The internet is all on fire based on the fact that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will likely be debated this weekend in Washington this week. “Call your senators. Tell you reps your views,” the posts and emails urge.  Our own LCMS Synod president has suggested contacting them 
because he believes that repeal of this policy would among other issues add yet another matter of consicious for our chaplains to wrestle with in ther care of soldiers. I can see and second his concern.
But I must admit that my main concern today is not the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military in regards to homosexuality. I wish homosexuality were viewed as sinful in government agencies but I think that battle was lost long ago.   Find me any politician who will base his case against gay marriage in a argument that homosexuality is sinful. Oh they will vote against the practice, but they will not explain the why in terms of morality.
My real concern is the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the church. Yes silence about sin is as common in the pews as it is in the bunkers. Oh if you are lucky, you will hear sin rebuked from the pulpit and maybe in official statements, but dealing with sin individually is almost unheard of in the church. And please understand this, I speak of all sin here. The church for at least a generation has operated on a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” basis. Unless sin is wildly unusual, we just ignore it. And why? The reason given is usually what might be called congregational morale.  Yes, we don’t want to upset anyone. We want to keep some sort of basic relationship with everyone.
And so whether the sin is obvious greed or blatant licentiousness, constant gossiping or incessant drunkenness, we just say, “Keep it quiet 
and no one will do anything. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” I am guilty of following this policy at times, often justifying my action with the knowledge that even if I were to address more sin personally, the congregation might be uneasy and ultimately argue that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is better for anyone. But from pastor to people, this policy must be repealed. We must do as every elder and pastor promises to do when they are installed, what every Christian owes their brothers and sisters in Christ who are straying. We must return the practice of informal and formal church discipline not in order to be rigid or legalistic, but instead that sin might be exposed and forgiven. Ignored sin is no less deadly than any other. And so let us repeal this policy in the church, not to allow people to sin openly in the church, but rather so that people might be forgiven of their sins and raised again to newness of life.
