Thoughts

GAY MARRIAGE ARTICLE
So, I was asked to write an article on gay marriage that is due to come out in the July edition of our church's newsletter "The Table." I had a LOT of trouble with it, since it was a very difficult topic. But here it a VERY ROUGH draft. Please note, it's not very good and there are still a lot of changes that need to be made. But I hope the message gets across, despite my shortcomings.

Turn on your television. Read the newspapers. The topic of gay marriage is unavoidable. And yet, we, as the body of Christ, are avoiding it. We seem to be nonchalantly asking, “Who cares?” or “How does this really affect me?”
In order to answer these pressing questions, we must delve into God’s Word to uncover His plan for marriage and family.

“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.” (Leviticus 20:13)
God’s stance on homosexuality and gay marriage is clear: God created the institute of marriage to be between a man and a woman only. Recognizing any other union is detestable in His sight.

“Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie … Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lusts for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty of their perversion. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity.” (Romans 1:24-27,29)
In Romans 1, the apostle Paul describes the epidemic of homosexuality that was rampant during that time. Such outrageous conduct only led to the further demise of Rome. Can you imagine if same-sex marriages were deemed legal and constitutional in America today? Our society will also “become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity.” Romans 1 proves there is a direct correlation between the demise of marriage and the downfall of a society. Over the last few decades, the family structure has already been undergoing dramatic decline. Now, the institution of marriage and family will sink even lower with the passage of same-sex marriages.

Furthermore, this decline will not only affect this present generation, but also our children. Ephesians 6:1-4 clearly defines roles and responsibilities for all family members: children honoring their father and mother, parents training and instructing children in God’s values. How will this be possible without a traditional family in place? The death of family as we know it is at stake here.

Historically, the definition of marriage has been founded on theology, tradition, and legal precedent. The legalization of gay marriages will change all that and pave the way for other alternatives to one man-one woman unions including polygamous, incestuous or under-age unions. If a judge can rule in favor of homosexual marriages, what’s to stop them from ruling in favor of polygamy using the same argument? The sacred institute of marriage instituted by God will be no more than one man’s interpretations.

Perhaps one of the most important distinctions is God does not suggest through the Scriptures to despise these individuals. Instead, Jesus taught us to hate the sin, but to love the sinners. (Matthew 5:44) Let us not water-down our faith and beliefs in the name of “tolerance” or “political correctness.”

Even though we might not be directly involved in same-sex marriages, we, as Christians, must be pro-active in preserving God’s design for marriage and family. Legalizing homosexual marriages will curtail the spread of the Gospel and lead to further depravity. May God use us, in the midst of desperate times, to rediscover righteousness and bring about a spiritual revival in our land. For “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)