Why I Will Not Open a Business Venture in Kalamazoo

From the Kalamazoo Gazette:

KALAMAZOO — Kalamazoo city voters decisively adopted an ordinance Tuesday that extends anti-discrimination protections to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals.

The ordinance passed 7,671 to 4,731, making Kalamazoo the 16th city in Michigan to adopt such a gay-rights ordinance that grants the protections in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.

As a Christian, I cannot give my approval in any way to that which God labels as sin. The ordinance that passed last evening would make it illegal for me to do any of several things, including:

• Not hiring a homosexual for a job involving contact with children
• Keeping a cross-dressing man from using the ladies' restroom in my business
• Renting a home or apartment to a pair of homosexuals

My conscience and my common sense would require me to do what the ordinance does not allow. Although I have no business, rental property, or any such thing in Kalamazoo—and never have—I have decided that I never will...unless this ordinance is removed.

Why You Should Vote "NO" on Kalamazoo's Ordinance 1856

Next week Kalamazoo city voters will have an opportunity to vote on Ordinance 1856, which essentially grants special rights to homosexuals, crossdressers, and others who are not heterosexual. Much has been written on the topic (some great stuff is here) already, so I will not strive to duplicate those efforts.

There are several good, strong reasons to vote NO on this ordinance. It essentially grants special rights to one group while discriminating against another. It is bad for businesses. It will cause social problems when, for example, men are using women's restrooms.

But the biggest reason to vote NO on the ordinance is this: It brings legitimacy to sin. The Bible teaches that all sexual activity outside of marriage (which, by biblical definition, is heterosexual) is sin. Homosexuality and other deviant forms of sexual behavior are condemned in some of the strongest language found in the Bible.

To grant special civil rights to those who are engaging in sin, and to simultaneously discriminate against those who are desiring to set an example of what is morally right, is cancerous to the body politic. For this reason alone I would recommend that you vote NO on Ordinance 1856.

But if you want a lot more good reasons to vote NO, check here.

Obama: Champion of the Gays

Complete story here.

On Tuesday, our president spoke to a group of "gay leaders" at the White House. As I mentioned last week, the gay community is upset that their agenda is not being implemented quickly enough by the president.

President Obama's remarks to this group included this disturbing quote: "I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you." There were also these remarks:

"I know many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough. And I understand that," Obama said. But he added: "I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by promises that my administration keeps."

By the time he leaves office, the president said, "I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration."

Some points to note here:

• Homosexuality is a sin. It is morally wrong, and this is clearly taught in the Bible. To be the "champion" of those who openly and proudly display their sinfulness, and to actively pursue goals which enable this sinfulness and reward those who do it, is wrong.
• Imagine this quote, in a new context: Speaking to a group of Christians! "I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you." Wouldn't that be wonderful? Why can't we see this instead? Why not have our president work toward goals like strengthening families and eliminating abortions? Why does he instead pander toward homosexuals while offending Christians?
• His last sentence is telling: He wants to be judged by kept promises. He does NOT want to be judged by words or promises made in the past. Does this sound hypocritical to anyone other than me?
  

What is sad here is that the president prefers those who sin over those who disapprove of this sin. This is not the change or hope I was awaiting.

Kalamazoo Discrimination Ordinance Passes 7-0

As expected, the Kalamazoo City Commission voted unanimously this evening to force residents and businesses in the city to grant special "protections" to those describing themselves as part of the "GLBT community."

I believe that to discriminate on the basis of skin color, age, or gender is inappropriate. These are factors that are beyond a person's ability to control. As a Christian, I am to show love to all—and that is certainly a non-discriminatory statement.

What I object to is being pushed to acknowledge a lifestyle choice which I find sinful and repugnant. God made man and woman, established monogamous marriage, and gave mankind clear commands about physical intimacy. Homosexuality is against God's commands. It is sin.

So now what? Stay tuned for the petition drive, and if you live in the Kalamazoo area and/or know voters in the city of Kalamazoo, get to work! Details to come....

Kalamazoo Discrimination Ordinance to be Voted On Tonight!

The title above is my own, as the ordinance will discriminate against those who live or operate a business in the city of Kalamazoo by forcing them to accept homosexuals (or anyone in the "GLBT" group) in housing, employment, and "access to public accommodations."

According to the Kalamazoo Gazette and widely reported elsewhere, the ordinance is likely to pass, and in fact could be unanimously passed. A similar ordinance passed the City Commission unanimously in December, but was then rescinded in January after an unprecedented number of signatures were turned in for a ballot referendum on the matter. Some minor changes have since been made granting more "protections" to religious groups. Fines for violating the ordinance will be $500 a day plus expenses.

The American Family Association intends to begin circulating petitions Tuesday morning if the measure passes the commission, as most expect it will. Given the fact that no commission members have given any indication of a change of heart on the matter, we need to prepare for this. The previous petition drive was only granted 20 days to collect over a thousand signatures (over the Christmas holiday season, no less), and was successful by a comfortable margin. If you are a registered voter of Michigan and know registered voters in Kalamazoo, you can help in the petition drive. Pay attention to the AFA website and stayed tuned for further developments.

The homosexual movement wants to win as many of these local battles as they can before the inevitable day when their agenda will be placed before Congress. Do your part to promote what is right and godly in your area!

Biden Reaches Out to Gay Community

Thus reads the title of an article on the Kalamazoo Gazette's website (originally from politico.com). Speaking at a "LGBT fundraiser" that brought in about a million dollars for the Democratic National Committee, the vice-president acknowledged that the Obama administration had not been moving as fast as many in the homosexual community had desired in implementing their agenda.

Although those of us who believe that homosexuality is an abomination (because that's what the Bible calls it) find the "homosexual agenda" disturbing, we are comforted slightly that our president has not simply done everything they want. Yet. Perhaps even more disturbing is the knowledge that some homosexuals boycotted the event—to protest that Obama isn't doing everything they want, fast enough!

The vice-president tried to smooth ruffled feathers by pointing out what the Obama administration has already done for them, and how many homosexuals he has appointed to office already. He even said,

Biden said the administration is committed to "the unfinished business of true equality."

"I promise you with your help we'll get there in this administration," he said, going as far as to add that if the country achieves gender equality, "I will have marked my term as vice president as being truly worthwhile."

Disgraceful. But consider this scenario:

The president or vice-president comes to speak at a fundraiser dinner organized by Christians to support candidates who cherish traditional family values. He apologizes for not implementing the "Christian agenda" quickly enough and promises that by the time his current term ends, progress will be made. Meanwhile, outside the venue, a group of protesters hold pickets and decry the administration for not making greater progress when the opportunity arose.

Do you think you will ever see this?