While the Supreme Court was discussing the ban on same-sex marriage in California and the Defense of Marriage Act, the renowned evangelist, Pastor Yuan Zhi-ming, through writing, solicited prayers for the US which showed progressive decline in morality and religious values.
Pastor Yuan published a piece on his Sina microblog: “Pray for America, for the people, and for ourselves”, in order to echo the Supreme Court’s hearing against same-sex marriage (Proposition 8), to discuss and spur believers into intensifying their evangelistic activities in these coming days of decline, and to simultaneously pray fervently.
The outcome of the Supreme Court’s hearing concerning California and the Defense of Marriage Act will not be known until the summer of this year, when it will be announced whether the Biblically based one-man-one-woman marriage is suitable for the America or not, and whether America must obey God’s words.
What saddened Yuan was that most conservative members were pessimistic about the outcome, and there were media groups that predicted that same-sex marriage would win the debate.
Homosexual activists held onto banners of democracy and freedom to create power and fight for the rights of same-sex marriage, even to the point of involving the Supreme Court. To Yuan, the long respected principle of democracy is now facing bankruptcy.
“Because when one’s heart is further and further away from the Christian belief, disregarding God’s justice, most of them will lose willpower and no longer protect the health of the society. At the same time, today’s spirit of freedom is no longer sacred, because when there is no love in one’s heart, evil will stem from his thoughts, and thus freedom can only mean doing what one wants and following self-created paths.” He said.
Yuan also quoted his own words from many years ago about freedom and democracy being linked to faith fundamentally. “If there is no faith, freedom is then dictatorship, and democracy is then authoritarian.”
He then more explicitly explained the underlying meaning: “Those who do not have respect for God, sound judgment for justice, and sensitivity towards their conscience are not suited to enjoy the benefits of democracy and freedom.”
Pastor Yuan also expressed that the Bible had long ago predicted the increasing illegal works in the end of days, the coldness of man’s hearts, the cries, fights, and debates of Christians, and the inability to change the progressively declining world.
For this reason, he thought that the urgent task for Christian was to bring mankind before Jesus Christ, so that they could repent and be saved. “Jesus Christ calls us to evangelize the Gospel before the end of days, and to pray to the Lord to send more workers to harvest the ripe and almost rotten crops.”
Besides, he encouraged Christians to protect themselves and their families through the power of prayer and reliance on God, to rather persevere to the end in agony than be corrupted with the world.
Pastor Yuan felt that the current US situation was really a miniature form or prediction of the situation for mankind in general. To him, there is not one place in the world that is much more superior than the US.
“At this time, praying for the US is praying for the world, and is praying for ourselves and our families.” He said with heartfelt sentiments at the end.
[Editor's note: Carol Lee translated the article.]
