Article originally posted here.

Sometimes compromise is a good thing.  The great compromise of the United States formed two houses in Congress but created a great nation.

In fact, there is much to be said for a person who can delve deep into the weeds to find a solution that can satisfy every side without compromising  core principles.

However, when compromise violates core principles, it usually never satisfies anyone.

This is the position the Boy Scouts of America find themselves when over a year ago they dropped their fight against allowing homosexuals to be members of the organization, but they refused to allow leaders to be openly gay.  The compromise violated core principles of the pro-marriage supporters and the homosexual rights supporters making neither side happy.

This is the type of compromise that must only make sense in a stuffy committee room somewhere.

This put the Scouts in an awkward position.  On the one hand, the homosexual community, desiring full acceptance of their lifestyle, felt shunned by excluding Scout leaders.  Christians see the compromise as stunting the Christian view of morality.

For this reason, the compromise cannot stand.  They will either have to make a stand for God’s view of sexuality, or they will have to make a stand with the homosexual community.  They cannot maintain this current position.

Even the New York Times argues this compromise pleased no one.  They said:

Instead, it (the new policy) has brought the Scouts only more ire from all directions and produced a house divided.

The awkwardness of the compromise — don’t-ask-don’t-tell silence on the one hand, and a supposedly welcoming embrace on the other, with an 18th birthday dividing the two

This is why compromise does not work when you are dealing with core principles.  The big loser is the Boy Scouts of America.

This is going to become an ever growing battle Christians, businesses, and organizations will face.  They will not be able to stand on the sideline of this debate; they will not be able to compromise, but if they try to compromise it will please no one.

In reality, the two sides are both absolutists.  Christians are absolutists because we believe there are true moral standards.  There is right, and there is wrong.

The homosexual community are also absolutists.  They must have full acceptance; they believe there is truth, right, and wrong.  They believe right and wrong exists.

The problem?  Only one of us can be right.  If the homosexual community is correct, Christianity is a lie.  If Christianity is true, homosexuality is a sin.  While some people try to find a middle road, ultimately they are compromising core beliefs of both sides.  None of the compromises fit historic Christianity or the new modern homosexual movement.

In the end, this is a battle  of core beliefs, a battle at the heart of two differing worldviews with both sides committed to their absolutist beliefs.

Derick Dickens has an MBA in Leadership, MDiv, and MA in Religion.  He speaks regularly on topics ranging from Christian Worldview issues to business leadership, and he is a Professor of Business and Human Resources.  Married for 15 years to his wife Lacie, they have three children and live in Lynchburg Virginia. You can follow Derick on Twitter at twitter.com/derickdickens. Derick blogs at www.completeinthee.com.