Recently in Northern California, a group of young girls (aged 10 to 13) petitioned the local Boy Scout organization to become members. Pointing to the recent decisions of the Scouts to admit not only gay youth as members but also gay adults as leaders, these young girls were perplexed as to why they might still be discriminated against by the organization. These girls are not suggesting they are boys trapped in girls’ bodies; they are not wanting to be boys at all. Rather, they have an affinity for many of the things the Boy Scouts do: camping, knot tying, leadership development, and so forth. The leadership received their applications and told the girls they would forward them on to the national organization, but that they did not have the authority as the local organization to accept them at this time. But as one member of the committee noted when it comes to whether the national organization would eventually say yes, “Who knows?”
It’s hard to believe that there won’t be a day – in the very near future, no less – when girls will be accepted into the ranks of the Boy Scouts at every level. This is not to suggest that boys are superior to girls or that there aren’t appropriate places for boys and girls to do things together. It is to say that having organizations that allow boys to be boys and girls to be girls is not a bad thing. The Scouts, however, have largely capitulated to the culture around them, evidenced by their caving into the demands of the LBGT community, so it is difficult not to imagine them doing the same in regards to the requests of these young girls. Their decisions regarding homosexuality resulted in many churches severing ties with the Boy Scouts, including recently the entire Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. As many of you will remember, when the Boy Scouts said they would begin admitting boys who were openly gay, they assured parents, members, and sponsoring organizations they would not open up leadership positions in local troops. That lasted all of about two years. The very first point of the Scout Law (a twelve point statement that describes what the personal characteristics of a Boy Scout should be) is “trustworthy.” Scouts are supposed to be honest and worthy of the trust of others. While many people predicted the admittance of gay Scouts was merely a stepping stone intended to pave the way for gay leadership, the organization was emphatic that was not the case. It’s hard to see it otherwise in light of that recent change of policy. So why should there be any trust in Scouting when it says it will remain only for boys?
The case of the Boy Scouts reminds us of the importance of standing firm for our beliefs. When we compromise our moral integrity, we begin down a slippery slope that makes compromising our core beliefs much easier. With the Boy Scouts, we can see how the changes adopted in one area have eroded any rationale they have for defending a core aspect of the organization: the development of boys into men who are “physically fit, mentally awake, and morally straight.” So it is with our faith – when we are willing to compromise with the culture on issues where the Bible speaks with clarity, we damage our ability to speak with conviction about the core of our message: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just something to think about…
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