Marriage Equality
Off
It’s April… but have you noticed the snowball rolling down the hill, getting bigger and bigger all the time? I am speaking about the “snowball” of what is being touted as the “Marriage Equality Movement, ”which is front and center in our Delaware legislature and nation. What caused former President Bill and Hillary Clinton, President Obama, Vice President Biden, and a host of other local, state, and national leaders to do a 180o shift on their position on marriage? This can be attributed to several things:
- A general ignorance of biblical truth and/or a growing sentiment that God’s moral truth is no longer relevant today.
- The steady drumbeat of years of influential voices in our society extolling “tolerance” as a virtue at the expense of truth; thus to stand FOR traditional marriage is to be labeled nothing less than an “intolerant, hateful, homophobic bigot.”
- A brilliant strategy by those advocating the redefinition of marriage that has determined to “eat the elephant one bite at a time.” This strategy has achieved far more in a shorter amount of time than they even imagined possible. Civil unions clearly were never the goal; it has always been the redefinition of marriage.
- The debate has been framed in the context of equality, civil rights, anti-discrimination, anti-bullying, and diversity, so to stand FOR marriage places a significant stigma on the individual.
This is not about whether or not we love gays and those who embrace this or any other related lifestyle. We are called to love them for the sake of Christ. I pray that I – and the BFCN family – will be obedient to Christ’s call to love. Nor is it about equal rights. The civil union bill passed in Delaware is the most far-reaching in the country and ensures equal rights for gays. It is not necessary to redefine marriage to achieve equality. This is about standing for righteousness… this is about holding forth truth… this is about speaking the truth in love…
this is about being jealous for God’s glory in our nation.
The Word of God defines marriage as one man and one woman for life (Genesis 2:24). The fact that we have done a pretty good job of messing this relationship up does not become a justification to change its very nature and essence. We have no “right” to change what God established. The Word of God calls the homosexual lifestyle – yes, as well as the
heterosexual promiscuous lifestyle, along with a myriad of other actions – SIN (cf. Romans 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:8-10). That remains as true today as it was when it was written. But my concern is the growing sentiment, even in the evangelical Christian community, that “it doesn’t really matter” if marriage is redefined to include gay and transgender relationships. I appeal to you – IT DOES MATTER –it matters to God… it matters to us… and it matters to our children!! Consider…
- That which government sanctions through policy and laws becomes valued and protected in society. Make no mistake, traditional marriage will come under assault and be denigrated if marriage is redefined.
- Redefining marriage will deny the importance of children needing – and deserving – both a father and a mother.
- Redefining marriage will imply that marriage is whatever emotional bond the government says it is. Where will the boundaries be set?
- Redefining marriage will absolutely jeopardize religious freedom in our country and churches. We are dangerously close to the tipping point of a stand against gay marriage becoming equivalent to hate speech. Already, the gay lifestyle is not only being taught – but also promoted – in even our elementary grades and parents have been forbidden from removing their children from such class sessions.
Let’s act graciously, yet firmly for truth. Write and call your state senator and representative. Join us in Dover for “Citizens’ Action” Day on Thursday, April 18th, and make your presence known in a God – honoring way. Information is available on the table in “The Commons.” The stakes are high… but our God is worthy!