Straight Thoughts On Gay Marriage

I’m not sure what I can add theologically, politically, or socially to today’s gayest topic (pun intended). I am going to be straight with you (another pun intended), much smarter people have already commented, blogged, and vlogged on the topic. Some of my favorites are at the end of the blog. For now, let me give you a couple of my thoughts:

1. God is longsuffering, but not forever. His patience means salvation. Fire isn’t falling from the sky and the world, as we know it hasn’t ended, yet. Take comfort in God’s longsuffering. 2 Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient  (some translations uses the word ‘longsuffering’) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The next verse talks about God’s wrath. It will come and it will be decisive, holy, and just. For now, though, He withholds it and that is a good thing. We should “bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation” for many (2 Peter 3:15).
2.  God’s mission for believers has not changed. We don’t regard people from a worldly perspective, but from a spiritual view. So, our primary question isn’t is he/she LGBTQ. Rather, does he/she have a relationship with the Father based on the forgiving work of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection? We are to be ambassadors of reconciliation, helping people receive forgiveness and more importantly, restoring their proper relationship back to the Father. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. 
3. America has always been tolerant of sin; we just choose new sins to tolerate. As a country we have always condoned wickedness. Our “original sin” (as described by President Obama in his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney) was slavery. Much like gay marriage, not only was it tolerated, but also in many circles it was justified using the Bible. How scary is that?! To this day we grapple with hidden and unhidden racism. Yet, some of us have the nerve to say that America has lost her morals. How offensive to my black brothers and sisters (and many other minorities such as Native Americans) who have suffered through America’s “moral period.” Child please. I’m not arguing we are less postChristian today, I’m questioning how “Christian” we’ve ever been as a country. While not condoning gay marriage, I would certainly take it over slavery and racism. 
4. The church needs to think like a missionary. How does the church respond when a person in a gay marriage with children is saved? How do we disciple them in that? Tell them to get divorced and destroy any resemblance of family the children know? I think we better start figuring out how to respond to complex issues. Real problems require real answers. By God’s grace, our churches will need to address these types of problems because that would mean sinners are being saved. This reminds me of a story about a foreign missionary working in a polygamist tribe in which the leader of the tribe was saved. The naive missionary told the tribal leaders it was sinful to have more than one wife. Wanting to be an obedient follower, the tribal leader called for his favorite wife and then ordered all his other wives to be killed. The missionary thankfully talked him out of killing them, but he had to begin dealing with the impact sin had on culture. What’s our answer? I don’t know, but I’m reminded of 2 Peter 1:3-4, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
5. Urban churches have been dealing with these types of issues for years. This is not a new issue for churches in major cities across North America. I live in Brooklyn, NYC’s most populous borough (2.6 million people) and is often referred to as the Borough of Churches (my best guess is about 1,500 congregations of all types). In my surrounding neighborhoods, though, it seems like at least half the churches are “inclusive” and have a rainbow flag on their sign. Theologically conservative evangelical churches in the city have been dealing with celebrated homosexuality and other sexual sins in their community for decades. There is much the suburban and rural church can learn from us. In fact, the scenario in #4 came to me in the form of a question about seven years ago from a good friend and church planter in Atlanta. For him, it was not a hypothetical exercise, but his church’s reality as they lived out the gospel with sinners who became saved.

As promised, here are some responses from people who are much smarter and more articulate:

• The Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood’s Response
• Ed Stetzer’s Response
• Russell Moore’s Response