Many are rejoicing in our day about the advances of same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court ruling by a margin of 5-4 now makes it illegal for any state to ban same-sex marriage. Depending on where you land on the spectrum of "tolerance" or rejection of same-sex marriage there are some myths to dis-spell regarding this issue.
Before I get to the myths, it is crucial for me to point out that the Bible treats homosexuality as a voluntary act of rebellion against God (Romans 1:26-27). Scripture calls believers to respond to homosexual individuals with kindness, gentleness, and sympathy for their struggle (2 Timothy 2:24-26). However, there is nothing in Scripture that suggests homosexual behavior is natural or a part of God's design nor a part of human flourishing and fulfillment. Therefore, Scripture teaches that the correct response to homosexual inclinations is to repent and trust Jesus for forgiveness and strength (Luke 3:3).
Also consider the fact that the very first U.S. State to legalize gay marriage was Massachusetts in 2004. That number jumped to 36 by 2015 until the Supreme Court ruled that the remaining 14 states would no longer have the right to deny any same-sex couple the right to marry. The U.S. has become the 20th country in the world in which same-sex marriage is legal throughout (the first being the Netherlands in 2001).
For those who believe the Bible and its teaching on homosexuality, it all seems dramatic and overwhelming. Even the stats prove it.
I think this is a myth. It hasn't been dramatic. It hasn't happened quickly. In reality, this all has been in the works for a long time. We are just seeing the iceberg emerge from underneath the water but it has been there and rising to the surface for decades.
For instance, California was the first state to adopt "no fault" divorce in 1969.
Also taking part in the 1960's another advancement in the sexual revolution pitted the countercultural conviction that sexual repression was damaging to the individual and therefore encouraged the individual to explore and free themselves from the confines of society and morality. What followed was an ongoing experimentation in "free love" that began dramatically changing the attitudes of Americans about the traditionally held norms of sex.
In a broader sense, the U.S. Supreme court outlawed state-sponsored prayer in public schools in 1963. This law effectively moved the United States on trajectory towards secular humanism which is arguably the official religion today. Over the five decades since this significant step any moral foundation upon God and his word began eroding. Now, we find ourselves in moral decay without any real principles to guide us. Just like the closing verse of the book of Judges, so are we today: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).
In an address to students at Brigham Young University in 2013, Albert Mohler has the following to say about the impact of modernity on moral conviction and marriage:
What to do? Christians must take Albert Mohler's insights to heart. Mohler emphasizes one of the key characteristics of modernity being the personal choice/fulfillment of the individual. This unbiblical view of man and God has crept into the church and Christian's have embraced it. For instance, consider the rate in which Christians change churches or abandon the church altogether. The intellectual shift of modernity may be partly (or largely) to blame for the reasons why many Christians simply avoid people or authority that they don't mesh with. When choice and fulfillment are elevated to the sacred place within human experience as it has been the church faces greater pressure to satisfy and celebrate individual authenticity than it does to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In other words, all believers in Christ today must examine themselves and do their best to pinpoint the ways they have given into individualism that marks our decline. There may be many Christians who are not ready to embrace homosexuality but if they are caving into the fulfillment of individualism in more subtle ways, they may only be one loved one dealing with homosexuality away from asking themselves: really, what is the big deal? The word of God is needed today as never before. May the church of Jesus Christ stand firm in what it reveals, about God and about man.
Myth #5 This has all happened so suddenly
It is true, the rate at which the LGBT movement has gained traction has surprised even the main proponents of it. Many are shocked to see how rapid the progress has been made. Here is a quote from Pew Research
"There has been a dramatic shift in recent years in Americans’ attitudes about gay marriage, with support for same-sex marriage rising from 37% in 2009 to 57% in May 2015"
Also consider the fact that the very first U.S. State to legalize gay marriage was Massachusetts in 2004. That number jumped to 36 by 2015 until the Supreme Court ruled that the remaining 14 states would no longer have the right to deny any same-sex couple the right to marry. The U.S. has become the 20th country in the world in which same-sex marriage is legal throughout (the first being the Netherlands in 2001).
For those who believe the Bible and its teaching on homosexuality, it all seems dramatic and overwhelming. Even the stats prove it.
I think this is a myth. It hasn't been dramatic. It hasn't happened quickly. In reality, this all has been in the works for a long time. We are just seeing the iceberg emerge from underneath the water but it has been there and rising to the surface for decades.
For instance, California was the first state to adopt "no fault" divorce in 1969.
Also taking part in the 1960's another advancement in the sexual revolution pitted the countercultural conviction that sexual repression was damaging to the individual and therefore encouraged the individual to explore and free themselves from the confines of society and morality. What followed was an ongoing experimentation in "free love" that began dramatically changing the attitudes of Americans about the traditionally held norms of sex.
In a broader sense, the U.S. Supreme court outlawed state-sponsored prayer in public schools in 1963. This law effectively moved the United States on trajectory towards secular humanism which is arguably the official religion today. Over the five decades since this significant step any moral foundation upon God and his word began eroding. Now, we find ourselves in moral decay without any real principles to guide us. Just like the closing verse of the book of Judges, so are we today: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).
In an address to students at Brigham Young University in 2013, Albert Mohler has the following to say about the impact of modernity on moral conviction and marriage:
"...many religious believers in modern societies now operate as theological and ideological consumers, constantly shopping for new intellectual clothing, even as they believe themselves to be traditional believers. Everything is now reduced to choice, and choice is, as Taylor reminds us, central to the moral project of late modernity, the project of individual authenticity.
As he [Charles Taylor] explains this project: 'There is a certain way of being human that is my way. I am called upon to live my life in this way, and not in imitation of anyone else’s. But this gives a new importance to being true to myself. If I am not, I miss the point of my life, I miss what being human is for me.'
The pressing question is this: can any sustainable moral order survive this scale of intellectual revolution? We hear in the today’s intellectual and ideological chorus the refrains of Karl Marx’s threat and promise as stated in The Communist Manifesto: 'All that is solid melts into air.' The melting is everywhere around us."
Mohler goes on to apply this to marriage and family:
"We must note with honesty and candor that this moral revolution and the disestablishment of marriage did not begin with the demand of same-sex couples to marry. The subversion of marriage began within the context of the great intellectual shift of modernity. Marriage was redefined in terms of personal fulfillment rather than covenant obligation. Duty disappeared in the fog of demands for authenticity and the romanticized ideal of personal fulfillment. Marriage became merely a choice and then a personal expression. Companionate marriage was secularized and redefined solely in terms of erotic and romantic appeal—for so long as these might last."
There you have it. While the embrace of homosexuality in the United States has recently seemed dramatic and fast, it's moral foundations have been in the works for many decades. Ideas have consequences and the intellectual ideals of modernity trumped and removed any principle for why homosexuality would be wrong.What to do? Christians must take Albert Mohler's insights to heart. Mohler emphasizes one of the key characteristics of modernity being the personal choice/fulfillment of the individual. This unbiblical view of man and God has crept into the church and Christian's have embraced it. For instance, consider the rate in which Christians change churches or abandon the church altogether. The intellectual shift of modernity may be partly (or largely) to blame for the reasons why many Christians simply avoid people or authority that they don't mesh with. When choice and fulfillment are elevated to the sacred place within human experience as it has been the church faces greater pressure to satisfy and celebrate individual authenticity than it does to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In other words, all believers in Christ today must examine themselves and do their best to pinpoint the ways they have given into individualism that marks our decline. There may be many Christians who are not ready to embrace homosexuality but if they are caving into the fulfillment of individualism in more subtle ways, they may only be one loved one dealing with homosexuality away from asking themselves: really, what is the big deal? The word of God is needed today as never before. May the church of Jesus Christ stand firm in what it reveals, about God and about man.
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