A headline last week
brought home the point of just how quickly Judeo-Christian values are
disappearing from or being minimalized in those parts of the globe which were
previously considered part of Christendom.
The news
announcement was so amazing that I had to check sources to make sure it was not
a false report. But I found many
confirmations, including: The New York Times (by The Associated Press), June 6,
2018; ABC News (abcnews.go.com) June 6, 2018; The Washington Post, June 7,
2018; Reuters, June 4, 2018; the UK's The Telegraph, June 4, 2018.
To understand my
initial incredulity, you have to understand that in
England, while the most senior cleric is the Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Supreme Governor of the Church of England is the monarch, who currently is
Queen Elizabeth II. And the Church of
England is the mother church of the International Anglican Communion. So one would expect at least a formal nod to Christian
principles by the sovereign, since what she does sends a message to a large
number of professing Christians around the world.
Queen Elizabeth actually celebrates two birthdays—a fact I was unaware of
until these articles. She celebrates her
actual birthday in April and then an official birthday
usually on the second Saturday in June, with all its pageantry. She is also the monarch and head of state of
New Zealand, and as such, on her official birthday, she can award honors for
New Zealand. Who did the 92 year old queen honor for this year's official
birthday? On June 4th she
awarded the top honor of Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit to
Catherine Healy, a former sex worker.
The award was given to acknowledge Ms. Healy's work advocating for
prostitutes.
What exactly was the
reason for which Catherine Healy was being honored? Ms. Healy in her earlier
life had been a primary school teacher but then made a career change to become
a sex worker at a massage parlor in order to have more
money for travel and to move ahead financially (according to her interview with
the Associated Press). She then became
the founding member in 1989 of the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective. No, Ms. Healy was not leading women out of
prostitution, rather she was promoting prostitution. In her advocacy work which followed, she
spearheaded the campaign to get prostitution decriminalized in New Zealand,
which passed in 2003, resulting in that country having some of the most liberal
sex worker laws in the world. And it was for this advocacy for the legalization
of prostitution and "the rights of sex workers" that Queen Elizabeth
gave her New Zealand's high honor. As www.telegraph.co/uk put it, the honor was "in
recognition of her services to the sex industry."
By this recognition of now Dame Healy, what message is Queen Elizabeth sending
to her church, to her subjects, and to the civilized world at large? More importantly, as the Supreme Governor of
the Church of England, what subtle (or maybe not so subtle) message is she
broadcasting to the young women and girls all around the world? This is not a message of compassion for those
who have made a mistake in their lives and desire a way out. This is a lauding of those who brazenly
advocate for sinful behavior—behavior which will ultimately lead to the
degeneration of our society, the degradation and bondage of women, and the
heartlessness of men. Godly wisdom
certainly was not present in the Queen's 92nd year, nor did the
Lord's Jesus' teachings on purity and holiness occupy her position in the
Anglican Church.
Pastor Greg