Christmas is my favorite time of year … hands down. It’s the one season where we are encouraged to engage what Abraham Lincoln called our “better angels.” It is a season of love where we enter with awe into the story of a baby born in Bethlehem who was sent to us from heaven. A baby who came with the promise of the greatest gift of all: His life for atonement for our sins. We hear the story, and we are inspired to give gifts to each other that point to the greatest gift. We open our hearts to each other at Christmas. We should rejoice as we remember the glow of family seated around the table and of wide-eyed children gazing at a Christmas tree surrounded with presents.
Now, we are in a different season. As the warmth of the Christmas holidays fades into the cold reality of a sinful world, in South Carolina we find ourselves on the precipice of change. We are entering a season of decision-making that will shape our state for years to come. Will we be a people who depend on the tried-and-true methods of hard work, innovation, creativity, and productivity — or will we choose a path toward the vain and valueless false promise of quick riches? Will we choose to follow the path of genuinely caring for and providing legitimate avenues of help and encouragement for those who struggle to meet the needs of their families — or will we allow their exploitation so the state can “prosper,” and predatory gambling interests can pocket money lifted right out of the pockets of those who can least afford to gamble? All forms of gambling are part of a predatory cycle that promotes the exploitation of some for the benefit of others.
I’m darkly amused by the 5-to-10-second disclaimer at the end of bright, splashy, high-tech ads promoting gambling that says, “Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call this number.” The entire ad glamorizes gambling by stoking our desire for more and showing happy people striking it rich. Then we hear, “Oh yeah, be careful out there, and when your gambling addiction this casino depends on bankrupts you, please get help.” And what number are we supposed to call when organized crime comes in for their share? Or who do we call when human trafficking, which, according to published research and a number of criminal cases, is closely associated with casino gambling? Human traffickers use casinos as venues of exploitation, taking advantage of the large number of people to operate anonymously and involving casino employees as middlemen to connect buyers with victims for a fee.
Proverbs 22:16 says, “Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.” A few verses later, Solomon wrote, “Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.”
A large U.S. study from the University of Buffalo found that people in the poorest neighborhoods were about twice as likely to be problem gamblers as those in the most advantaged areas, even after adjusting for individual income and other factors. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are morally and biblically bound to intervene when we see the poor being exploited for the benefit of the rich. We must not allow those who would bring pain to the poor and exploited — those who would bring crime, trafficking, and prostitution — and allow it to take root in South Carolina. Their promises of prosperity are down payments on their own illicit gains at the expense of the most vulnerable among us.
On Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m., hundreds of pastors will stand in the Statehouse in one accord. We stand with God. Pastor’s Day at the Capitol is a call to stand against the gambling interests who would pump their poison into the lifeblood of our culture. It is a call to stand against the marijuana industry — whose lobbyists are working hard to bring what Hunter Baker calls “the scent of American decay,” that permeates the air in many of our largest cities, to South Carolina. It is a call to continue to push for legislation that will protect life in the womb beginning at conception.
Our fetal heartbeat law has resulted in the saving of over 5,000 preborn lives. Early last session, I had a lawmaker ask me, concerning pro-life legislation, “When is it going to be enough?” My answer was straightforward: protection for every preborn child from the moment of conception. I hope you will join us on Jan. 14. The decisions we make over the next several months will define the kind of state that will be home to our children and grandchildren. We must choose wisely.