Scott Tibbs
Defending "religious freedom" by attacking religious freedom
By Scott Tibbs, September 1, 2023
During His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (See John 14:6.) The Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, preached that there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ: "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (See Acts 4:12.) The exclusivity of the Gospel has been a core doctrine of the Christian faith for 2000 years.
Declaring the exclusivity of the Gospel damages no one’s religious freedom. Saying that Jesus is the only path to Heaven does not mean people should be forced to "convert." However, the "honorable"
Max Miller proved the truth of Proverbs 28:1, which teaches us that "the wicked flee when no man pursueth." Miller refuses to come into the light, as Jesus predicted in John 3:19-20. Does Congressman Miller believe that every Christian who believes a core doctrine of the Christian faith is a "bigot?" Does he think that every church that teaches Biblical doctrine is "bigoted?"
If we all have "religious freedom," then that same freedom also applies to Christians who speak the Gospel. Does Miller (who openly rejects Jesus Christ as the Son of God) believe that Christians should have religious liberty, or does he think that we should be shamed and silenced? Miller obviously thinks that berating Christians for sharing the Gospel is an appropriate use of his time as a member of Congress. Hopefully Christians in Ohio will be carefully scrutinizing his record on religious freedom going forward. Given Miller's open hostility to basic Christian doctrine, the best bet for religious liberty is to pick someone else to be the Republican candidate for the Seventh District.
Miller "apologized" for his Tweet, pretending that his post "conveyed a message I did not intend." Hilariously, Miller said he would not hide or run from his mistake. He clearly was doing
exactly that when he claimed he "did not intend" to say that basic Christian doctrine is bigoted. This is just another case of a politician refusing to take responsibility for his words. He could make a real apology, but any effort to do that now will (correctly) be seen as damage control, not sincere contrition.
It should be noted, of course, that Miller was elected to Congress because the incumbent Congressman in his district (Anthony Gonzalez) voted to impeach Donald Trump after the events of January 6. Trump endorsed Miller, and Gonzalez dropped out of the race.
Perhaps Christians in Ohio should be more concerned with whether their member of Congress thinks they are "bigots" who oppose "religious freedom" than whether their Congressman is personally loyal to Donald Trump.
Speaking the Gospel is not an act of hate or bigotry. Lizzie Marbach herself believes that she has no hope apart from Jesus Christ. Sincere Christians know
how much we have been forgiven and that Jesus gave His life for us while we were His enemies. (Romans 5:8-10) If you really believe in the exclusivity of the Gospel, it is an act of love to publicly proclaim that truth and lead people away from eternal damnation, just as it is an act of love to tell someone not to lay on the tracks while a train is barrelling toward you.
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