Kroger Supermarket and the Pinch of Incense to LGBT+
You need not wonder what it was like to live under paganism.
In Revelation 2:18-29, our Lord sent a message to the churches condemning the teachings of Jezebel. Specifically, in v. 20, we read that she "teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." This is descriptive of what is now the temptation for Christians in our day.
Let's start here. God condemns every letter of the LGBT+ spectrum. His Word is clear on the matter, and churches have historically taught this. Christians in Bible-believing churches still believe this today, despite the movement of the zeitgeist and the Overton window.
This was the situation in Thyatira when Jesus wrote to them (and the other churches). Immorality was not only acceptable, it was, in some arenas, expected. When Christians refused to participate, it made them more marginalized.
Of course, being pushed to the fringes of society creates a unique opportunity for gospel witness, as the contrast between light and darkness becomes more clear. Yet, it creates a difficult situation for a believer needing to live everyday life. Bills still need payment, food still requires money, and Christians need jobs like everyone else.
In the case of first-century economics, trade guilds were a primary source of income. Yet, these guilds would often have feasts for their workers that included idolatry and immorality. These were mandatory meetings, not optional after-work gatherings. One could see the temptation to participate in some limited way, and Jezebel came with the teaching that it was okay to fully enjoy these things.
We might thank God that we don't have the same cultural scenario leading to such temptations, but we do. In many US companies today, affirmation of LGBT+ is not just expected, it is required. While we thankfully do not have rampant corporate expressions of team-building orgies or pinching incense to stone statues of Caesar, one is required in many contexts to signal personal favor and praise for the base and sinful.
Case-in-point: the Kroger supermarket chain. For last year's LGBT+ "Pride Month," employees were all required to wear aprons featuring a rainbow logo. This troubled the consciences of two employees long-standing employees who attempted to work with the company for alternatives. One agreed to wear it with the logo covered, while the other offered to buy another version of the Kroger apron that lacked the pride logo. Even though the employees had devoted nearly twenty years to the company between them, and they were attempting to reasonably discharge their duties in both dress and manner, the company fired them. Thankfully, Kroger now faces an EEOC lawsuit for wrongful termination.
The United States is a wonderful country, yet we see twilight on the horizon. We as believers must be aware of what we believe and prepare for challenges to those beliefs. We will all be required at some point to affirm what Scripture condemns, and we will have to decide at that point between our Lord and our employer.
That sounds initially like an easy choice. Yet, it becomes more difficult in the moment you begin considering you need to eat. Still, the right decision requires trust not in the uncertainty of riches, but in the God "who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17).
Don't listen to any Jezebels out there telling you it's okay to compromise. Be gracious, of course. Yet, don't let anyone tell you to offer your pinch of incense to LGBT+, such as those who are calling upon us to apologize for our God-given beliefs.
