Gay marriage is one of the most dividing questions of our time. Recently, this discussion has exploded into the forefront with Obama acknowledging his support and North Carolina ruling against the issue. In this I want to establish a biblical understanding of what marriage is, and try to sort out how that affects the political question.

Before we begin, I’d like to acknowledge that this issue is much much more than political. People see sexuality as a part of their identity. So wherever you are, let’s choose to be loving and gracious in discussion.

Marriage as a Covenant

It’s absolutely vital for you to understand what the Bible says about marriage. Even if you don’t accept the Biblical understanding of marriage, you must accept that most of today’s controversy is centered on what the Bible says in contrast to the way society feels. Here is a brief overview of important Scriptural concepts:

• Marriage is a permanent covenant between a man and a woman before God. (Genesis 2:22-25, Malachi 2:14, Matthew 19:6)
• Marriage is (in part) for the purpose of procreation (Gen 1:28)
• Marriage is a picture of the covenant between God and his people. (Eph 5:31-32)
• Marriage lays out specific responsibilities for the man and the woman. (Eph 5:23, 1 Cor 11:3, 1 Pet 3:1-7)
• Marriage is publicly acknowledged and provides for sexual exclusivity (Exodus 20:14).

The Historical Marriage

For thousands of years, nearly every culture has basically accepted marriage as an exclusive union between a man and a woman. Though homosexuality and polygamy existed, they were never considered normative. The past fifty years has seen a cultural revolution in which public opinion has swung toward support for homosexual marriage as an acceptable alternative for traditional marriage.

As Al Mohler puts it, we belong to a “massive social experiment” to see what happens when you upend the most basic element of human society.

Freedom

As I process this issue, one of my favorite arguments in support of homosexual marriage is freedom. Although I disagree with Hinduism in most all matters of theology, I’m still glad that it is allowed to exist in the United States because their freedom ensures my own. A society clearly ought not restrict religious freedom.

In the same way, I disagree with what Communists believe politically. But preventing them from speaking their beliefs would eventually damage my ability to speak. A society clearly ought not restrict freedom of speech.

So then, is the question. Is freedom of marriage the same as those freedoms?

I don’t have a great answer for that. But God seems to treat homosexuality very strongly. One of my favorite phrases comes from Andy Stanley. He says: “if I could see as God sees, I would do as God does.” For the moment, I must trust that God can see something I cannot.

A Christian Response to Same Sex Marriage

For a Christian the response to same-sex marriage is not that “those people” have “sexual issues.” It is that we all have issues sexually. No one escapes this. No one can say that they have lived their life free from lusts, desires, or actions that defy the sexual pattern God created and intends us to keep.

We were born desperately broken and need redemption. There is no gay-or-straight distinction. Only Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can redeem us by his work on the cross. He can exchange our broken sexuality for his perfect love.

So what should someone who struggles with homosexuality expect from the Christian community?

The answer is simple, he or she ought to find deeply wholehearted grace that accepts that we are both broken and need Jesus. From there, he or she can expect a call to repentance to turn from sin and let the Holy Spirit work. God loves us enough that he won’t let us stay where we are. This response is actually quite the same for the gay person as it is for the adulterer, the pornography addict, the alcoholic, the neglectful parent and the self-righteous person who is convinced their conduct is sufficient.

So should gay people get married or not???

I almost landed in favor of separating the civil and spiritual issues. Perhaps we could treat sexuality as a freedom of society and allow the Gospel to speak against it. But there are three problems with that:

1. God expressly forbids homosexuality and calls it “contrary to nature.” Romans 1:26-27 views homosexuality as a natural progression from idolatry whose other consequences include “envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness…”
2. It is an unstable position to simultaneously afford homosexual marriage while denying it’s legitimacy within a biblical worldview.
3. Upending ancient social conventions may have a more profound impact on our world than you think.

Drawing conclusions

You need to think about this question, and come to a decision. For me, my first responsibility is to the Scripture. However, I understand that this is a deeply emotional question that strikes the core of many people’s self-image. Because of that, I’m not so dogmatic as to insist that my arguments are flawless. I have personally argued in favor of both sides and heard the perspective of wise friends.

In order to be faithful to the Scripture, I must conclude that homosexual marriage is against the expressed will of God and ought not be legalized.

Your thoughts are welcome in the comments.

It was time for a fresh start…

To clear out four years of gobbledigook and tomfoolery. To find new blogging territory.

My life has changed dramatically in the past few years, and particularly in the past two weeks. When I entered college, I was a good career man. Someone who was positively set on finding the “fast track” with the right company and riding that all the way to the middle. Perhaps by the time I am 50 or 60 I would’ve been a stylish executive with the fancy accouterments of exec living. Just in time to retire to a sleepy island villa.

Actually, that scenario doesn’t sound half bad. It’s fairly consistent, and in the long run quite predictable. But something about predictable has lost it’s luster for me.

Leaving my job

When I left my job working in a Property Management Company, I realized that my values had changed. Even though the money was bad, I didn’t leave because of the money. I left because of a toxic culture. This company was characterized by a employees who are required to make executive-level decisions that profoundly affect the profit of the business but are not paid for their performance.

Worse than that, they are treated as subservient to a few key individuals. And the company doesn’t fire it’s C players. Just puts them in the corner.

It was then that I found, much to my surprise, that I’m not actually a very good employee. Good employees generally do as they are told. In the traditional sense of the American economy, a manager comes with orders from “on high” and delivers them to glorified factory monkeys. But working with startups, I’ve seen that the new breed of workers want to be intimately involved in the direction and vision of their projects. And that was me. So I left.

Freelancing

In lieu of having a “real job”, I’m working as a freelance web implementor. An implementor is a special kind of web worker in that he/she is not a classically trained designer, or a classically trained developer. Instead, we work in both roles as necessary without fully embracing the title of “designer” or “developer.”

It isn’t making me rich, but I love it.

Fresh start

So I’ve found a fresh start. And with that, a fresh blog. Enjoy.