they judge all Christian conviction and conduct. Thus as America hurtled toward the negative world, and Christian leaders were suddenly faced with the prospect of a Trump <em>presidency<\/em>, winsomeness became a trump <em>card<\/em> in matters of spiritual significance. Religious and thought leaders, such as Russell Moore and David French among many others, became victims of the mind virus and infected hordes of others. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-211435cb56d5cabd619c164135ef0df0 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-211435cb56d5cabd619c164135ef0df0\"><\/div>\n<p>It might have started as an understandable \u2014 if short-sighted \u2014 response to Donald Trump.<em> Just be nice.<\/em> But then it spread vindictively, and with each mutation, it looked a little more like worldliness and a little less like godliness. The gist of the \u201cwinsome\u201d ethos is that for Christians to be faithful, they must be perceived as kind and likable by the unbelieving world they hope to evangelize. And the symptoms are easy to identify. Appeasement to radicals. A tossing of other faithful Christians under the bus. Race-baiting wrapped in Christian-ese. An <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/29\/russell-moore-wont-celebrate-dobbs-because-hed-have-to-admit-pro-trump-christians-are-good-at-loving-their-neighbors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unwillingness<\/a> to celebrate God-given victory if the \u201cwrong\u201d leader made it happen. Deference to tyranny. Hatred of masculinity. The list goes on.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s a glaring problem with the \u201cwinsome\u201d worldview: It ultimately measures a Christian\u2019s fidelity to the gospel based on how he is perceived by God\u2019s enemies \u2014 and in the process, it implies Christians who aren\u2019t adored by their unregenerate neighbors are unloving.<\/p>\n<p>So you put your obvious pronouns in your email signature because everyone else at work does it, and you don\u2019t want to be known as \u201cthat bigot\u201d in your office. Or you post a black box on Instagram because even though you know it serves more to divide people by the color of their skin than to unite them, it looks virtuous. Or you party at your gay friend\u2019s wedding because even though you know that union defies God\u2019s design for marriage, you don\u2019t want to have an awkward conversation or risk jeopardizing a relationship. Or you say yes to a design job for a woman\u2019s group that promotes abortions because you don\u2019t want them to pass over you for the next opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>This version of Christianity doesn\u2019t work. What you end up with on the one hand are craven Christians who pat themselves on the back for their likeability while being largely untethered from all principles save the approval of man (which conveniently endows worldly status and prestige, such as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/david-french\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">perch at The New York Times<\/a>). On the other hand, you have steadfast believers like Smith and Phillips and Stutzman, who despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/courage-is-a-christians-only-path-forward-from-the-legal-hell-the-winsome-gospel-wrought\/\" title=\"Christian courage is the sole way out of the legal chaos caused by the 'Winsome' Gospel.\">relentless persecution faithfully embody<\/a> the fruits of the Spirit most difficult to cultivate: love, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5cd23e821106f493f7f849cbf75ed817 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5cd23e821106f493f7f849cbf75ed817\"><\/div>\n<p>Yet the world still hates them.<\/p>\n<p>But isn\u2019t that exactly what Jesus promised his followers would be the result of their commitment? The world hated Him, and so it will hate His disciples too. The implication is obvious: If the world doesn\u2019t hate you, are you actually following Jesus?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A More Courageous Way<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s a lesson to be learned from the aforementioned heroes, whose mission is not winsomeness but fidelity to the gospel of Jesus Christ. That means that when a lost soul demands Lorie Smith violate God\u2019s divine law by approving of sexual sin, she can\u2019t capitulate with a modest smile and an accommodating website in hopes of wooing him to Jesus. She instead prays for courage to say, <em>No, I will not design that<\/em>, and like Phillips and Stutzman continues to love her customer by the grace of God anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Scripture provides inspiring examples to emulate too. It no doubt would have been easier for Daniel and his buddies to have bowed to the statue of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar at his command. After all, showing respect and submission to the king would have cemented the young men in his good graces and perhaps given them spiritual sway down the road. But Daniel\u2019s operating principle wasn\u2019t likeability or world-defined niceness. It was a fear of God and undivided devotion that empowered the young Jewish exile to look a fiery death squarely in the face and say with confidence <em>I will not bow.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The winsome doctrine forfeits many of these sanctifying trials, which crop up in countless ways and serve to condition the human conscience in varying degrees. But it also creates major consequences for Christians trying to be faithful. Again, it implies their fortitude is a sign of hatred. And worse, it tilts the world a little more toward a fake gospel of tolerance and away from the true gospel \u2014 the only one with any power to save suffering people: \u201cRepent and believe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The legal assaults and character assassinations won\u2019t end with a single court victory \u2014 or two or three. Just ask Jack Phillips how the past decade has gone for him. So Christians must be ready with an unwavering answer when a lost world asks something of us we know we cannot do \u2014 no matter how big or small \u2014 and then be prepared to carry that cross. <\/p>\n<p>Remember the courage of Lorie Smith, Jack Phillips, and Barronelle Stutzman, pray God gives it to you too, and start practicing it \u2014 whether the watching world interprets it as charming or not. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a62480ec956465d9ad533800aba8afcb fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a62480ec956465d9ad533800aba8afcb\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>303 Creative has finally been decided, and Christians \u2014 and all Americans \u2014 won. In a 6-3 landmark decision on Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that graphic designer Lorie Smith can\u2019t be compelled to affirm values that conflict with her deeply held religious beliefs about marriage by designing wedding websites for same-sex couples. As we<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":994,"featured_media":1961683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1961682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/994"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1961682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1961683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1961682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1961682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1961682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}