As Christians, even on Easter, "we expect friction (if not worse) from the world (Matthew 10:16-25)," said faith leader James Spencer to Fox News Digital this week.
And the right response to that, said the president of the D. L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, "is to continue to deepen our commitment to Christ through worship and discipleship."
Spencer, however, expressed concern over President Biden's recent proclamation of March 31, 2024, on which Easter Sunday falls, as the "Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV)" in America. Spencer noted that the announcement drew harsh reactions on social media.
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"Some have suggested that this was yet another attack on Christianity by the Biden administration," he said.
"While I don’t see how declaring the TDOV on the same day as Easter, regardless of historical precedent, could encourage unity, I’m less concerned with the date of TDOV than with what I believe to be a potential distraction for the Christian community during the Easter season."
Charging that politicians don't often have the church's interests at heart, he decried "pandering to Christians by quoting Bible passages out of context" and "pointing to the truth that we are all made in the image of God to underscore human dignity without acknowledging the responsibility that being made in God’s image implies."
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates released a statement this weekend saying those who are critical of Biden’s inclusiveness message are trying to further divide the country.
"As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American," Bates said in an earlier statement to Fox News Digital. "Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit."
The date March 31 is one of several dates that has been designated to honor the transgender movement internationally since at least 2009.
Yet this year it falls on Easter Sunday — one of the most important days in all of Christianity as the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated.
Spencer suggested some appropriate responses by Christians in the wake of the president's declaration and the actions and comments of other political officials.
"First, we need to recognize that our governing officials are human," Spencer said. "Because they are human, they are often going to be misguided. As such, one of our first responses should be compassion. If Jesus can say it about the Roman guards who crucified Him, how can we not step back at a comparatively minor injury and say, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’"
He said as well, "Jesus offers us an example of what it means to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us."
Spencer said the second potential response is to "endure in faithfulness."
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"At times, we have set our sights on fixing what only God can fix. Our job is not to fix the broken world — but to endure faithfully within it. If we long for the restoration of all things, we must first focus on living ‘lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the day of God’ (2 Peter 3:11-12)."
Spencer said that "as we live such lives, we will ultimately find ourselves loving our neighbor, caring for the vulnerable and proclaiming the gospel in word and deed."
In line with this, he said that "our world doesn’t need to change for us to serve Christ (1 Cor 7:17-24). We serve Christ until the world around us changes and then we serve Christ some more."
And third, he said, is a potential "final lesson."
In the Garden of Gethsemane, "Jesus prayed and, in doing so, reaffirmed His willingness to submit to the Father’s will," Spencer told Fox News Digital via email.
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"Like us, Jesus did not want the pain and suffering He saw coming. He wanted to accomplish the work of providing a way for salvation for all who believe without the anguish of the cross."
And yet — "in the end, Jesus wanted something else more: He wanted the Father’s will to be done rather than His own (Matt. 26:39)."
Spencer added that "political and social pressure may be necessary on occasion … Still, we need to cultivate the deep conviction of Christ so that we, too, may say, ‘Not as I will, but as you will.’"
He also said, "The world needs to see the difference Christ makes. As such, in this moment (and a multitude of others), we must respond to Christ rather than [the world]."
If we do this, he said, "the world will not see our indignation or moral outrage but our unwavering loyalty to a risen Savior and Lord who has authority over all things in heaven and on Earth."
The Trump campaign, among others, blasted the White House for the Biden TDOV proclamation.
"We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe [Easter Sunday] is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ," said Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s press secretary.
The Biden White House stood by its March 29 proclamation.
"Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation," the White House said in its statement on March 29th. "Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive. They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves."
Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace, as well as The Associated Press, contributed reporting.
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