What About Gay Marriage?

I realize with an article title like this I am entering into emotionally charged territory. However, I have been thinking about this whole issue of gay marriage lately and just felt I needed to write some thoughts on the subject. I certainly don't profess to be an expert on the rule of law or even the realm of homosexual behavior, but I don't believe this automatically precludes me from sharing some ideas.

The mantra I continue to hear from the advocates of gay marriage is that the issue is not so much about sexual orientation differences as it is about "civil rights." I'm not sure if I totally understand this line of argument, but if this is the case then we have a scary future ahead as a nation. Let's take a stroll down common sense lane to figure this out.

If this issue really is about civil rights (which I don't think it is) then what parameters are there for claiming any decadent, immoral behavior as a "civil right?" At what point are there no absolute values and moral laws? Where is the line drawn? When a society begins the slippery slide toward "relative law" it begins to crumble from the inside out. And the inside of any civilization is the family unit.

The attempt to redefine marriage is what is most alarming to me. It isn't like the gay marriage activists are simply fighting for "civil rights." They are intent on changing the very definition of marriage! Such an effort, if successful, would have a profound crippling effect on the moral fabric of our society. The parameters for what is right and wrong behavior would be blurred at best, totally disintegrated at worst. This poses a great challenge to future generations of children who would be exposed to such more relativity. (of course, with exponential growth of gay marriages the population would decrease...I digress)

Maybe I'm just a bigoted, hatemongering, homophobic evangelical Christian who is scared to face the issue. (I pray you sense the sarcasm) Maybe I don't want to deal with this issue because it is so unprecedented, and the growth of homosexual behavior so staggering. If this were the case why would I be in full time ministry to sexually broken people? The fact of the matter is that I LOVE broken, hurting, and confused people. And I believe that is what is at the heart of the gay marriage issue: inner brokenness and confusion.

There are many hurting individuals who have a skewed perspective on how God created sexuality and they have found a level of comfort in expressing themselves through homosexual identification. I'm not mad at them for their conduct. I don't hate gay people. Their wounds are not that different from what my own have been. We just took different paths in dealing with them. We must stop gazing across this imaginary line at each other (gay and straight) and hurling emotional daggers of hate, disgust, and fear. If you looked a little closer and saw into the heart you may find yourself looking in a mirror. This truth brings me to my knees - for homosexuals and for me. We ALL need Jesus!

I wish the real issues behind the gay marriage debate would surface, but I realize it is wrapped up in the political arena and reality rarely enters that realm. But I still believe that good can come from this politically motivated, emotionally charged debate. The good, however, will have to come from the truth that God created mankind in His image, male and female. The truth is that there is a specific design and purpose for our sexuality and it does not include homosexual acts. The truth is that God loves each of us regardless of our confusion or rebellion. When we understand the truth, and embrace it, we are then truly set free.

I'm not sure what will come of the gay marriage debate in our country. But to be honest, whatever comes of it I won't stop fighting for those who want freedom, hope, and new life in Jesus. I pray you will fight with me...

Pursuing Truth and freedom,

jonathan