Tuesday, February 17, 2004
GAY MARRIAGES IN SAN FRANCISCO
This one should get the guestbook pumping ...
One of the most poignant moments of WCC was one that I thought very little about at the time. During one of the announcement times, somebody came up and said SF mayor Gavin Newsom granted an initiative allowing gay marriages, despite being illegal according to California law. This brought hundreds of gays and lesbians from all over the country to "get married" with an official marriage license. The outcome of a court hearing on this matter will be released Tuesday.
The prayer request was for a pastor whose church is directly across the street from a gay/lesbian center in SF. He was asked for an interview by CNN so that he could give the Christian perspective on gays and lesbians "without being angry." What a great opportunity and responsibility! The interesting part is that CNN specifically wanted a pastor to give the Christian perspective because they felt that is what most of America believes. But unfortunately, many Christians turn angry and ugly when dealing with this controversial issue. The idea of "hating the sin, not the sinner" does not come across as well as we'd like. But we prayed for the right words to speak, compassion, and protection for both the messenger and the Message. We also prayed that the initiative will be overturned and the marriage licenses nullified.
For me as a married person, I know how much I value the santity of marriage. And as a Christian, I feel I value it all the more. I love my wife. I love the relationship we have. To me, these gay and lesbian marriages taint, diminish, and cloud the institution of marriage. I believe homosexuality is a sin.
So do I dislike or even hatethese people? By no means! I love these people. I just don't agree with issuing marriage licenses to them.
This one should get the guestbook pumping ...
One of the most poignant moments of WCC was one that I thought very little about at the time. During one of the announcement times, somebody came up and said SF mayor Gavin Newsom granted an initiative allowing gay marriages, despite being illegal according to California law. This brought hundreds of gays and lesbians from all over the country to "get married" with an official marriage license. The outcome of a court hearing on this matter will be released Tuesday.
The prayer request was for a pastor whose church is directly across the street from a gay/lesbian center in SF. He was asked for an interview by CNN so that he could give the Christian perspective on gays and lesbians "without being angry." What a great opportunity and responsibility! The interesting part is that CNN specifically wanted a pastor to give the Christian perspective because they felt that is what most of America believes. But unfortunately, many Christians turn angry and ugly when dealing with this controversial issue. The idea of "hating the sin, not the sinner" does not come across as well as we'd like. But we prayed for the right words to speak, compassion, and protection for both the messenger and the Message. We also prayed that the initiative will be overturned and the marriage licenses nullified.
For me as a married person, I know how much I value the santity of marriage. And as a Christian, I feel I value it all the more. I love my wife. I love the relationship we have. To me, these gay and lesbian marriages taint, diminish, and cloud the institution of marriage. I believe homosexuality is a sin.
So do I dislike or even hatethese people? By no means! I love these people. I just don't agree with issuing marriage licenses to them.
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