Maryland My Maryland

      If you are a fan of non-confrontation, then be prepared to skip this blog post and go do something else. I want to speak very candidly yet politely about the recent bill passed into law in Maryland that allows same-sex couples to wed. I know this is a hot-button issue for many people, but I hope to express my views on this issue in a coherent and respectful fashion, allowing for honest and open debate in the comments section below.
      To start off, I am a Christian that believes in the inherency of Scripture. In other words, I believe that the Bible is the true Word of God and anything it says is true. Yes, some of the laws or cultural activites have changed over time (I do not adhere to strict Old Testament dietary laws, I do not expect women to cover their heads in church, etc.), but I still maintain that all Scripture is "breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). What God calls a sin, is a sin. What God promises, He will fulfill. What God says He will do, He will do.

       So what does this have to do with gay marriage? As unpopular and un-politically correct as this will sound, the Bible does not condone homosexual marriage or activity. While I think it is right and good that we have moved away from the 'stone the gays' law in the Old Testament (Leviticus 20), the precedent of not allowing homosexual acts is explicitly mentioned in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). This precedence is not an easy 'pill to swallow' as we so often hear about 'fairness' or 'equality.' All that being said, I am not going to go into either of those rabbit holes, as those debates usually end in heated emotion and anger and I want to keep the discourse civil. As mentioned above, I want to hear the communities thoughts on individual positions, while I merely try to express my view as a devout Evangelical Christian.
       The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the denomination with which I most closely associate. The PCA holds the view that  homosexual acts are among other forms of sexual perversion. Again, not wholly popular in the current culture, but that is where the PCA has decided to stand. I also adhere to the Westminster Catechisms (a collection of questions and answers formed in the 1640s) that are a part of the larger Westminster Confession of Faith. The Catechism states:

Q. 139. What are the sins forbidden in the seventh commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the seventh commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lusts; all unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes, and affections, all corrupt or filthy communications, or listening thereunto; wanton looks, impudent or light behavior, immodest apparel; prohibiting of lawful, and dispensing with unlawful marriages; allowing, tolerating, keeping of stews (prostitution, basically), and resorting to them...
Sidenote: the bold and italicized terms are my adds, not in the original text.

       Knowing that, what should a Christian response be to this issue? As mentioned above, homosexuality is just one of many sexual sins, both same-gender and contra-gender. While this does not change the argument (is it wrong or ok?) it does clarify something many Christians have messed up in their explanation of homosexuality. Many Christians (I am looking at you, Westboro Baptist Church) have decided that homosexuality as a state of being- the person and his or her orientation- is a sin that needs to be stopped by rude signs, angry arguments and forcing someone to change. In contrast, Scripture teaches that we should take a loving approach that understands the sinful nature in all humans and to love the person for who they are. The mantra heard in PCA circles (and one that is very applicable to any God-fearing church) is "hate the sin, love the sinner." As one source says,

"We believe God’s intent and design in creation was that male and female would be complementary, that the privilege of sexual expression would be between a male and female only, and this expression would be only in the context of marriage. Therefore, any heterosexual or homosexual behavior or relationship that does not conform to God’s design does violence to the human spirit and distorts God’s intent for men and women."


    One key here is to not 'throw the Bible' at homosexuals, proponents of the bill, or those that might disagree with us on our views. Another key is to understand that the issue Christians should have with homosexuality is the act, not the state of being.  As a well-respected theologian says, "The Bible doesn’t condemn a person because he has a homosexual orientation. What it condemns is homosexual acts. It is perfectly possible to be a homosexual and be a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian." Hate the sin, love the sinner. Amen and amen.