Most everyone is now keenly aware of the mayor of Houston seeking to seize the sermons of five churches concerning homosexuality and gay marriage. There is little doubt this is an issue that is at the front door for all of us. Every one of us will have to face the issue of gay marriage in our near future.
It behooves us to examine this issue from the perspective of a Christian worldview. Gay marriage is a message of redefinition. “Re” is a prefix meaning again and the term “define” means to determine boundaries. To redefine something means define something again or differently. It changes the meaning. Any redefinition must have merited precedence to do such action.
The Bible however, does not permit such a vantage point. The Bible clearly defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman from Genesis forward (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5; 1 Cor. 7:1-5; Eph. 5:22, 23; 1 Pet. 1:3ff). A gay relationship assumes the roles of men and women are interchangeable. Yet, scripture in multiple passages defines the roles of men and women separately and differently – they are not interchangeable.
One cannot inadvertently redefine scripture (absolute truth versus relevant truth) based on a new philosophy or cultural shift. Opinions change constantly; truth remains constant. (Again, relativism is the issue). A Christian worldview must be established on a hermeneutical understanding of scripture, not a cultural change. We don’t get to change what God says, if it’s not in conjunction with cultural precedent. Love respects everyone, but it doesn’t mandate agreement and disagreement doesn’t necessarily merit bigotry.
It is important to note that this issue sits at your doorstep. If the laws of this nation change and legalize gay marriage, and your bylaws don’t say otherwise, you could be mandated to perform a gay marriage. The penalty for denying such action could be jail time. Make sure your “ducks are in a row.” We must love and reach out to gays, but not violate our conscience.
