Friday, July 24, 2009
Gay Marriage and the Church
This a thoughtful article from Christianity Today on the subject of gay marriage. I found it to be particularly interesting because it goes beyond the issue itself and raises deep problems with the American church which undercut its ability to speak powerfully on the issue.
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3 comments:
Christians can speak as powerfully as ever about such issues. However, when one group of Christians attempt to impose their standards as those for all people everywhere, the result is destructive of the Republic. It is particularly disturbing when they speak as if their position is the only one a Christian could ever hold.
I would suggest that there is far more deep history in the Christian tradition against such things as war, death penalties, and leave-the-poor-to-the-dogs, and perhaps evangelicals would be well considered if they addressed such issues instead of simply seeming to be shills for the Republican Party.
Perhaps evangelicals might get some credbility if their divorce rate were not so much higher than, say, Episcopalians.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm
http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/religion_in_america/born_again_christians_and_divo.html
I suspect that Christians who inveigh against gay people are generally focused on their own demons within, rather than any demons they perceive outside. Praise be to God, who saves us from ourselves, without the need for any scapegoats beyond the One he has supplied.
I certainly agree that the "evangelical movement" expends more energy than is appropriate on this issue. I also agree that evangelicals should think and act more visibly about issues like unjust war, a culture of death and the poor. Those are good points that you make.
I also agree that one group of Christians should not attempt to impose "their standards" on others. However, all Christians should honestly and openly seek to know God's standards and speak His truth. If God, through His revealed truth, has set a standard, we, as Christians, are obligated to honor it. We are also obligated out of love to share His truth with others.
We must, however, share God's truth with love. Many evangelicals fail miserably in this respect when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. We must repent of this and seek to reach out in love.
I agree that divorce in the Church is an embarrassment. Divorce, outside those circumstances provided for in the scriptures, is a sin which the church should speak against in a loving manner. Also, if persons inside the church or outside of it should try to argue that divorce, for reasons not provided for in the scriptures, is not a sin, the Church must stand for God's truth and speak it with boldness. We should reach out in love to those who have committed the sin but we can not, in the interest of making them feel better or welcome, say that it is not sin.
I pray that I will never be accused of or guilty of "inveighing against gay people." I am a sinner saved by God's grace and I have no right to look down my nose at anyone. What I can not escape is God's word. I have found in my own life that the closer I can bring myself to his standards the happier and more content I am.
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