Homosexual Marriage

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the United States Supreme Court is presiding over a couple of cases that will have a massive impact on the issue of homosexual marriage in this country.  The internet, coffee shops and kitchen tables alike are abuzz about these cases.  The debate about whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to legally marry is alive and well.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that both sides of this debate are very passionate.  This passion, while neat to see in many cases, has made the internet, coffee shops and kitchen tables alike a minefield of rude and unintelligent discussion.  Rude and unintelligent from both sides.

I enjoy the dialogue and discussion that's occurring across the country, but I think there needs to be some ground rules before a Christian enters this debate.  So, if you want to play this game, here are the guidelines to consider before a Christian enters a debate about homosexual marriage.

1) You should know a homosexual and love them.  If you don't know a homosexual this discussion is very difficult to have because it's impersonal and doesn't affect you directly.  If you know homosexuals and hate them, you are unqualified to enter this discussion.  Jesus would ask you to remove the log from your eye before you enter the debate ring.  But, if you know homosexuals and are able to love them in a manner that Christ loves them, then, and only then, can you participate in the debate.

2) You must use the Bible as the basis for your discussion.  A Christian shouldn't enter a discussion about homosexual marriage unless the Bible is the basis of the discussion.  Don't say, "let's leave religion out of this", as a Christian your life should be radically altered in every way because of the Word of God.  Also, don't pick and choose what parts of the Bible you use.  You have to try to base your discussion from a view of the Bible as a whole while using specific references.  Don't pick a go to verse and go from there.

If a Christian follows the above guidelines, I believe a good, healthy debate can be had.  Without those two, only name calling and personal opinions will surface.

You may ask, "Hey Matt, what do you think about this debate?"

I'll be happy to have a discussion with you in person about this.  But I will not have a discussion about this online.  I made that mistake once and nothing good came from it, even though I tried to be civil because other people entered the discussion on both sides and were rude and/or stupid with their arguments.

Finally, no matter what side of the debate you fall on, I ask that you pray for God's will to be done through the Supreme Court's decision.  I'm sure His purposes will be accomplished, but nonetheless pray for God's will to be done today.