For the last two days, James Dobson’s “Family Talk” radio program has featured a discussion with Wayne Grudem, author of the book “Politics According to the Bible.”
In between fretting that the United States was on the verge of permanent collapse due to the policies of President Obama and the poor moral/spiritual state of the nation in general, Grudem was asked by Ryan Dobson just what he should say to people who think that just because something is legal that makes it okay. The question prompted Grudem to respond that just because something is legal, that doesn’t make it moral … just as our nation allows freedom of religion, but that doesn’t mean it is “morally right” for people to be Muslims or Buddhists:
Ryan Dobson: When I speak around the country to all ages, I talk about the difference between legal and right; just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right. And oftentimes I hear from churchgoers “well, that’s what the law is, what am I supposed to do?” And at what point can a believer say just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right and I’m going to do what’s right even if it’s illegal.
Grudem: Well, there are two questions. One is does God require of us more than the civil laws demand? Sure. Our nation, for instance, allows freedom of religion so it’s legal to have a Muslim mosque or a Buddhist temple but that doesn’t mean it’s morally right for people to seek to come to God that way because you and I believe, Ryan, that we only come to God through knowing Jesus Christ as Savior. So there are things that are allowed that are not what God wants us to do.
