Loving Neighbors Honor Marriage
What Our Desire for Justice Reveals
The United States Senate quickly moves toward passing the Respect for Marriage Act, which will sanction same sex marriage.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 71% of Americans support the legalization of same sex marriage.1 While some people argue politics isn’t necessarily downstream from culture, it certainly is in this case.
Lawmakers are voting the conscience of their constituents.
While you could argue with Benjamin Franklin that the Senate should serve as the “saucer” cooling the heated passions reflected in the actions of the House, 71% is a big number for a politicized body of lawmakers to cool.
Making Marriage Different
Americans overwhelming approve making marriage into something different than it’s ever been.
After several millenia of world history, this generation shuffles the deck and turns marriage into something that no one else who has ever walked on the planet has ever known it to be.
It’s true that many societies have ignored, abused, and misused marriage. It’s also true that people who know better have been poor stewards of marriage.
We Still Want Marriage
But you will note that in all of our dissatisfaction with marriage, there’s no proposal to abandon it. Senators could draft legislation for the state to cease recognizing any marriage at all, but that’s not what is happening. Instead, our representative government is attempting to re-create something it never actually created.
Advocates for same-sex marriage argue their position from a place of equality and justice, which is a commendable motivation. Interestingly, they feel they will be better served in marriage than in non-marriage. That marriage, even in an alternate form, will be good for them.
Their advocacy is their tell.
Marriage Woven In
As image-bearers of God, our hearts long for the Garden where God created man for companionship, took his rib and fashioned a woman, and the two became one flesh in a covenant marriage relationship.
Marriage is woven into our soul, but like everything else, sin has tainted and distorted our desires. We are all prone to fashion replacement idols, but the idols never satisfy. Their insatiable appetite is why we know when the government sanctions something different than marriage as between one man and one woman, an avalanche of other distortions and abuses are inevitable, and just justice will be out of our grasp.
No Marriage. No Peace.
That’s because several millenia of history shows us every move away from a husband and wife united in marriage for a lifetime of loving and nurturing their children produces greater brokenness, greater emotional trauma, greater vulnerability for children, and greater financial pressure in private homes, public institutions, and in the society at large.
The government can codify same sex marriage, but it will never be capable of supplying the demand on social services and the burden on local communities needed to help those adversely affected by the consequences of abandoning God’s design for marriage.
Even now, public educators are overwhelmed with mental health issues among students. Children services offices around the country cannot keep pace with demand. Foster care and adoptive needs outpace capacity of both public and private providers.
Marriage is Good for Us
One important principle of responsible adulthood that would serve our nation’s leaders in this moment is this: What we are free to do is not necessarily what is most helpful for us to do.
God’s design for marriage can be ignored, but never without consequence—whether at the micro level of an individual family or the macro level of a society.
Our care for the flourishing of kids, community, and country demands we do everything within our power to encourage men and women to honor marriage, to learn to love one another as husband and wife, and to be fruitful and multiply, modeling and teaching our kids to do the same.
Picture of the Week
Stoner Creek Elementary School was destroyed in a tornado that came through Mt. Juliet in March 2020. Today, the new school opens! Several of us gathered with administrators and faculty on Saturday to giving thanks and pray for God’s continued favor.
Recommended Resources
Book: The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus, Daniel Darling
Podcast: The Glass House with Ben and Lynley Mandrell (primarily for pastors, spouse, and kids)
Twitter Follow: Timothy Keller
Everyone’s Wilson
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We’re in the last 5 weeks of the year, which means it’s fundraising time. Over 25% of our budget receipts are given between now and December 31. It’s kind of crazy, but it’s a reality for many small businesses and nonprofits. And our sustainability depends on the investment of churches, businesses, and individuals.
All that to ask for you to pray for us. God is our provider, and unless he builds this, we all labor in vain. Second, I’d be honored if you would prayerfully consider including Everyone’s Wilson in your End of Year Giving. Check out our Give Now Page to begin.
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https://news.gallup.com/poll/393197/same-sex-marriage-support-inches-new-high.aspx