Scripture reading: Hebrews 13:4
Marriage Matters
Lot pitched his tents near Sodom. (Genesis 13:12)
Pushing hard to normalize that which just a few years ago was considered abnormal, many in our culture today are working feverishly to redefine society’s most fundamental human institution. For over two thousand years western culture has been premised upon the belief that marriage is one man joined to one woman for life. But now all that is up for grabs. The battle is on and like all battles, this one is full of passionate intensity.
Many pretend that the debate is about “human rights” and seek to equate same-sex marriage with the civil rights movement of a previous generation. Others claim that all those in opposition are right-wing wackos, motivated by hate and fear. Others seek to bypass the head and agitate for change by appealing directly to the heart. They marshal forth heart-wrenching stories aimed at changing the way we think by manipulating the way we feel. Don’t be fooled. The battle is not where these people claim it is. Rather, the decision before us is a straightforward rational question: how do we define the word family? Those who want to change the dictionary are tampering with the very foundations of civilization. As the psalmist cried: If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3).
Those who want to redefine marriage are in the precarious position of wanting to saw off the limb on which they are sitting. If they succeed, they will only ensure their own ultimate destruction. But what is worse, they will also succeed in destroying civilization.
Some of the loudest proponents of same-sex marriage want to bully the church into silence, claiming that we should not meddle in political matters. This was the same argument used by many in Germany in the 1930s when the Nazis were coming to power. “Stay out of this,” the church was told. “Go read your Bible and pray. Leave matters of public policy for others to decide.” Unfortunately, most German churches did just that.
So, what can we do?
- Promote God’s model for the family. Frankly, divorce and dysfunction in our own families perhaps only promotes an alternative model. Until husbands love their wives, and wives respect their husbands, and until parents are healthy role models for their children, we will likely continue to see an erosion of the world God intended.
- Pray. God is the one who instituted marriage, not the State. Few issues are nearer and dearer to his heart than this one. He longs to bring revival and reformation. But this only happens when we humble ourselves and seek his face in prayer, turning from our sins (II Chronicles 7:14). The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a sober reminder of what happens to a culture when gender confusion has destroyed the integrity of the family as God intended (Genesis 18–19).
- Get involved. Become informed about the issues. Write to your U.S. and state representatives, school board, and even your local leaders (mayor, pastor, etc.) and let them know of your opposition to tampering with the definition of marriage. Many of them are under tremendous pressure to go along with the winds of change. And be sure to support and pray for those who are already involved in the battle. Edmund Burke issued a sober warning when he said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Civil laws that establish ‘same sex marriage’ create a legal fiction . . . The State has no power to create something that nature itself tells us is impossible. Chicago Cardinal Francis George
point to ponder • We lose the ability to think rightly about the culmination of human history (the marriage of the Lamb) when we change the definition of marriage.
prayer focus • The silent majority being bullied into passivity as the definition of marriage changes.