From: stevek
Date: Sat Feb  7 16:33:29 MST 2004
Subject: gay marriage

I hesitate to write this, but what I have seen recently happen in the Episcopal church, and in our society in general makes me see an issue larger than gay marriage, but in fact gets right to the matter of whether the church is compromising Christ's standards in order to look attractive to outsiders. So, here goes... I believe that Eric's blog addresses two separate issues; what is the role of government in contractual relationships, and what is the Scriptural response we as the body of Christ should adopt in relation to gay marriage. On the first issue I'm ambivalent; that is, the libertarian in me says that government should keep it's hands out of my life, but the pragmatist in me says that we are in fact a government of laws, and not of men - that in such a diverse culture we need some level of governance in order to maintain order and civil discourse. So, where contracts are to be established, government sets in place laws to define the responsibilities and rights of the parties involved. Unfortunately in the case of civil unions, those "rights" have been broadened to impinge on the financial "responsibilities" of others in society who may object on moral grounds to the union. Intellectual honesty I suppose forces me to accept some level of governmental theft of my resources if I elect to live in a republic; I have at my disposal voting, free peaceful protest, access to various forms of media, etc. to express my displeasure. But I give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's. The second issue, however impacts what I consider to be legitmately Ceasar's, and where in giving that I am violating my first relational responsibility; that is, to honoring God's word. First, I believe marriage goes beyond a contractual relationship. It is covenental, not simply an arrangement where each party simply performs their respective obligations and all is good. In marriage, we are bound regardless of whether the other party is living up to our expectations (contractually established) at a given time. For better or worse...That goes far beyond the governments ability or prerogative to monitor and control. That's God's purview. So, in sorting out my feelings on the gay marriage issue I cannot look at it from a bland contractual standpoint, but from the standpoint of what God intended that covenental relationship to represent. Tozer said that 'no people has ever risen above it's religion, and no religion has ever been greater than it's view of God.' From that I take away the responsibility of the body of Christ to be first God centered, and not overtly strive to attract people (seeker friendly) by compromising the clear teaching of Scripture. It is our distinctiveness that should be attractive to a dying world. I concede that the church, individually and collectively does not do a good job of that, but standing on God's principles should at least be the goal. Where the church has compromised that standard in relation to it's position on homosexuality is compromise in an effort to be 'relevant.' Social mores and norms may change, but the standards laid down in God's word are timeless. Does that mean we treat that issue more harshly than any other sin? Of course not. But neither does it mean that we accomodate it for fear of being considered intolerant. When a person becomes a Christian, he declares war on hell, and hell fights back. Christians are expected to battle with satan. Compromisers need not apply. But we're taught to love. That word in the New Testament is agape; self-sacrificing, even if the recipient is either undeserving or unappreciative. That's a picture of God's reaching out to me; to all of us, for we have all sinned. With all of that it is my belief that the church, Jesus' church, should maintain a stand opposed to accomodating any form of sin; theft, murder, covetness, and those listed as acts of the flesh in Galations 5. That includes homosexuality. That includes those issues which may set us up for labels - but let them label us if ultimately the Lord labels us as His ambassadors. Bring correction in love, but don't compromise the standards laid down in Scripture in order to seem reachable to a dying world. We're supposed to be different, and in that difference we're supposed to be light shining on darkness. Jesus reached out to sinners of all sorts; but He never condoned the sin, but exhorted the person to whom He was ministering to step away from the behavior which was separating them from God. Let's reach out, but to the person, not turning a blind eye towards God's standards in the process. We don't do our brothers and sisters any good by allowing them to live in lifestyles which fall short of the goodness God has in store for them when fuller relationship is established by turning away from 'of the world' and towards Christ.

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