“WASHINGTON
(AP) -- The Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to
marry anywhere in the United States. Gay
and lesbian couples already could marry in 36 states and the District of
Columbia. The court's 5-4 ruling means the remaining 14 states, in the South and
Midwest, will have to stop enforcing their bans on same-sex marriage”
I
have the following random thoughts in no particular order, and I am certain that
I won’t remember some of my best ones until after I’ve sent this to you.
1. Marriage
in the Bible is one thing. Gay
marriage is another thing. The
former is a really, really big deal. All
of human society depends on it working as God set it up.
When a man and woman make a commitment to be committed to each forever
and actually pull that off that dramatically increases the possibility of a
stable society especially as it relates to what happens to children.
The biblical picture is of a man and woman becoming one in every sense of
the world and that oneness produces children.
Imagine what our society would look like if ever kid had both a mom and a
dad at home.
2. In
the Bible marriage is the primary metaphor of God’s relationship to us.
See especially Ephesians 5:32.
I don’t think we should be messing with this.
3. In
terms of redefining marriage I think the cat left the barn in the 1960’s when
sex got separated from love and commitment.
The ship left the harbor fifty years ago.
4. Speaking
of marital love, the biblical describes it as an other-oriented life-long
commitment before a community and its authorities.
Behind today’s Supreme Court ruling is the idea that love is simply
something else. I guess the new
definition of love comes down to however you want to define it.
5. Having
said those things, when a gay couple marries I would suggest that it is a
commendable thing when they intend for that commitment to last a lifetime and
then they actually fulfill that commitment.
6. Attending
a gay wedding or becoming friends with a gay couple are not the same thing as
condoning gay coupling. I
think Christians should attend their friend’s gay wedding and befriend their
gay neighbors. It is loving
others regardless of beliefs and practices that sets Christians apart and shocks
the world.
7. Do
not shun your gay son or daughter. Sacrificially
love your child until the day you die. Also
love his or her partner. In
fact I’m not even sure that you need to voice your disapproval.
I suspect they are already aware of your disapproval.
What they need is unconditional, not conditional, love.
8. I
don’t think gay marriage is good for our society.
It is another step away from a stable society.
9. On
the other hand, even though the image of God shining through a godly marriage is
becoming more rare, that image will shine
all the more brightly when it is seen.
all the more brightly when it is seen.
10. Christians
must NOT come off as proud, arrogant, judgmental, hateful, bemoaning of
society’s decadence, and critical. This
is not the end of the world. Jesus
is Lord and is working his plan. We
are in the throws of God creating a new world.
And you and are above all called to witness to that, not to doom and
gloom.
11. Don’t
fall into an “us” vs. “them” mentality.
Our job is to reach out to the “them’s” and shock them with our
love.
12. I
don’t think Christians should say things like, “I think he’s gay”.
Why would we? It’s
not that we should fear being called bigots, rather that we should never
verbalize things that would risk alienating others from God’s love.
13.
I
don’t think this ruling brings about a cataclysmic shift in the American
culture. But it does reflect a
shift that happened long ago. This
ruling was only a matter of time.
14. There
will be pressure on Christian pastors to perform gay weddings.
Part of me loves to affirm people when they are trying to a good thing
(such as make a commitment to one another for life out of a desire to serve the
other above self). But I
won’t be doing so, not because I’m a bigot, not even because doing so would
be unbiblical, rather because of why doing
so would be unbiblical.
15. Yes
there is a political dimension to this whole thing and there are also the issues
of freedom and rights. Those
issues do need to be addressed from a Christian perspective.
More on that at another time.
16. Christian
faith shines brightest when the freedom to practice it diminishes.
If you feel threatened by this ruling, well, it’s nothing new.
The church was birthed under far worse opposition to its positions.
More
Later.
In Christ, Jeff
In Christ, Jeff
For
more:
follow on Twitter @jefflampl
Thank you Jeff. Excellent points and I appreciate you sharing them. As followers of Christ, we are not in this world to control other's behaviors but to demonstrate the love of Christ that points to grace.
ReplyDeleteThank-you Jeff for sending me back to Ephesians. In 6:5 Paul writes "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart." I can only imagine how the Christian slave owners must have reacted to the Emancipation Proclamation.
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