The Myth of Neutrality

Social media was up in arms last week after the Biden administration issued a proclamation for March 31 as the Transgender Day of Visibility. March 31 also happened to be Easter Sunday. The criticism was (rightly) ferocious. Defenders pointed out that March 31 is the Transgender Day of Visibility each year and Biden was simply acknowledging it as he has each year of his administration. The date of Easter varies from year to year, so the defenders say that it was just a coincidence that Easter happened to fall on the same day this year.

As they say where I grew up, “That dog won’t hunt!” Any honest look at the situation reveals the great worldview divide we are experiencing. One of two things is true here. Either President Biden is far removed from the process and those in his administration who manage such things completely lacked any awareness that March 31 was Easter OR the Biden administration knew exactly what it was doing and wanted to make a statement. Either of these options is greatly disturbing and is a symptom of a reality that Christian believers would do well to understand…

Neutrality is a MYTH. Neutrality DOES NOT EXIST.

In recent decades, we have witnessed the basic worldview framework that our nation was founded with (and which the overwhelming majority of Americans embraced) being jettisoned – at first inch by inch and now yard by yard. On the surface, it even sounds reasonable.

The argument goes something like this. America is a growing, diverse country with diverse ethnicities, religions, beliefs, lifestyles, etc. Now, in America, we have freedom of religion, so you are free to believe what you want and worship or not worship. In your heart and in your pew, you can believe what you want. However, when it comes to the public square – government, education, the workplace, media, sports, etc. – then we must have neutrality. We can’t allow Christians to force their beliefs on people. We must have neutrality. Therefore, prayer must go from our schools, sporting events, and public life. Don’t talk about your faith at work; we must have neutrality. We will educate our children and teach them science, math, English, and history, and build their character, BUT we will do it with neutrality. Everyone is equal. All beliefs are equal. It’s neutral. That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? There is one big problem with this argument….

IT’S A LIE.

When the basic worldview of America’s foundation is cast aside, you do not get neutrality. The void is filled with another worldview. Have we gotten neutrality in America recently? Let’s see. We see the Biden administration celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday while banning any religious symbols from the eggs at the annual White House Easter egg hunt. We see controversy in school systems all over America as parents become more aware of what their kids are being taught in school regarding LGBTQ+ issues. We see the United States military increasingly concern itself with social and climate issues rather than its core mission of warfighting and keeping America safe. We see Vice President Kamala Harris with great fanfare visit a Planned Parenthood clinic to trumpet “access to reproductive healthcare.” I doubt the child in the womb would describe what happens there as “healthcare.” Mere days after the horrific slaughter of 1400 innocent people in Israel on October 7 by Hamas, we see many of our own young adults take to the streets in protest, arguing that Palestinian suffering and injustice give some justification to what happened.

We have not gotten neutrality. Why? NEUTRALITY IS A LIE.

The Judeo-Christian worldview that shaped America is not being replaced by neutrality. It is being replaced by a radical secular humanism wrapped in radical sexual anarchy. The fruits of this happening are becoming crystal clear. We are reaping what we have sown.

All Christ followers, and, in particular, Christian parents raising the next generation need to take great heed to these issues. The late great theologian, author, and Bible teacher R.C. Sproul spoke to this issue, particularly in terms of education…

“There is no such thing as a neutral education. Every educational curriculum has a viewpoint. That viewpoint either considers God in it or it does not. To teach children about life and the world in which they live without reference to God is to make a statement about God. It screams a statement. The message is either that there is no God or that God is irrelevant. Either way, the message is the same: there is no God. An irrelevant God is the same as no God at all. If God is, then He must be relevant – to His entire creation.” – R.C. Sproul

While Dr. Sproul was speaking of the impossibility of neutrality in education, to insert business, entertainment, the armed forces, sports, or any other arena into this quote makes the same point: Neutrality is a MYTH. More than ever before in my lifetime, the choice between truth and lies, good and evil has never been more clear before our very eyes. To believe the Bible, teach the Bible literally as it is written, and seek to live our lives by the clear teachings of the Bible increasingly puts us in the crosshairs of a hostile culture now almost fully controlled by a radical secular humanism wrapped in radical sexual anarchy.

Make no mistake. No one will long be able to hide behind a veneer of neutrality. A time of choosing is upon us all. As Christ’s followers, this should not surprise us “one little bit.” After all, our Lord never presented following Him in terms of neutrality. Quite the opposite. I close with the words of our Lord and his half-brother, James….

““He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30, NASB95)

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, NASB95)