On Kim Davis, the Good Samaritan & the Fruitful Ways to Take a Stand

by Scott Sauls, Pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church

Recently, I posted a comment on social media that got a high number of responses – some agreed with me, and some others did not. The post read as follows:

Millions of homeless, vulnerable refugees,
and all the attention goes to Kim Davis.
Lord have mercy.

I hope this wasn’t an arrogant or offensive thing of me to say (I suspect that some may feel it was?) If so, I apologize. I don’t at all want to disparage or minimize the perspective of those who support Kim Davis. My concern is chiefly one of comparison and contrast. Also, I don’t enjoy making controversial statements publicly, especially on social media where things can get out of hand and be so easily misunderstood. I don’t want to unnecessarily upset people.

But on that particular day, I felt a nudge to say something about what I saw to be a perplexing contrast. Some sixteen million human souls have been mercilessly driven from their homes, and are now refugees facing daily persecution, homelessness, and hunger. And nobody seemed to be talking about it. Meanwhile Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk who, because of her Christian beliefs, could not in good conscience sign marriage certificates for same-sex couples, was the main headline on every news channel and website. I found this contrast to be a troubling commentary on the things we feel are most important and pressing.

Here, I hope to provide some food for thought – hopefully the helpful kind– about why I think the best “moral stand” we can take is the one that centers on loving our neighbors sacrificially. In the time of Jesus, sacrificial love validated the message that was being preached. It wast the main thing, second only to the Holy Spirit, that made religious seekers and skeptics want to listen to the good news about Jesus. I think that’s still true today.

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