Many are asking questions - questions like: How did we get here? What is the Christian response? How should we feel about this new reality we are living in? Did the Church "lose" the battle over the sanctity of marriage?
Before I engage those questions, I want to begin by pointing out that we shouldn't take what happened personally. When Israel asked for a king so they could be just like the rest of the nations, Samuel took it personally. "And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." (1 Samuel 8:7) Jesus said: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." (John 15:18) God is the one being rejected and is the offended party, yet he wants those who celebrated in the streets on Friday to repent and learn of his saving love and mercy in Christ. That is our mission on earth - to proclaim forgiveness in Jesus to the nations. We will undermine our mission if we hold grudges and arrogantly play the victims.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
On the subject of how we got here - I have spoken about this in previous posts which I have linked to above, but what I have written doesn't cover all the factors - in fact I am not sure all the factors have been identified. But I do believe the big ones are obvious.
G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was a British author and professor who was once asked by a British paper to write an essay about "what is wrong with the world." Below is his submission in its entirety.
Dear Sirs,
I am.
Yours, G.K. Chesterton
How did we get here? It's simple: me. You. All of us. I am what is wrong with the world and what is wrong with America. The deterioration of our society is and has always been inevitable because we are sinners. Our best intentions and efforts are contaminated by sin. Therefore our efforts to govern ourselves, even our best efforts will inevitably result in rebellion against God in some form or fashion. Apart form the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot have a moral society. We will always choose what we want over what God wants. But that leads to the next factor, the failure of the Church.
For so long we believed we were living in a nation that was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. America, we believed, was on the right track. But it only takes one rotten egg to ruin the omelette. To assume America's founding was purely Christian is naive. Mixed in with the elements of Christian beliefs was the rotten egg of individualism and self-determinism. The founders of America certainly emphasized "God" they also emphasized reason and the freedom of thought.
Thomas Jefferson once said: "Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." (Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Peter Carr, 10 Aug. 1787)
Though I believe Jefferson would disagree with the SCOTUS ruling, the freedom of individual human thought was a hallmark of his ideology. He believed this was a God-given right for man to think for himself and decide for himself. What we are experiencing today is in part, the result of this ideology. There are many other factors of course, but my point here is that the Church became complacent - believing America was, by-and-large, "Christian". But this was a veneer under which lurked unbiblical ideas that have now come home to roost.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
First, we need to understand that what we are experiencing is not unusual in the history of Christianity. What we have become accustomed to in America (being largely accepted and held in high regard by society) was abnormal. Being hated and rejected is really what Jesus and the Apostles told Christians they would experience. And the first century Church somehow managed to make a huge impact despite the corruption of Roman society and the hostility of Jewish culture. How? By simply being faithful followers of Jesus. By loving God, and loving their neighbor. By witnessing to the fact that Jesus is risen and telling others about it.
That leads to the second point. We need to get back to simply being Christians in a fallen world. David Brooks, a write for the New York Times (who is not a Christian but is sympathetic to Christians) suggested in his June 30th op-ed article (article link below) that Christians should refrain from waging the culture war of the past and instead seek to make a difference by doing what only Christians can do in the context of direct relationships. He writes:
"Social conservatives could be the people who help reweave the sinews of society. They already subscribe to a faith built on selfless love. They can serve as examples of commitment. They are equipped with a vocabulary to distinguish right from wrong, what dignifies and what demeans."
This suggestion is not foreign - but is actually what the Scripture teaches us to do, and is how the early Church grew and eventually spread throughout the world. What should we do then? Rally behind a Christian candidate for president? Write to our legislators? These are well and fine things to do and I encourage you to be involved in the political process. But these are not the ultimate solutions.
Jesus came to us personally and so the way we will make a difference is by personally engaging with others, loving them well and proclaiming the gospel. Jesus began with 12 men with whom he turned the world upside down. He did not do it through political or worldly means. In fact he refused worldly power. When they wanted to make him king, he resisted. What did he do? He bled and died. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom. He taught the 12 about the Kingdom who then went and taught others.
Here's what Russell Moore has to say:
"The marriage revolution around us means we must do a better job articulating a theology of marriage to our people, as well as a theology of suffering and marginalization...we must start teaching our children about marriage “from the beginning” as male and female when they’re in Sunday school."
I hope you were paying attention because he just said that teaching children is vitally important. If you are concerned about the current situation, then get involved in Children's ministry!
So where do we go from here? First, remember where we are going: our best days are ahead of us and no SCOTUS ruling can change that. The legalization of same-sex marriage is not a defeat and we should not see it that way. Rather we should see it as Jesus; the Lord of History; by whom and for whom all things exists; setting the stage for the coming of his glorious kingdom. This new reality we are in is an opportunity for the Church to get her bearings again and learn how to engage a lost culture. So let's engage it! Let's love America well as devoted followers of King Jesus. And let's be faithful students of God's word and faithful teachers of it to younger generations. If we simply do what Jesus told us to do, we will change the world one heart at a time.
I welcome your comments for further discussion.
-- Pastor Dave
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Recommended articles:
http://careynieuwhof.com/2015/06/some-advice-on-same-sex-marriage-for-us-church-leaders-from-a-canadian/
http://www.churchleaders.com/daily-buzz/257174-called-sex-marriage-lamenting-new-calamity.html
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/something-greater-than-marriage
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/same-sex-marriage-and-the-future
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/opinion/david-brooks-the-next-culture-war.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad&_r=0
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