On Tuesday [March 25, 2013] the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) started having hearings about same-sex marriage laws. In response, the Human Rights Campaign decided to change their logo, and it’s taken Facebook by storm. They normally sport a blue and yellow logo, but for the last few days, it’s red and pink. That new logo has been spreading all over Facebook as people change their profile pictures to show that they support the right for gays to get married.
So what’s a Christian to do?
I’ve made it clear in the past where I stand on gay marriage. I’m a Libertarian — not a conservative, not a liberal, neither Republican nor Democrat. I believe that we are meant to have as much freedom as possible — so long as that freedom does not infringe upon the freedoms of another. I also believe in Jesus. I believe that the government should not have any rights to pass laws on marriage. I believe that God is the author of marriage. I believe that the LGBT community should have the same legal rights as other citizens, but I don’t believe that God approves of their lifestyle.
I don’t believe that Jesus came to Earth, started a ministry, suffered an unfair trial, was beaten, kicked, whipped, forced to carry his own instrument of torture, had nails driven through his wrists and feet, was mocked, suffered, and slain so that we could pass laws to regulate the sins for which he died.
I don’t believe that Jesus was nearly as interested in our politics as our hearts. I don’t believe, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” means “vote for congressmen”, “sign petitions”, “have boycotts”, and “eat at Chick Fil A.”
I believe that the laws passed here on Earth do nothing to change our position in heaven.
There’s No Catchy Logo for Me
So, the equal sign just doesn’t cut it. It’s not that I think the LGBT doesn’t deserve every legal right to get married. It’s that I don’t think the government deserves any right to say that anyone can get married.
So how do I say that the government needs to get out of our relationships, but make it clear that I am still a believer?
How about if I don’t focus on me — but on Christ:
Are any of us equal to Jesus? No.
Are any of us good, righteous, or holy, compared to Him? No.
Are we all equally deserving of death, because of our sin? Yes.
So we’re all less than Christ
Bam, logo-problem solved.
I didn’t create the logo just for me. It’s for anyone that wants to use it. It’s licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License . That means you are free to copy and reuse this image however you like: Facebook, newsletters, blogs, yadda yadda. Some sort of attribution would be appreciated, though if you’re going to put this in print or a newsletter.
Let’s not make this about laws and supreme courts. Let’s make it about Jesus.
Follow-up
I published this on March 27, 2013. On June 26, 2015, five out of nine supreme court justices determined that marriage is a right protected by the constitution. The argument was made under the 14th amendment, which states,
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
I’m not a legal scholar — even a little. But if it says, “don’t deprive anyone liberty…without due process of the law,” then I can see where these supreme court justices are coming from. That doesn’t change the truth, not one iota.
We’re all still less than Christ.
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I disagree with you on this: “I don’t think the government deserves any right to say that anyone can get married.” (unless I’m misunderstanding that statement, because it could be taken two ways)
I just read an article right before reading your blog and thought it was a stark comparison to what you said here. “It should be noted that the right to marry is one of the most frequently denied rights we have. People who are already married, 12-year-olds, and people who are too closely related are just a few categories of people routinely and/or categorically denied the right to marry. Hence, the charge that it is wrong to deny any person a “fundamental right” rings hollow. There has always been, and, by necessity, will always be discrimination in marriage laws.” You should read the article this comes from. It’s very well thought out.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/07/19/gay-is-not-the-new-black/
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Hi Jessica, thank you for visiting and for sharing your comments.
My point is, and has been, that marriage is a religious institution. Marriage, and the intimacy that follows, are gifts from God — not the government. I don’t want us to act like the government has authority over something that it doesn’t. Further to that, it’s about precedent. I don’t want a pattern of the government restricting the freedoms and liberties of consenting adults whose actions don’t prohibit the freedoms of others.
Jesus never promised or commanded us to institutionalize his teachings into a legal system. Christianity thrived for 300 years when we were a condemned faith; our faith was never meant to be a political system, so why should we get up in arms when it isn’t?
My last point:
We get married by pastors and priests, divorced by judges and lawyers, but want politicians and registered voters decide who can do it. So who’s in charge of it?
Gay marriage and straight divorce are both sins. Until we ask the government to stop divorce, we should really be quiet about gay marriage.
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Thanks, Frank, for your response. I understand your point and it’s hard to understand why the government is even involved in making decisions around marriage. But it is involved and the question at hand unfortunately is not “Should the government have authority over the institution of marriage?” The laws are there to protect the citizens and I understand why they are there. We thankfully have the chance to vote on the matter. So when I have that chance, I can’t choose to side with “gay marriage” when it’s a sin. The law and my faith are weird to figure out because it’s all mixed together in how I view the world and how I vote, but it’s quite separate as well because I live by a higher authority. It almost makes me throw my hands up and say, “Well, it won’t matter in the end.” Horrible, I know. I appreciate your discussion on this and I think I understand your viewpoint. Still working on mine, I suppose.
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Thoughtful post, taken to the next level beyond my own on this.
https://xjm716.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/true-equality-and-the-cross/