(Video Above: The Rick & Bubba Show sets the record straight on “Judge not, lest ye be judged”)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On the Alabama-based, nationally-syndicated Rick & Bubba Show this week, the hosts sought to set the record straight on an oft-misquoted Bible verse.
In the aftermath of last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down same-sex marriage bans across the country, many Christians have found themselves on the defensive for their opposition to homosexuality and same-sex marriage. One popular refrain in response has been “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
Responding to a caller under the pseudonym “Devil’s Advocate,” who asked Burgess “Who are you to judge homosexuality because the Bible says you should not judge,” Burgess said that the verse in question has been taken grossly out of context by modern society.
“There is a whole generation… of even Christians who seem to think… Jesus’s discussion on judging is the only thing he ever said,” Burgess quipped before jumping into his larger point.
“You have to finish the sentence. He says that you are not to judge incorrectly, meaning don’t be a hypocrite and understand you’re judged by the same standard that everyone is judged by, and that’s God’s standard. So He says be sure that when you are calling someone out when they’re outside of what the Bible says we should be, be sure you have your own life in order.”
“So if I’m speaking to a topic that the Bible says is wrong, and I’m not committing that same sin in my own life, I’m supposed to say that’s wrong, not according to my standard… but according to Christ’s standard.”
“Jesus said in the great commission ‘Teach them to obey my commands,'” Burgess continued. “How would I teach someone Jesus’s commands if I’m not ever allowed to say something’s wrong?”
“You’re not judging,” Bussey added, “you’re holding to the Bible’s example. The Bible is the judge.”
“In the book of Luke Jesus says, ‘repent or perish,'” Burgess explained. “Meaning, no we’re not allowed to just go ahead and make up our own standards and live anyway we want to live.”
“You’re not a sinner or a bad person if you call people to that truth.”
Several justices who dissented from the Court’s majority opinion in the same-sex marriage case warned of the ruling’s potential impact on religious liberty.
“Today’s decision… creates serious questions about religious liberty,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts. “Many good and decent people oppose same-sex marriage as a tenet of faith, and their freedom to exercise religion is—unlike the right imagined by the majority—actually spelled out in the Constitution.”
Justice Clarence Thomas warned in his dissent that it “appears all but inevitable” that the role of the government and of religious institutions will “come into conflict, particularly as individuals and churches are confronted with demands to participate in and endorse civil marriages between same-sex couples.”
During oral arguments, Justice Samuel Alito voiced concerns that the tax-exempt status of religious institutions could face heightened scrutiny if the Court invented a Constitutional right for same-sex couples to get married. Even Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., who argued the case for the Obama administration, admitted “it’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that.”
In response, several Evangelical Christian groups have called on their elected leaders to ensure religious individuals and organizations will be able to continue practicing their deeply-held beliefs without fear of legal retribution.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) has already assembled a team of legal experts to assess the religious liberty implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision.
In June, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-ID) introduced the The First Amendment Defense Act which would make it unlawful for for the government to penalize an individual, association or business for their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. Alabama Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL6) has signed on as a cosponsor.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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