“Millstones! Get Your Millstones!”

“They are going fast! Millstones! Get your Millstones! Fling yourself into the sea before it’s too late!” Now, come on. Let’s try again. Channel your inner ballpark hotdog caller or paperboy from Newsies and yell it again. “Millstones!…”

What do Michael Hugo and CabaBabaRave have in common? Millstones, man. Millstones. If I were taking bets on likely candidates for “swims with rocks,” I’d put these somewhere near the top.

Now clearly, this is tongue and cheek… sort of. No one was harmed in the making of this post, though plenty have been harmed by the hearts and ideas highlighted here. “Millstones…” is simply the word I mumble under my breath in true fear and trembling when I see affronts to children so harmful or grievous, the Lord’s intervention is certain.

In the synoptic Gospels–Mathew, Mark, and Luke we find this statement from Jesus as he addressed temptations and trespasses. “Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

That should take your breath away to see how serious Christ’s warning is to those who might lead the younger or weaker astray. In children’s ministry, this was always at the forefront of my mind. I even had a necklace with a millstone on it to remind me how careful I needed to be in leading children, how clear the lesson should be, how rightly the Word should be divided, and how tirelessly I should be working to serve them.

Friends, God cares for children and His expectation of the adults in the room is that we tread carefully, prayerfully, and faithfully when it comes to leading and loving well, protecting and preserving those He allows us to steward. In fact, it would be better for us to place a stone around our neck and throw ourselves into the water to drown then be found guilty of careless damage.

Our first deep diver is Michael Hugo, a committee chair for a political party who recently resigned over comments made. Last month, Hugo blasted crisis pregnancy centers in the area and accused them of giving inaccurate medical advice to mothers and causing mothers to birth children who would be special needs and would then be financial burdens to the school district if they had to educate such children. “Our fear is that an unqualified stenographer would misdiagnose a birth defect… and our school budget would have to absorb the cost of a special needs child.” This, in his mind, is the clear reason there should be abortion only access and no other resources. Initially, Hugo got by with avoidance and waving off critics. But ultimately resigned last week–to continue in a less local capacity. His apology consisted of “…this is best for my emotional and physical health… best for our cause… the distraction it had become,” and finally, “harm to the differently abled community.”

His apology was NOT–forgive me for such evil and wickedness as to think it is okay to advocate the killing of children for fear they might be special needs and could be a drain on our budget.”

Millstones. This is where we are. Think about what that reveals about how Hugo sees children. They are valued based on burden and cost. They are optional luxuries that we don’t have to keep if it’s too much work. His callous heart is so blinded by sin, he’s not sorry for how he actually felt, what he believed or said. He regrets how it was received and what the poor reception has done to him. He’s a party chair! And sadly, he’s not alone in his thinking.

Friend, this is the antithesis of how Christ intended children to be viewed. None of us are entitled to have children. We are not owed children by God. They are a blessing in every form or phase, on every developmental, physical, emotional level. And caring for them well makes us better humans and better disciples.

Next, the backlash and splash were considerable this week as CabaBabaRave chose to sink over swim by putting on a drag show specifically geared towards babies. As though drag for just plain kids wasn’t appalling enough. Babies. We know no bounds. The leaked photos were shocking and showed semi-nude men in drag holding or posing provocatively in front of… babies. Some not yet walking or talking. Some looking frightened or uneasy at their surroundings. CabaBaba issued a statement defending themselves. “… the attacks against us are shameful. Many other adult events are designed to bring your baby to, as babies aren’t able to grasp the plot.”

Now really think about that statement. Think about how at odds that is with parents who claim their toddlers know they are trans before they are speaking. Which is it? Babies are inherently aware of gender and sexuality at birth… and we have to get consent to change diapers?? Or babies are not aware of what is happening? You both don’t get to win. Also, how revealing about our selfish and sinful hearts. If you think the babies are unaware and this isn’t being done for their development, entertainment, or good… then who is it for?

It’s for the adults. It’s purely for the enjoyment of the adults and the babies don’t matter because surely, they are unaware. Like objects. Props for entertainment or gratification. My God. Millstones.

Friends, the clearest and best indicator of the severity of the judgement awaiting us is our utter inability to value life or protect children. We subject them to our chaos and our crazy, we can’t bring ourselves to exercise any wisdom or self-control on their behalf. We falsely assign greater understanding or autonomy to them at inappropriate ages, so we can live out our confusion and depravity, as though it is with their permission. We are so sin-sick we can no longer see rightly enough to shield them from ourselves. Millstones.

We must be the hard lines here, Church.

We cannot respond to wickedness with quiet compassion when Christ Himself deemed a millstone more appropriate. If we truly care for the least of these, if we truly love the lost… then shouldn’t we tell them what they are doing is wrong and it will draw judgement from God? Shouldn’t we plead for repentance and caution the world about the doom that awaits? What kind of monsters would we be if we know this is the fate and choose to let society meet it with no objection ever given? Well, hey… Millstones. Get your millstones, too.