© 2013 The Wired Word
Many Christians maintain true marriage can only be between a man and a woman, and would not describe other types of unions as "marriage." Some would deny those in same-sex relationships the legal benefits that those in mixed-gender marriages receive.
Many other Christians insist that the term "marriage" should be used to describe all legal unions, whether heterosexual or homosexual, and that the legal benefits of marriage should be available to partners in same-gender unions just as they are to partners in mixed-gender unions.
There are Christians who are somewhere in between these two views, holding, for example, that same-sex unions should be legal and that partners should have full benefits just as mixed-gender marriages provide, but that the same-sex unions should not be called "marriages."
Thus, some Christians consider the high court's ruling misguided and a step in the wrong direction while other Christians consider it a welcome step forward.
On Wednesday of last week, the Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on a 5-4 vote. DOMA was a 1996 law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton that forbade the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. Under it, people in same-sex unions could not receive the federal benefits and tax breaks that people in mixed-gender marriages could. With DOMA ruled unconstitutional, gay legally married couples must now be treated the same as straight legally married couples in everything from Social Security checks to Pentagon benefits. Further, there is now no federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Also on Wednesday, the court dismissed on technical grounds an appeal that asked it to overturn a lower-court decision striking down the California Proposition 8 marriage law. The decision clears the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California. The ruling does not affect marriage laws in other states, but supporters of same-sex marriage consider that the ruling will be helpful as they seek to change marriage laws in their states.
Christians who oppose same-sex marriage often do so on scriptural grounds, citing biblical verses such as Leviticus 18:22, which refers to homosexual relations as "an abomination," and Romans 1:26-27, which characterizes such relations as "unnatural." Christians who support same-sex marriage sometimes argue that the Bible's "love your neighbor as yourself" command (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39) overrides other commands and that in love, we should extend marriage privileges to all, regardless of their sexual orientation.
In many cases, the clash of views among Christians on same-sex marriage indicates differing understandings of the authority of the Bible. Some Christians consider the Bible to be a complete and unchanging divine statement with a once-and-for-all kind of authority. Thus, if the biblical writers regarded homosexual behavior as immoral, the changing understanding by society and even by science regarding sexuality cannot negate what Scripture says.
For example, Rev. Mike Boyd of Wallace Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, regards the Supreme Court's decisions last Wednesday as "an absolute travesty for our nation." He bases this view on Scripture, and said, "The Bible is pretty clear what it has to say about this. Some people take things out of context and try to justify alternatives, but biblically, there are no alternatives."
Other Christians consider the Bible to be the Word of God, but also to reflect the limited worldviews of people in the eras in which the Bible was written. This understanding of Scripture allows that God may send new revelations to us that go beyond what the Bible has stated.
For example, Rev. Skip Lindeman of La Canada Congregational Church in La Canada Flintridge, California, views the court's decision as a sign of positive social progress. He said, "One thing I've preached about is don't look for scripture to justify your prejudice. Congregationalists believe God is still speaking, so don't place a period where God has placed a comma."
Among the developments in the last century that have fueled this debate among Christians are indications that some people may be born with same-sex orientation. If that is the case, some Christians reason, that means God made such persons that way, and thus the church should not oppose same-sex unions. Other Christians see this as further evidence of the Fall and the ubiquity of the sinful condition in human nature.
Many Christian denominations have responded to the born-that-way conclusion by distinguishing between same-sex orientation and same-sex relations. The Salvation Army, for example, offers the following position statement on homosexuality: "The Salvation Army does not consider same-sex orientation blameworthy in itself. Homosexual conduct, like heterosexual conduct, requires individual responsibility and must be guided by the light of scriptural teaching. Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life."
Another reaction to the high court's rulings comes in the form of proposals that Christian clergy cease to act as agents of the state in making marriages legal. That is, pastors could hold a religious ceremony to bless the unions of any persons their church's polity permitted, but would not be the ones to sign marriage licenses and make the union "official," regardless of whether the couple was mixed-gender or same-gender; that would be up to civil authorities. Some religious leaders on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue have proposed this. The fact that a same-sex couple had a marriage license would not obligate a pastor who opposes same-sex marriage to bless their union. The fact that a same-sex couple could not get a marriage license (36 states still do not grant them) would not prevent a pastor who supports same-sex marriage from blessing their union.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Religious Leaders React to U.S. Supreme Court DOMA Ruling. Glendale News-Press
Christian Leaders Respond to DOMA Decision. Sojourners
Local Churches Offer Range of Reactions to DOMA Ruling. Knoxnews.com
The Real Fights Over Gay Marriage Are Just Starting. Religion News Service
Should Pastors Separate the Christian Wedding Ceremony From the Civil Rite? The Gospel Coalition
The Big Questions
1. If the apostle Paul were alive today, and was aware of the conclusions of science about same-sex orientation, would he have a different view about same-sex unions than he had in the first century when he wrote Romans? Why or why not? What does your answer say about your understanding of the inspiration of Scripture?
2. If your congregation generally opposes same-sex marriage, and if a same-sex couple who has been legally married were to visit your congregation, would you encourage them to continue to attend? If so, what would be your expectation about their involvement in your church? OR If your congregation generally supports same-sex marriage, and if people who are straightforward in their opposition to it were to visit, would you encourage them to continue to attend? If so, what would be your expectation about their involvement in your church? In either case, why?
3. Should the matter of making marriages legal be left to civil authorities and the matter of blessing unions be left to the church? How might separating the two functions affect how unchurched people view the church?
4. Should celibacy be the only option for Christians who have a same-sex orientation? Why or why not?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Matthew 16:18-19
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (For context, read 16:13-20.)
Jesus spoke these words to Peter after Peter had declared that Jesus was the Messiah (v. 16). Some take the "rock" in the verses to refer to Peter, but more likely it refers to Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah -- a confession that all followers of Jesus make. At the same time, Jesus grants his followers great authority "to bind or to loose" -- that is, to interpret and implement his teachings.
Questions: How does our task of interpreting and implementing Jesus' teachings apply to societal changes that Jesus didn't address directly? What principles from Jesus should we use in interpreting the gospel for new circumstances?
John 16:12-13
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (For context, read 16:5-15.)
The words above are part of several things Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper. Although Jesus knows that his time with them is about to come to an abrupt end, he does not try to stuff a lot of final instructions into the conversation. In fact, Jesus tells them, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."
Jesus isn't saying that they are resisting learning, but rather that they have not yet had the experiences that will enable them even to perceive what knowledge they will need. There are encounters ahead for them where they will need to know certain things, but from their present viewpoint, they can't even imagine what those things are. In essence, Jesus tells them, "There are some things I need to tell you, but you are not yet in a position to comprehend them."
But then Jesus tells them something that changes everything, and it explains why he is so calm. After he departs, Jesus says, the Holy Spirit will come to guide them and to convey to them what the Spirit hears from Jesus. In other words, Jesus is leaving his disciples with what they can handle at the moment and need for the present, but he is also telling them that when they need more from him, the Spirit is the "mechanism" that will provide it.
Questions: Can these comments from Jesus be applied to us as well? Is it possible that his reference to the Holy Spirit giving additional information means that new revelations from God continue to come to us? When and about what have you experienced this?
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (For context, read 3:10-17.)
The apostle Paul wrote this to his younger co-worker Timothy. Even if we allow that Paul was referring to the Old Testament (since the New Testament hadn't been written yet), this is a powerful testimony to the authority of Scripture. Christians usually view these verses as applying to all the books that the church eventually included in the Bible in both testaments.
Questions: What, according to these verses, is the purpose of Scripture? What other means does God use to communicate with us?
James 2:8
You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (For context, read 2:1-13.)
This is one of several places where the New Testament quotes Leviticus 19:18 -- "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But here, James uses an unusual term in introducing it, calling it "the royal law." "Royal" is an accurate translation of the underlying Greek word basilikos, which refers to anything having to do with a king or his kingdom. In verse 5, James has just spoken of the poor who love God as those who are to inherit God's kingdom.
Thus, when James speaks of "the royal law," he means the law that applies in the kingdom of God. We know from the gospels as well from other early Christian writings that this "love your neighbor" commandment went back to the teachings of Jesus -- who highlighted it from Leviticus. Thus, in the Christian community, this commandment held a privileged place.
Coupled with the expression in verse 5, "those who love [God]," the royal law is complete, combining love of God and love of neighbor, isolated by Jesus as the central commandments (see Matthew 22:37-40).
Questions: Is "love" as used in this command a feeling or an action? What Christian resources help you to understand what loving your neighbor as yourself means? What helps you know how to apply it to circumstances the Bible doesn't discuss? What helps you to actually do it?
For Further Discussion
1. What does it mean to be living in a world where you apply your understanding of Christian teachings when the world is heading in a different direction? Consider, for example, Christian pacifists who opt out of military service based on their religious beliefs and the Amish, who choose not to engage the modern world of clothing, electricity and luxury. What effect do these choices have on the surrounding culture? What choices do you make to live as citizens of both this world and God's kingdom?
2. Respond to this, from TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey: "In 1949, when the Communists were seizing power in Czechoslovakia, my father and mother were married there in two separate ceremonies: one at city hall and one in the church. The secular rite was required by the state in order for the marriage to be recognized as legal, but it was the church ceremony that held the most spiritual meaning for them."
Responding to the News
Regardless of where you stand on the definition of marriage and who can marry whom, this is an important time to remember we are called to be followers of Jesus. Thus, it is vital that if we disagree with the culture around us, or even with other Christians, we do so in the spirit of Christ, remembering to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is not a time for hate.
Closing Prayer
Help us, O Lord, to be able to perceive your will. Keep us from using our viewpoint on same-sex marriage as a club with which to hurt others. Rather, let us use it as an opportunity to share the good news of the gospel in ways that honor Christ. In his name. Amen.
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