Statement on rejection of Question One

Rep. Stan Moody, president of the Christian Policy Institute

The voters of Maine have rejected, Question One, the attempt to overturn Maine's recently-enacted anti-discrimination law.

I believe that this debate has been a wakeup call for people of faith throughout Maine, and I have been very encouraged by the self-examination that has taken place. At the core of the debate for Christians has been a single issue – Can we choose which neighbor to love?

The answer that the Christian Policy Institute continues to offer is that to love ones neighbor is to want for that neighbor the best of what we would want for ourselves, even if that neighbor is perceived to be our enemy. In this instance, that would mean at the very minimum advocating for basic benefits that are freely available to all citizens – employment, credit and housing.

This debate is not over. There will continue to be a severe difference in opinion among Christians as to the focus of the Christian church – whether it seeks to worship, serve and trust Christ, or whether it seeks to take matters into its own hands through political action. There is no middle ground.

For now the church has spoken at the ballot box, and we are heartened by what it is saying. I would encourage those who worked so hard to repeal the civil rights law to examine their theology. Will the Christian roots that they so desire to restore come through a church that reflects the love of Christ in its interaction with society, or can it only be restored through the force of the law? That goes to the heart of the Gospel.