Let No Man Put Asunder
Sept 2015 |
Matthew 19:4-6 - “And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges, declaring that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. Moments after the decision was announced, President Obama made a personal cell phone call to the lead plantiff in the case, Jim Obergefell.
After offering his congratulations and praising Obergefell’s leadership, the president told him: “Not only have you been a great example for people, but you’re also going to bring about lasting change in this country. It’s pretty rare when that happens, so I couldn’t be prouder of you and your husband, and God bless you.” 1
Ladies and gentlemen, God is not going to bless any part of this court’s decision because it was made in complete and utter disobedience to the Word of God.
NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE
In a message preached over the Fourth of July weekend at Family Worship Center, Donnie did an excellent job of dealing with this subject of same-sex marriage. He said, “It’s not a civil rights struggle. It is a moral problem. It’s not political. It’s not constitutional. It is a moral problem that defines who we are as a nation and how far we have sunk as a people.”
We don’t believe that it’s right for the U.S. Supreme Court or anybody else to try and redefine marriage as something other than what God says it is. In the book of Genesis, we see that marriage is the first institution that God ever created:
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept (records the first anesthesia): and He took one of his ribs (the word rib here actually means 'side'), and closed up the flesh instead thereof (the woman is not merely of a rib, but actually of one side of man);
22 And the rib (side), which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman (the Hebrew says, ‘built He a woman’; Horton says, ‘When God created the man, the word form was used, which is the same word used of a potter forming a clay jar; but the word build here seems to mean God paid even more attention to the creation of the woman’), and brought her unto the man (presents a formal presentation, with God, in essence, performing the first wedding; thus He instituted the bonds of the marriage covenant, which is actually called the covenant of God [Prov. 2:17], indicating that God is the Author of this sacred institution; this is the marriage model and was instituted by God; any other model, such as homosexual marriages, so-called, can be constituted as none other than an abomination in the eyes of God [Rom. 1:24-28])” (Gen. 2:21-22, The Expositor’s Study Bible).
MAIN SOURCE OF SUPPORT
This is what the Word of God says, but it’s not what people want to believe, especially America’s young people. Just weeks before the Supreme Court ruled on same-sex marriage, we sent a TV crew from SonLife Broadcasting Network to the streets of Baton Rouge to ask random people for their definition of marriage.
Nearly all of the people we interviewed -- middle-aged and up -- said that they believed marriage was between a man and a woman, but take a look at the responses we received from the younger set, roughly 25 years old and younger:
Q: How do you define marriage?
A: “I think marriage is love between two people, and it doesn’t matter what two people it is.”
A: “I’m open-minded. I have a lot of gay friends, and I’ve never seen anything wrong with it. Traditionally, I guess it’s the union of a man and a woman but to me, I think it’s just the union of two people that love each other.
A: “Our generation is known for doing things completely different and I think [traditional marriage] is out of date; [same-sex marriage] is a new thing that’s happening, and we should all accept it and not judge.”
A: “Anybody who wants to have same-sex marriage or anything, I feel like that’s your choice, and I don’t think anyone should judge somebody for that. I think whatever you feel like you want to do, you should do.”
The responses of these young people are not surprising. In June of this year, a Pew Research Center’s report pointed to youth as a major source of support for same-sex marriage.
The report states: “A key component of the shifting attitudes on this issue is the strong support for gay rights among younger Americans. Younger generations have long been more accepting of homosexuality and of same-sex marriage than older generations, and as millennials (who are currently ages 18-34) have entered adulthood, those views have influenced overall public opinion.” 2
CHANGE OF HEART
At 31 years old, Heather Barwick qualifies as a millennial and, as the daughter of lesbian parents, she grew up as an advocate and supporter of gay marriage. But somewhere into her 20s, she said she could no longer be a supporter because “of the nature of the same-sex relationship itself.”
Barwick, now a wife and mother of four, is a children’s rights activist. In March, she wrote an open letter entitled, “Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are Hurting,” to explain her change of heart.
“It’s only with some time and distance from my childhood that I’m able to reflect on my experiences and recognize the long-term consequences that same-sex parenting had on me,” Barwick wrote. “And it’s only now, as I watch my children loving and being loved by their father each day, that I can see the beauty and wisdom in traditional marriage and parenting. Same-sex marriage and parenting withholds either a mother or father from a child while telling him or her that it doesn’t matter. That it’s all the same. But it’s not. A lot of us, a lot of your kids, are hurting. My father’s absence created a huge hole in me, and I ached every day for a dad. I loved my mom’s partner, but another mom could never have replaced the father I lost.” 3
For other children of same-sex couples, the damage is even greater.
Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, B. N. Klein was one of four adult children of gay parents who testified against same-sex marriage at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and reportedly argued that “government-sanctioned homosexual unions could lead to disaster for thousands of kids.” 4
In her brief to the court Klein wrote, “While I do not believe all gays would be de facto bad parents, I know that the gay community has never in my lifetime put children first as anything other than a piece of property, a past mistake, or a political tool to be dressed up and taken out as part of a dog-and-pony show to impress the well-meaning.”
Klein’s brief also stated that as a child of a lesbian mother, she was pressured to pay “constant homage and attention” to her mother’s gay identity, taught that “some Jews and most Christians are stupid and hate gays and are violent,” and told that homosexuals were “much more creative and artistic because they are not repressed and are naturally more feeling.” 5
Katy Faust was another one of these four adult children who testified. She said, “The label of bigot or hater has become very powerful and effective tools to silence those of us who choose not to endorse the marriage platform of many gay lobbyists. For much of my adult life, I was content to keep my opinions on the subject of marriage to myself. I was (and still am) sickened by the accusation that I was bigoted and anti-gay for my belief in natural marriage.”
Faust said she was speaking out now because she believes that a child has the right to a mother and a father.
“When we institutionalize same-sex marriage … we move from permitting citizens the freedom to live as they choose, to promoting same-sex headed households,” Faust wrote. “Now we are normalizing a family structure where a child will always be deprived daily of one gender influence and the relationship with at least one natural parent. Our cultural narrative becomes one that, in essence, tells children that they have no right to the natural family structure or their biological parents, but that children simply exist for the satisfaction of adult desires.” 6
Dawn Stefanowicz, who was raised by a homosexual father who later died of AIDS, testified against same-sex marriage in her native Canada, which legalized gay marriage in July 2005.
According to Stefanowicz, Canada has changed a lot in those 10 years. She said that as soon as same-sex marriage passed in her country, parenting was immediately redefined. Stefanowicz writes, “Necessary parental rights to teach children your beliefs, express your opinions, and practice your personal faith are infringed upon by the state when your beliefs, opinions, and or faith practices are in opposition to what is taught and promoted at school. In fact, in Ontario, Canada, the Human Rights Commission regulations permeate and surround all public education.” 7 Think of that.
I thank the Lord that these people were brave enough to come forward and speak out on this issue. Their testimonies illustrate the impact that same-sex marriage is having on our children, schools, and our nation.
REPETITION REDUCES RESISTANCE
Still, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community remains unsatisfied and continues their fight for what they call “civil rights.” We see their agenda unfolding every day in the news: the Boy Scouts welcoming openly gay men and boys; Baylor University–a prominent Christian college in this country—dropping the phrase “homosexual acts” from its sexual misconduct policy; an Oregon labor commissioner ordering Christian bakers to pay $135,000 for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding.
On Frances & Friends, Mike Muzzerall commented on this type of progression. He said, “What happens is, if we’re in a situation where we’re tolerant--we’re not abusive toward the person, but we don’t acknowledge it--that’s no longer good enough. Now they want us to accept. Repetition reduces resistance. We’re seeing it everywhere, and it’s wearing us down as a church, and we need to stand on what the Word of God says.” Pastor Mike is absolutely right.
The Bible says, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
What authority does the U.S. Supreme Court have to change the definition of marriage? They don’t. Four of the justices disagreed with the majority on that historic ruling, including Associate Justice Samuel Alito, who offered America a warning.
In his dissent Alito wrote, “Today’s decision usurps the constitutional right of the people to decide whether to keep or alter the traditional understanding of marriage. The decision will also have other important consequences. It will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy. In the course of its opinion, the majority compares traditional marriage laws to laws that denied equal treatment for African-Americans and women. The implications of this analogy will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent.” 8
JUDGMENT AND THE CROSS
On the same night of this ruling, President Obama decided to illuminate the White House in rainbow colors, symbolizing gay pride. Outraged by this demonstration, Rev. Franklin Graham wrote, “God is the one who gave the rainbow, and it was associated with His judgment. God sent a flood to wipe out the entire world because mankind had become so wicked and violent.” 9
Ladies and gentlemen, as my husband has said so many times, “The only thing holding back that judgment and wrath of Almighty God is the Cross of Christ.” If the church is not preaching the Cross, then judgment comes.
Sources:
1. Arlette Saenz, “Same-Sex Ruling: President Obama’s Historic Phone Call With Plaintiff Jim Obergefell,” ABC News, June 26, 2015.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sex-ruling-president-obamas-historic-phone-call-plaintiff/story?id=32051689
2. Pew Research Center, “Support for Same-Sex Marriage at Record High, but Key Segments Remain Opposed: 72 Percent Say Legal Recognition is ‘Inevitable,’” June 8, 2015.
http://www.people-press.org/files/2015/06/6-8-15-Same-sex-marriage-release1.pdf
3. Heather Barwick, “Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are Hurting,” The Federalist, March 17, 2015.
http://thefederalist.com/2015/03/17/dear-gay-community-your-kids-are-hurting/.
4. Kirsten Andersen, “‘Quartet of Truth’: Adult Children Of Gay Parents Testify Against Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ at 5th Circuit,” Life Site, January 13, 2015.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/quartet-of-truth-adult-children-of-gay-parents-testify-against-same-sex-mar.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Dawn Stefanowicz, “My Father Was Gay. Why I Oppose Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage,” Daily Signal, April 13, 2015.
http://dailysignal.com/print/?post_id=182334.
8. Terrence P. Jeffrey, “Alito Warns: Defenders of Traditional Marriage Now Risk Being Treated as Bigots by Governments, Employers, Schools,” CNS News, June 26, 2015.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/alito-warns-defenders-traditional-marriage-now-risk-being-treated
9. Franklin Graham, Facebook post, June 29, 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/FranklinGraham/posts/953210028068512
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