Gay Marriage: A Ministerial Conundrum (Part 1)
This question was recently asked on a friend’s Facebook feed in response to a video on gay marriage:
…I have some friends who are a happily and legally married gay couple. Though I am so encouraged by everyone’s comments about inviting homosexuals to church I have to ask, what would your opinions be about this specific situation if this couple came to your church? Would your wish be for them to eventually realize their wrong ways and repent from their homosexual lifestyle (and thus getting a divorce, marrying a woman or remaining celibate) or would you simply leave them as they are, a lovingly committed, dedicated married couple? Also, before you answer remember Jesus’ words about divorce. Not wanting to start anything here, just adding to the discussion. Blessings.
It’s a very interesting question and one I’ve been struggling with since listening to David Platt at Secret Church. He asked the same question about a polygamist and said that he should stayed married to his wives and continue to support and take care of them in the way that they had before. The repercussion is that their polygamy would disqualify them from leadership (“husband of one wife”). So, does this apply to gay marriage as well?
In 1 Corinthians Paul says that a believer married to unbeliever should not divorce if the unbeliever agrees to stay with them and then shortly after states that we should “remain in the condition in which we were called.” (1 Corinthians 7:12-22) Though this does not speak of the topic of homosexuality (same-sex marriage would not have been a issue at the time) it is something to look at as we think about the question. This is not something that will just go away, if you are a part of a church, and especially if you are in ministry, you will have to face this some day.
Obviously this is just the beginning of thinking through this. It is obvious from scripture that a gay marriage is not a God honoring union, but neither is polygamy. One could even argue that such unions were not marriages in the eyes of God.
So, what do you think? Should a married gay or lesbian couple stay together after becoming believers? What if they have children? What if one of them has been a stay-at-home mom or dad, supported by their spouse?
I’ll be coming back to this soon, expounding on my thoughts and looking at more scripture. In the meantime, what do you think?
Joe Paterno, Riots, and the Gospel
I’ve been thinking a lot today about the riot in State College, PA last night after the firing of Coach Paterno. Honestly, I’m sad to see him go. I love college football and during my lifetime he has always been the coach at Penn State. It’s surreal to think of the Nittany Lions without Joe Pa on the sideline (or at least up in the booth). That being said the students at Penn State have their priorities all out of whack.
Was Paterno disgraced, sure but by his own actions, not those of the board or trustees. Is it sad that he’s gone, yes. But not near a devastating as what happened to those young boys (up to possibly twenty at this point) who were molested by a man who was under Paterno’s authority. As soon as Paterno heard he should have called the police, no questions asked. It is for this inaction that he was fired, it’s not the media’s fault or the trustees. If, when confronted with this issue nine years ago, he had done the right thing he might still be the head coach at Penn State today.
Now back to the students. When did we become a society that puts football above the lives of children? Even without the underlying circumstances, who in their right mind destroys a downtown because a football coach was fired? Hopefully, one day these kids will look back on this a realize just how outrageous their reaction was. Hopefully they’ll see that is was Joe Pa himself and not the board of trustees that dishonored him.
I hope that these young men and women will get their priorities in order and turn their passion towards something useful. How about making sure that this never happens again? What would happen if the love they showed for Joe Paterno was turned toward Sandusky’s victims, or the rights of the unborn, or poverty? If this kind of passion was let loose on issues like this, the world would be changed.
As I read the articles this morning I couldn’t help but think, where is this type of passion in the church? Do these kids love their football coach more than we love Jesus, more than we love “the least of these?” I look at them and those in the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and I wonder what would happen if this generation were to know Jesus. If that passion and tenacity were turned towards the things of God, how would our society change? It gives me hope. It challenges me. It drives me even more to reach this generation with the Gospel.
I pray that God will use me and others to bring the message of the Kingdom to this generation. And, I hope that the church doesn’t tame them.
If I ask how you know you’re right before God & your first words are ‘because I…’, you’ve missed the Gospel.
Love your wife not because of who she is but because of who Christ is.
