What follows this paragraph is my email response to a friend who truly wanted to talk about the topic of same-sex marriage (starting with the Chick-fil--a debacle). I appreciate it when friends will engage me in healthy and constructive conversation. Too many times I've heard through the grapevine that so and so is confused by my questions/ideas, yet these people never take the time to discuss anything with me. That is sooo frustrating and often times hurtful. Thank you friend for being bold enough to tackle this with me.
I am in FULL support of Mr. Truett and his freedom of speech. I don't think that he did anything wrong. I do feel that he was maligned, and slandered. This isn't right. He was interviewed by a Christian publication, and he spoke his mind (and not even in depth). Should Mr. Truett have lied, or merely changed the topic? No, he shouldn't have to. We can think/believe whatever we want. So I DO take issue with how he was treated.
On the flip side of that, and where I find more fault and heart-pangs, is how Christians responded. They too responded emotionally and often with hateful/harsh words. It was to many as if Mr. Truett had been lynched. Then there was the whole "Chick-fil-a Day", that in my opinion only served as a day to further paint a line between us and them. And there's the misguided thought that stuffing one's face with a chicken sandwich is defending freedom of speech or freedom of religion. With one's mouth full of deep fried goodness it is hard to carry on a real, honest, and possibly even life changing conversation. But it wasn't a conversation that most people cared to have.
With this gay marriage debate there are numerous things to consider, many of which I've probably not even put a finger on yet. This topic isn't a yes or no question; it isn't as simple as that.
So maybe I can unpack some of this with you:
- The first thing we must consider is: Is homosexuality actually wrong?
- If we believe it to be wrong, how do we convey that? Do we just live it and encourage what's right within our own families and our churches? Do we use the government to uphold our Christian beliefs?
- Do we continue to give the government greater control of our lives, and of our society? Where is that line between too much and too little?
- How do we stand on our principles yet prevent ourselves from becoming hardhearted to our homosexual friends, neighbors, and coworkers?
- Are we open for discussion? Are we available? We are always ready to laugh with those who laugh, but are we ready to cry with those who cry?
- Do we really believe that our nation is "by the people, for the people"? And if we do, doesn't that open the door for inclusion of all people? What if everyone voted and the majority allowed same-sex marriage?
- Can't we as Christians believe one thing while or society and government does something radically different? Hasn't this been the case since Christianity was born?
- Do we as Christians actually have homosexual friends, or friends who aren't Christians? If so, how well are we loving them? How well are we conveying Christ's love to them?
- Do we have prejudices that we learned growing up that affect our decision making now regarding how homosexuals ought to be treated, and what rights should/shouldn't be granted to them? (i.e. they're all child molesters, they are perverts, they have orgies)
- In an America, where Christians were once ok with people being traded as a commodity, women being 2nd class citizens who couldn't drive, vote or work outside the home, and where interracial marriage was evil; have homosexuals become the new taboo? Are their rights less valuable than our (possibly) Biblical worldview?
- Why are we as Christians so up in arms about this topic? Divorce is a much more clear cut wrong in the Bible, yet we aren't taking a stand against it by making it illegal, or even condemning it in our churches.
- Many Christians believe that marriage was created by our God, and that the act of marriage, or getting married is "Christian". Yet people around the globe have gotten married before Christ came to earth. People from all religious traditions, and people who don't even believe in God get married day in and day out. Where is the uproar about Buddhists or atheists defiling marriage? Where is the cry to prevent anyone not believing in the Christian definition of marriage from getting married?
- How would the federal government allowing same-sex marriage change your faith?
- How would the federal government allowing same-sex marriage change your marriage?
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