No, I didn't vote for Bill Clinton, but he is still my President. I will honor his office and will pray for him often. Surely the word of God encourages both (Rom. 13:7; 1 Tim. 2:2). However, though we live in an age and a society that seems to think one's "rights" include being wrong; such is just not so, including the President.

Jesus reproved earthly rulers when they were wrong. Jesus told Pilate that any power he had as governor was because God gave it to him (John 19:11) and he even called Herod "a fox" (Lk. 13:32). The apostle Paul rebuked governors and kings, told them they were lost and yet did so with respect (Acts 24:25; 26:24-29).

As an evangelist of the gospel of Christ I am charged to "speak and exhort, and rebuke with all authority" (Tit. 3:15). With such divine authority, I took the liberty of sending President Clinton the following letter:

Dear President Clinton,

It is my hope you will reconsider your desire to lift the ban against homosexuals in the military. Such an unnatural sexual lifestyle can only have negative effects against our military and our nation. You are in my prayers daily, Mr. President (1 Tim. 2:2; 1 Pet. 2:17)

A Concerned Christian and Patriot, Robert Wayne LaCoste

The following was sent from the White house the following week:

Dear Robert:

Thank you for sharing your views with me regarding the ban on homosexuals in our Nation's military.

I believe that people should be judged by their conduct, not by their status, I favor stricter rules of conduct on sexual behavior for all military personnel, along with lifting the ban. Everyone concedes there are and have been homosexuals in the military. Everyone agrees they should be separated from the service for inappropriate conduct. The only question is whether a person can acknowledge being homosexual and stay in the service if he or she has a good record and commits no improper act.

My belief is that we don't have a person to waste. I respect the wisdom and experience of military leaders, and 1 am working with the joint Chiefs of Staff and the military services, the Congress, and others concerned to design a policy which will ensure equality and fairness, while preserving the unity and preparedness of our military.

 Though we may differ on this issue, I hope that our common concerns for the future of America will unite us. I appreciate your sincerity and candor.

 Sincerely, Bill Clinton

Now, of course, I am not naive to believe that the President himself actually sat down behind his typewriter or computer and personally sent this letter. The signature was no doubt a signature stamp or signed by one of his many secretaries. However, I was appreciative of a response being sent from the White House. Let's with "all fairness and equity" examine the President's position.

The President says we should judge people "by their conduct not by their status." What does he mean by this? If he means we should judge the sexual conduct (lifestyle) of a homosexual, that's my point exactly. By what standard shall we judge them? How shall we determine if such conduct is good or bad, evil or righteous? There is such a thing as righteous judgment to be sure, but this must be done by the highest standard of moral and spiritual ethics existent and that's the Word of God! If the President judges such conduct by anything short of this high standard, his judgment will be only superficial and lacking in substance. What do the Scriptures say about homosexuality? Our President was reared a Baptist in Hope, Arkansas. Though we disagree with our Baptist friends on many matters of a doctrinal nature, I believe most of us know how most of them feel about this evil. We should all know what the Scriptures say and be guided by God's judgment on the matter. God says that such conduct is "wickedness" (Gen. 19:7), "an abomination" (Lev. 18:22), and "vile affections" (Rom. 1:26). God says that "they that commit (conduct) such things are worthy of death" (Rom. 1:32).

The President seems to be implying that there have always been homosexuals in the military. I have discussed this with many World II, Korean and Vietnam veterans. Especially do the World War II vets tell me that homosexuals were never heard of among their ranks. If there were any, they never admitted it, for they knew their fellow soldiers and especially commanders would never have tolerated such. Does anyone have any idea what such men as Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and Douglas McArthur would have said about such "men"? I believe each reader who has any knowledge of these military leaders knows full well what their feelings would have been about such conduct. Even those men who were in Vietnam, my age group, said that such conduct was intolerable. One special forces sergeant even suggested it would not have surprised him that if there were homosexuals in that war, "friendly fire" no doubt would have weeded them out. That's sad to contemplate, but men who are fighting for their country are not going to trust such "men" with their lives when the chips are down. They figure any man who is so depraved and so morally degenerate could surely not make judgments that involve life threatening situations.

President Clinton fails to recognize what many do about the homosexual community when he says, "... they should be separated from the service for inappropriate conduct." Homosexual conduct is such that these people have little control over their unnatural lusts. Their misconduct there-fore could take place most anytime. In the barracks or on the battlefield such conduct could be catastrophic. For just one life to be lost through such misconduct, whether by disease or by being killed by an enemy, is too great a price to pay to say that when it happens they will then be separated. Why not keep them permanently separated by keeping them out of the military altogether and away from situations where morals are so important and team dependency is a must for men to survive?

The President is naive indeed if he thinks such immorally inept people are going to maintain "a good record and commit no improper act." Some of the homosexuals that were eventually destroyed by God in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19) were blinded by angels who were in fleshly garments visiting Lot's home. Yet even after being punished by blindness they still wearied themselves to get into the house (v. 11). These people are not capable of maintaining good records and conduct, for their illicit sexual lusts control them at every point. Because of this, the apostle Paul says twice that God "gave up on them" (Rom. 1:24, 26) and thirdly states, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind" (Rom. 1:28). So should our President, until such people repent and turn from such a lifestyle as did some of the Corinthians (1 Cor. 6:9-11). If homosexual men and women repent and turn from such, then and only then should their "record" be judged as good and their acts proper.

Our President doesn't want to waste anyone, but sexually transmitted diseases are wasting plenty. Why would he want to encourage such opportunity for it to increase? I read just today from the Associated Press that one in every 5 Americans has some kind of sexually transmitted disease! Folks, that's shocking and it's only going to get worse until we decide enough is enough.

I'm happy the President is working with all executive and congressional branches on this and especially the military leaders. Our liberal Congress concerns me as always, but I know how General Colin Powell and the Joint Chiefs feel about it. Let us all pray that President Clinton will respect their military experience and wisdom, since he has absolutely no military experience himself. Truly there is no substitute for experience. They are trying to convince him that there will be little unity and therefore much unpreparedness if he, as the Commander-in-Chief, has his way.

Yes, I differ with my President, for reasons I have stated. My concern is for him and this great nation which he now leads. If we have learned anything from the history of the nations of the earth, it is what caused their collapse. From the Babylonian empire to the great Roman and Greek empires, nations collapsed because, as King David of Israel wrote, "there was no fear of God before their eyes" (Psa. 36:1).

Perhaps this truth compelled King David to also write what all our leaders in this country need to reflect on time and again, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psa. 3:12).

(Editor's Not e: Although the issue of Gays in the miitary is momentarily resolved, this article is still of interest to our readers.) Gr

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 17, p. 6-7
September 2, 1993