Ethical Issues Debate: Same-Sex Marriage
Opening Statement:
Against
The church should not be involved in this matter. This
may seem as if I am taking a weak stance on same-sex marriage but it is just
the opposite. I will prove that the church need not be involved in the same-sex
marriage debate and should accept whatever the ruling, both state and federal,
concerning same-sex marriage. Truly the only time a stand should be made is
when the ruling authorities come knocking on our doors and demand the church to
officiate a same-sex marriage. I am convinced that the same-sex marriage issue
has little to do with church function and operation and more to do with a
clever plot against it by an old enemy.
Christians must be able to present the Gospel of Jesus as
attractive and this is an idea that has been so stretched at times we no longer
have a functioning definition of it.
That said we still ought to be respectful, humble and direct in the
presentation of our practiced faith and subsequent ethics.
“Discussions of human sexuality and marriage today are
beyond a tipping point in our culture and churches. All sides seem unable to
listen and put forth actual arguments, but this need not be the case. As
Christians, we can and must work to change how the Christian community
approaches these issues (without changing what we believe to be God's design
for sex and marriage)” (Lecture 5 2015) [1].
The Christian church and
community is just that: Christian. The world around us may not subscribe to our
faith and, in fact most will not, and therefore our ethic on marriage will also
be unaccepted. This should be of no surprise except in light of the fact that
we have become comfortable being the largest and most dominant religion in the
United States and the world.
The Christian way of leadership is through service and
sacrifice not billboards and protests. It is Jesus that shows us just how this
works in the life of a Christian: “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort
and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces
in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer” (1 Corinthians 1:6,
NIV). There are in fact many holidays and ceremonies that have started with
theological roots and have been twisted by the world with little to no uproar.
Where are the angry protesters at concerning the image of Saint Nicholas from a
pale overweight man to the Middle Easterner who attended and participated in
the council of Nicea?
To give an example, same sex marriage is legal within the
states and so is alcohol. I have yet to become an alcoholic even though this
evil exists in the world around me and the same is true with any other legal
principal in place that goes against Scripture. Being righteous has nothing to
do with forcing others to see the world as we do.
“By contrast, the prohibition against same-sex
relationships affects only a discrete minority directly, and is consonant with
the culture many of us were born into. We should perhaps beware of easy paths
to righteousness, and especially of those paths that lay burdens upon others
while not laying them upon ourselves” (Wirenius 2014,
524-525) [2].
Most have embraced the
separation of church and state and I think this is good as there is a definite
separation of church and world we must also recognize. Jesus brought salvation
to the people He did not place God on to the people.
We are competent to instruct one another as Scripture
tells us (Romans 15:14) but we must not allow the context of this statement
pass us by. The one another statement used here are other Christians not the
world. In fact, only within the church is judgment even allowed because we have
the mind of Christ and can discern spiritual matters. The Supreme Court has
ruled in favor of same sex marriage and this is its right to do so as they are
they judges of this land. Church and state are indeed separate and each has a
responsibility to their members. The church is not the law of the land nor
should it be.
Popularity
and prosperity have made it easy to forget that our ideals are not the norm and
that we are the persecuted not the rulers. “Blessed are you when people insult
you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because
of me” (Matthew 5:11, NIV). Why would anyone persecute us if we did not think
and act differently? It is easy to forget that we build the kingdom of God by
means of the Spirit and not the flesh. The Bible also records the many times
we, as His followers, have failed in marriage both metaphorically and
practically. “The biblical record also includes repeated examples of the
difficulty of sustaining polygamous relationships in the face of the inevitable
jealousies and intrigues among wives and children competing for their
husband’s/father’s attention and blessing (consider the patriarchal narratives
in Gen 12—50)” (Stassen and Gushee
2003, 303) [3]. If
our hands were clean we would be allowed to throw the first stone but as it
stands we are all in need of grace and mercy.
Opening Statement: For
I will contest my colleague’s opinion as it is my stance
that the church is obligated to officiate and govern same sex marriages.
“The Court itself manifested the major social shift in
attitudes toward gays and lesbians by accepting homosexuality as normal and
immutable and endorsing the view that same-sex couples are worthy of respect.
However, the Court recognized that others may not personally share the Court’s
own view” (Hermann 2016, 376) [4].
Even the courts recognize
that although their ruling is final and binding it may not sit well with
others. Thi
s does not negate or lessen the impact and authority of the court’s
decision. Whatever separation there is between church and state some lines have
been forever blurred. The churches in the United States enjoy a tax exempt
status as well as receiving federal grants every year. So the separation of
church and state is not an argument that can be made only when it is convenient
to do so.
Whether the churches would admit it or not they have
become a social standard in American culture and many want access to their
exclusive club. “The churches often castigated homosexuality as an abomination
forbidden by God in Leviticus, darkly coloring their parishioners' perceptions
of lesbians and gays. In response, gays and lesbians were generally ambivalent
toward faith” (Hoffman 2011, 125) [5].
This new law is about equality in this country and this includes acceptance in
the church. This is not to say that the churches would then be flooded with gay
members but it would be their right to join in so inclined.
The church has lost its origins and as such should not be
treated as some sacred city on a hill but should be a public place of worship. “If
the Bible is true, then we should be stoning people to death for heresy,
adultery, homosexuality, worshiping graven images, and ‘other imaginary
crimes’” (Copan 2011, 23) [6].
Long gone are the days of having a child stoned to death because he or she was
disobedient to their parents. Many churches in the United States have already
recognized this and have begun a sweeping reform of archaic practices and
traditions.
Love and acceptance are not just for the heterosexual
anymore and many churches and church leaders have accepted this and are at the
forefront of the new church movement in America.
“And the list is growing: Clergy from the Episcopal Church
will be able to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies after the church’s General
Convention recently approved a new definition of marriage. Another mainline
Protestant denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), voted to formally
sanction same-sex marriage earlier this year” (Masci and Lipka 2015) [7].
This is the new image of
God and He is progressive and truly compassionate towards all who would seek
Him. The result will be an increase in faith in America and not a folding of
values and morals, until now there has been no room for the homosexual and
their partner living out of wedlock.
Now
those partners are legally married and this should be recognized under the
church just as it is under the constitution. Same sex marriage is this century’s
cultural and spiritual revolution and revival. Holding on to a marred past when
a bright future is before it is both ignorant as well as arrogant. The church
has been allowed to duck and dodge so many responsibilities that the rest of us
must hold to because of some ancient and mythical law. With a new law in place
the church no longer has a place to hide. The new era is before us and the Supreme
Court is for us, who could be against us?
Many of
us do not agree with the laws of our state or government but we obey them,
understanding that these are the terms of our nation. Should an illegal alien
gain residency in the United States he or she will be expected to obey the laws
of the land even if they do not agree with a law they formerly knew. This is
appropriate and in line with the reasoning behind having governing bodies make
laws. The protection and promotion of the general welfare of its members and in
this case citizens.
In
closing I would ask that you image a world where religion is no longer looked
down upon as bigoted and inclusive as it has been in the past. A world where
religion stands for the same light it has wanted to portray to the world since
its inception. “Religion is a robust explanation for homonegativity in a number
of global contexts. Most empirical literature studies this relationship by
measuring people’s religiosity, including their frequency of organizational
participation or extent of belief in religious dogma” (Spina
2016, 37) [8].
No more negativity and no more name calling, a true utopia.
Rebuttal:
That was a very convincing argument albeit from a very
acute perspective. First I would point out that it is not only the church that
has rules or a code that needs to be followed within the United States. More
importantly I would like to add context to your argument. When I go to watch
the Chicago Bears play football I am not expecting to see the Lakers come out
on to the field. I went to Soldier Field on purpose knowing full well this is
the home of the National Football League’s Chicago Bears organization. To
expect to see anything different would be a lack of understanding on my part as
to why I bought a ticket in the first place.
That is to say the church is under the laws of God and
not of the land and must therefore abide by His law first and foremost. You are
correct in saying the judges of the Supreme Court have both the authority and
right to change or make laws in this country because that is their
jurisdiction. No man has ever been giving the authority or right to change God’s
laws but in fairness this is a bed we have made ourselves to sleep in. “Without
denying the reality of ‘principalities and powers’ (Eph. 6:12), we do well to
ponder this: What actions and attitudes have we imbibed that contribute to our
culture’s dismissing our ethics? Our homophobia has revealed our fear and
prejudice”
Through our pursuit to deny same sex marriage in the
United States because of our faith in God we have gone beyond our own
jurisdiction and have opened the doors for others to go beyond theirs as well. “No
one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries
to please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:4, NIV). For instance, the
government could declare that Tuesday is going to be Satan day and wearing red
is encouraged. This would not affect me in the slightest because I would not
get entangled by it. Remember Daniel who insisted on praying three times a day
to His God not knowing of the new law in place and subsequently how he was
rescued by God because of his faith?
We as Christians would do well to understand that
marriage is defined for us in Scripture but it also reminds us that we are but
sheep among the wolves. Marriage has deep theological roots and as such it is
under attack and this is natural.
“Christians must remember that marriage is a theological
matter, first and foremost, not purely social or cultural. The bible begins and
ends with a wedding. Nuptial imagery is pervasive throughout the Old and New
Testaments, where it serves to elucidate God's relationship with his chosen
people” (Stiegemeyer 2014, 129) [10].
It is proper to protect
the flock from wolves that would attack however the sheep are taken care of by
the shepherd while in the pen not outside of it. Remember that apartheid, the
holocaust, slavery and colonialism were all legal. We are not so much talking
about ethics as we are power and influence which is an illusion the church must
let go of.
The defense that my colleague has put together sounds
wise and even has subtle hints of righteousness but in the end it is a
disguise. We must remain on guard as our enemy does not attack from the front
where the shepherd is but from the back. “And no wonder, for Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14, NIV). We have made the
bed we are now sleeping in with our homophobia and our involvement, fighting
with the flesh (world) using weapons of flesh (the world) under the banner of
Christ. The ruling has been given and same sex marriage is legal but I stand by
my initial response: The church should not be involved in this matter.
[1]
Lecture 5. "HTH-610: Current Ethical Issues Facing Church and Society: Life,
Love, and Human Sexuality." Grand Canyon University. Phoenix, 2015.
[2]
Wirenius, John F. "Swallowing the camel: biblical fidelity, same-sex
marriage, and the love of money." Anglican Theological Review, 2014:
505-525.
[3]
Stassen, Glen H., and David P. Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in
Contemporary Context. Westmont, IL: IVP Academic , 2003.
[4]
Hermann, Donald H. J. "EXTENDING THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF MARRIAGE TO
SAME-SEX COUPLES: THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISION IN OBERGEFELL V.
HODGES." Indiana Law Review, 2016: 367-396.
[5]
Hoffman, Scott W. "'Last night, I prayed to Matthew': Matthew Shepard,
homosexuality, and popular martyrdom in contemporary America." Religion
and American Culture, Winter 2011: 121-164.
[6]
Copan, Paul. Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011.
[7]
Masci, David, and Michael Lipka. "Where Christian churches, other
religions stand on gay marriage." Fact Tank: News in the Numbers. December
21, 2015. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/21/where-christian-churches-stand-on-gay-marriage/
(accessed April 8, 2016).
[8]
Spina, Nicholas. "The Religious Authority of the Orthodox Church and
Tolerance Toward Homosexuality." Problems of Post-Communism., 2016: 37-49.
[9]
Galli, Mark. "Six Things To Do after the Supreme Court Decision on Gay
Marriage." Christianity Today. June 26, 2015.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/june-web-only/6-things-to-do-after-supreme-court-gay-marriage-decision.html
(accessed April 9, 2016).
[10]
Stiegemeyer, Scott. "Robert George's natural law argument against same-sex
marriage." Concordia Theological Quarterly, 2014: 129-153.
