By Graham Glover –
Dear fellow Christians,
You’ve really got to stop. Your incessant tirade against homosexuals and homosexual marriage has got to end. At this point you are doing nothing to advance the faith we mutually confess. It’s time to move on from this issue. The fight to stop gay marriage is over. I beg you, for the sake of civility, please let it go.
I’ve written about this topic before and if my fellow Christians continue their ridiculous posturing, I’m sure I’ll write about it again. So please, please stop.
Look, I agree with many of you. Homosexuality is clearly a sin, evidenced by the testimony of the Old and New Testaments, the tradition of the church catholic, and natural law. I recognize that there are some who try to reinterpret the scriptures to condone homosexual behavior. There are also some that believe society’s moral code is ever evolving, hence their argument to change the definition of marriage. These interpretive and philosophical moves are wrong on several fronts. But even so, we Christians do not need to put any more energy or efforts into curtailing what is obviously a political and social battle we will never win.
It’s over. Period. Homosexual marriage is about to be codified as legal in all 50 States. It’s a done deal.
For arguments sake let’s assume we could win the public debate. What would we Christians change? I guess we would nullify any and all laws that recognize same-sex marriages? I assume, since we want to be consistent in our logic, that we will also demand that most divorces be nullified as well? Certainly no-fault divorces will now be illegal? Seriously though, how do homosexuals getting married affect our lives? Don’t tell me that condoning their sinful behavior is problematic. If we use that line of reasoning, then any activity or behavior that our faith teaches us to be immoral should become illegal. And that would be very problematic for us all! Also, don’t tell me our society is changing the term/institution of marriage. If they are, who cares? I’ve performed countless weddings and I don’t think I’ve ever concerned myself with what the State says about marriage. My pre-marriage counseling sessions have nothing to do with laws made by men. Wedding vows don’t mention the State. Wedding pronouncements don’t have to ever reference a political entity. So why are we Christians preoccupied with the State on matters of Holy Matrimony?
Is there some fear that because Uncle Sam says homosexuality is now socially acceptable that we who are perfectly righteous in our sexual lives (!) will become corrupted? Get real. If we want to keep the gays on the outskirts of society, forever condemning their behavior, let’s do the same with any and all who view pornography, any and all who have committed adultery, and any and all who lust for things that are impure. That would prevent our society from being corrupted, right?! That would allow our society to be less susceptible to sin! If we make the sin illegal, it has to go away…
Seriously, what is it about homosexuality that causes so many Christians to obsess? Based on the amount of public commentary our clergy and our faithful have made on this issue, you would think one of the primary teachings in Christianity is to oppose homosexuality. And we all know that is an absurd claim to make. Is this miniscule portion of our population (probably 2-4%) really that big of a threat to our faith? Sometimes I think Christians believe homosexuals are the antichrist incarnate!
I’m not a big WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) guy. That catchy cliché from the 1990s is ripe with theological problems, not the least of which is its inability to focus on what Jesus did and continues to do for us sinners. But that acronym does beg the question on how our Lord would respond to our current discourse on gay marriage. Do you really think He would consume His preaching with this issue? Would He ask His disciples to preach about homosexuality as much as many Christian clergy do? Would the Resurrected Lord really care what the State says is morally acceptable (having just finished Holy Week, I’m at a loss on this one)? Would our Lord direct His Church to act as she has in recent years? I’m more than a little skeptical. And if you are concerned about being ridiculed, mocked, censored, or even (and this is highly unlikely) imprisoned for publicly confessing that homosexuality is sinful and gay marriage is an aberration, I say, who cares. I never realized our faith had to be sanctioned or endorsed by the State…
Instead of focusing on fighting gay marriage, why don’t we focus even more on the proclamation of the Gospel – that Good News of forgiveness and salvation that we sinners so desperately need to hear, and the ONLY thing that changes people’s hearts and amends their behavior? Do we really think that beating down homosexual behavior is what the Church has been called to do? Are we that naïve to think that we, through our political discourse, can change the trajectory of society on this issue?
My friends, it’s time to move on – time to refocus our efforts – time to forget about an issue that is lost and probably not one we ever should have fought. It’s time to stop talking about gay marriage.
Your brother in the faith,
The Emperor’s Chair
