Floundering to Sodom
June 25, 2011
New York is the latest state to approve same-sex marriage. That makes the Empire State the sixth and largest state to approve of the practice.
Make no mistake, these are defining moments for the United States. As marriage goes, so goes the culture. Marriage has a very particular meaning. By its very nature marriage is between a man and woman. Procreation and the stabilizing of societal norms are fundamental to marriage.
Certainly we ought to reject all notions of theocracy. God's kingdom will not be established in this dying era. The state cannot be the church. We can even debate the propriety of laws banning homosexual acts. However, the state must never put itself in the position of approving that which God has condemned.
The Bible makes it clear that homosexuality is an abomination. It is a sin that characterizes a people in the final death throes of moral and societal decay. It is a sin that is particularly degrading to our identity as those who are made in the image of God. It reeks havoc upon the offender physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Homosexuality is the evidence of a people who have been given over to a wicked mind (Romans 1:18ff).
Granting that the state is not the church, the civil magistrate is nevertheless provided by God for the purpose of ordering society and suppressing evil (Rom 13). In this way God provides common grace to believer and unbeliever alike. It is therefore a frightening reality when the state becomes blind to obvious evil and even celebrates wickedness.
The following are a few articles that are helpful in the same-sex marriage debate:
What is Marriage? by George, Girgis, and Anderson
Offense and Criticism in the Marriage Debates by R.J. Snell
The Abolition of Marriage by Christopher Wolfe
So, What's Really At Stake in the Gay Marriage Debate? Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 by Al Mohler
The Compassion of Truth by Al Mohler
