Should Christians Participate in the Day of Silence?

Today Heather shares a devotional reminder of the power of gratitude. Did you know that gratitude and stress can’t live in the brain at the same time? If all of our prayers are simply us recounting our worry, have we really worshiped God? Heather invites you to make a list of five things you are grateful for this holiday season. And she exhorts us to “never stop looking for spaces in your life to praise God,” even amid our worries and petitions.

Today’s Scripture can be found at Psalm 33:1-5 in the CSB:

“Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones: praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to him with a ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout. For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.”

Remember, Heather will be bringing you a meditation like this one every Monday for the rest of 2023.

Thanksgiving blessings to you from the Viral Jesus team.

Host Bio
Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, at @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday. Get Heather’s weekly inspirational email delivered to your inbox every Friday night at 7 p.m. EST. Sign up now at: www.heatherthompsonday.com/links.

That’s the question Warren Throckmorton and Laurie Higgins are grappling with on their websites. Tomorrow is the Day of Silence, when students in middle schools and high schools are urged to take a vow of silence in support of gay students who experience discrimination.

Throckmorton, who is a psychology professor at Grove City College, says yay:

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Without altering convictions about sexuality, I propose that evangelicals should have something more to contribute than a protest toward the elimination of hostility and aggression against gay people and other people who are viewed as different. Indeed, we should be leading the way to make schools safe and build bridges to those who often equate “Christian” with condemnation.

Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute says nay:

If parents leave their children in school on the Day of Silence as Dr. Throckmorton recommends, they become complicit in the exploitation of the classroom for partisan political purposes. Dr. Throckmorton’s misguided effort does nothing to restore political neutrality to public education. In fact, his effort will help to further institutionalize GLSEN efforts to use public education to undermine orthodox Christian beliefs on the complex and emotionally charged issue of homosexuality.

Throckmorton wants Christians students to carry cards referencing the Golden Rule: “I pledge to treat others the way I want to be treated. ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.'” Higgins wants a walkout.

Another group, the Alliance Defense Fund, advocates for the Day of Truth. On April 20 students are asked to wear T-shirts and pass out cards that tell gay students they can alter their sexual orientation. The cards will say:

Without question, the pandemic was one of the most difficult seasons the modern church has ever faced. Even though COVID-19 brought an immeasurable amount of pain, grief, and anxiety to churches and pastors, there was beauty to be found. In the face of all that the church endured, the theme of beauty from ashes remained constant throughout our interviews with pastors and leaders. It was a tangible reminder that for people of faith, there is always hope, no matter the circumstances.

Across focus groups, interviews, community case studies, and survey responses, pastors pointed to a number of unexpected blessings that would not have occurred had they not endured the adversity of the pandemic. In addition to cultivating a new unity in many local congregations, the pandemic also revealed the character of many churches, either highlighting a beauty that is easily taken for granted or providing the refining fire that transformed their congregation into a more Christlike image. For some, the pandemic pause allowed for breathing room and for the Holy Spirit to take control.

Based on chapter 9 of the report, in this episode host Aaron Hill (editor of ChurchSalary) sits down with two researchers from the Arbor Research Group, Ebonie Davis and Jon Swanson, to talk about the theme of “beauty from ashes.” This episode also features an interview with two amazing pastors, Daniel Shmitz and Demetries Edwards, located in Oakland, California, who started a new partnership during the pandemic in order to reach and bring healing to their community.

Hosted by Aaron Hill, editor of ChurchSalary

“COVID and the Church” is produced in conjunction with the Arbor Research Group and funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. through a grant from the Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders (ECFPL) initiative.

Executive produced by Aaron Hill, Terry Linhart, and Matt Stevens

Director for CT Media is Matt Stevens

Audio Engineering, Editor, and Composer is Tyler Bradford Wright

Artwork by Ryan Johnson

I’m speaking the Truth to break the silence.

True tolerance means that people with differing – even opposing – viewpoints can freely exchange ideas and respectfully listen to each other.

It’s time for an honest conversation about homosexuality.

There’s freedom to change if you want to.

Let’s talk.