The general public today seldom realizes what it once meant to be a conservative Christian. Pentecostals especially had to pay a high price in public esteem and even outright persecution. This often had to do with their practice of speaking out on issues of public morals.
Today, earth-shaking moral issues are dividing our country. The Church has the responsibility before God to speak out on moral and social issues. Conservative Christians have often been called narrow-minded and intolerant for their views. But rather than launch into philosophical arguments, let us look back on their record.
Since its formation in 1914, the Assemblies of God has taken an informal stand against tobacco. Both smoking and chewing tobacco were considered to be filthy habits unbefitting a child of God. Long before tobacco was proven to cause lung cancer, mouth cancer, emphysema, etc., its effects could be seen in coughing, a raspy voice, and other symptoms.
More than that, tobacco is addictive. The Apostle Paul wrote that "all things are not expedient; all things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Corinthians 6:12). Christians are to be free agents, fit and ready for the Master's use. They are not to be controlled by any substance or any other outside influence.
But until recently, smoking was not only condoned but popularized and romanticized. Now American society has largely turned against it. Were we not right all along?
Likewise, Pentecostals have stood against the recreational use of alcohol. It is considered unwise and unnecessary, clouding one's judgment and often leading its abusers into ruin and debauchery. When a man beats his wife, or a man or woman abuses his or her children, alcohol or drugs are usually involved. Statistics show that most murders occur without premeditation and among family members. Often these murders take place in a drunken or drug-induced rage.
About 50,000 people die in auto accidents each year. Many of these can be attributed directly to alcohol use.
Pentecostals are also against gambling. Sure, there are no specific injunctions against gambling in the Bible. But consider this: when you gamble, you are either losing your hard-earned money or taking somebody else's. You either take the food, clothing, shelter, etc., from your children or you take it from somebody else's children. The money has to come from somewhere, and it is those who most need the money who suffer. The same goes for state-operated gambling. Lotteries lure the people who can least afford it to risk the little they have for the false promise of riches. Lottery devotees develop the attitude that they don't have to work hard, save their money, get an education, or strive for a better job, because they are just about to win the lottery. Moreover, there are specific Biblical injunctions against profligacy, laziness, and the failure to support one's family.
Finally, conservative Christians stand firmly against sex outside the bounds of marriage. Sexual activity was obviously meant only for marriage partners. It tends to produce children, who need a mother and father for nurture, support, etc. It is the most intimate activity in which two people can engage: thus the horrid sense of violation when sex is forced (rape) or of betrayal when a lover cheats. Then sex with more than one partner tends to spread such grave diseases as syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, and of course AIDS. Make no mistake: even with today's technology, sexual "protection" does not prevent pregnancy or the spread of AIDS -- it can only decrease its probability. Sex outside the marriage commitment remains at best a gamble.
Christians are again being ridiculed for "intolerance" and told to keep their religion to themselves. But the record clearly shows their message to be progressive, rational, and pertinent to today's issues.