20-year-old Issues

I grew up in the 1980s. One of the biggest moral-political issues was the pro-choice pro-life debate. Both sides had their radical fringe. Although Christians were very passionate and active, nothing really changed. More than 20 years later, while this is still a political litmus test for some, abortion is not the number one issue for many Christians, as we are now dealing with state approved homosexual marriages in this country.

So what is happening with abortion? Ohio has a bill that proposes if there is a heartbeat then an abortion would be illegal. The people of Mississippi are voting on a personhood amendment, and they are not the first state to do so. North Carolina had a law, that was struck down, requiring an ultrasound be shown to a woman before she consents to an abortion. (Action on this issue is not all one sided. Parental notification, or lack thereof, is still being legislated.) Things are happening, but why?

I would like to attribute this to a spiritual awakening, but I just do not see that. What I think happened is a generation grew up. Radicals either matured or found something else to do. Some people may have changed their views. I think there is some truth to the claim that everyone becomes conservative once they have children of their own. Each generation values different things. Each generation grows up and learns why their parents and grandparents valued what they did.

image c. 2002 National Geographic Society

I bring this up because I wonder where we will be in 20 years with the homosexual marriage issue. While I do not agree with it, I think it will probably be, at very least, a fairly accepted practice in the U.S. However, what will happen when the Millennial generation, the one most accepting of the homosexual lifestyle, grows up, and has their own children. Will they have changed or bolstered their view based upon 20 years of results? Will the generation that follows them not be as accepting of alternative lifestyles? I do not have the answers, but it is likely that a different issue will be in the forefront by then. While as Christian we do not want to be accepting of sinful behavior (always accepting of people, behavior is different) is it alright to just let sin run its course? Issues are easier to deal with when they are not a hot-button, but if we just wait for things to cool down, will the culture have changed so much that we can never go back?