Dr. Richard Wells, Senior Pastor of South Canyon Baptist Church, has a piece in today's Rapid City Journal on the recent decision of the California Supreme Court to legalize homosexual "marriage."
I talked to Pastor Wells around the time he wrote this piece, and I believe he sent this to the Journal about four weeks ago. It certainly took the Journal long enough to get around to posting it.
A couple of salient excerpts:
No, the justices didn’t “interfere with” the will of the people. They trashed it. They acknowledged that marriage has been only “between a man and a woman” since “the beginning of California statehood.” Undeterred, a 4-3 majority simply decreed that recent laws favorable to homosexuals constitute “explicit official recognition” of a “right” to homosexual marriage. Let that word “explicit” sink in. The only thing “explicit” in this case was the vote for Prop. 22.
And
The court deems it insufficient to give mere legal recognition to homosexual partnerships; California must also grant them the “right to have their family relationship accorded dignity and respect equal to that accorded other officially recognized families.” The message to Californians is clear: “You must not only tolerate the homosexual lifestyle, you must honor it, no matter what moral or religious convictions you hold.”
That is exactly the case. We have moved far beyond "tolerance" of homosexual behavior. We're deep into the "celebrate" and "honor" phase of the campaign now.
Unless, of course, people once again get in touch with their moral compass--and their common sense--and say, "Enough is enough."
We should get an idea of whether that has happened this November, as the people of California vote on a marriage protection amendment for their state constitution, and in South Dakota as South Dakotans get a chance to vote for or against legislative candidates who support this kind of thing.
2 comments:
Christians want to avoid sin that offends God. We do not unilaterally harm God but we do wreck our love relationship with Him by sinning. Created in His loving image, we fail to live up to expectations. Without Jesus and His deal to make it all right, we can plan on our new residence in Hell. Take Jesus as Savior and Lord and He will keep you in His Father's loving will. As Lord, He bases and defines ALL sin as lack of love (Matthew 22:36-40). Such obvious sins as theft, murder and adultery are unloving because each has a victim, someone not receiving love. Please tell me, who is the unloved victim in a homosexual relationship? Neither is a victim, neither is unloved. Where is the hurt? Who could bring suit against the “sinner”? What Gospel writer or Bible prophet claimed homosexuality is sinful? (Jesus didn't.) These are not rhetorical questions; they are unanswered by those who refuse God's grace and live by working the law. How would you like to be the first to answer any one of them? It is noteworthy that Gay people employ themselves in loving professions like medicine, education and the ministry while those who call themselves Christians work in the Biblical judicial system. Certainly if God didn't want men to have sex with other men, He would have said “Man shall not lie with man PERIOD (Leviticus 18:22, 21:13). God wanted Moses to eradicate rampant idolatry in the Jewish nation. That whole “ . . . as with a woman” thing condemns straight men pretending to make it with a woman, such as during idol worship. Paul explains it further when putting down the straight Romans (1:26-28 ) and Corinthians (1 Co 6:9-11) for “leaving their natural relations” (i.e.... as with a woman) and having idolatrous sex with men. Gay men can only imagine what sex “ . . . as with a woman” would be. We are attracted to other men by definition and by God. “Homosexual” was coined about 1865, so any subsequent Bible translation using that word is a lie that needs to be emended. It premiered in a1946 English Bible and has been condemning loving Gays ever since. What is the most love one can show another sinner? Offer them an eternity with God through the redemptive cross of Jesus. When was the last time you told a homosexual that Jesus died for their sins? A problem is that Gays do not want to affiliate with unloving and judgmental Christians. Know Jesus, know love. No Jesus, no love.
Mexjewel, it's not too often that I've read such a thoroughly confused and foundationless piece of opinion which attempts a theological base.
In addition to the Levitical citation you mentioned condmning homosexuality (PERIOD), Jesus also reiterated God's design for human sexuality in Matthew 19:4-6 as being between a man and a woman in marriage.
Jesus also condemns homosexuality through the writings of his apostle Paul in the references you mentioned in Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6. Note that you will not find an exception that allows for God-approved homosexual behavior in either of those.
Your assertion that homosexuality is "natural" for the homosexual is absurd. It is based on a philosophy of moral relativity which does not exist in God's word or in reality. By your logic, murder committed by a non-murderer would be wrong, but murder committed by a murderer would be acceptable because it would be "natural" for the murderer. Or rape would be "natural" and thus morally acceptable for the rapist. Or idol worship or worship of some false god would be morally acceptable for the worshipper of false idols for whom that behavior is "natural."
People knew what homosexual behavior was thousands of years ago, despite the recent coinage of the word "homosexual" which means same-sexual; the Levitical references are proof of this.
I frequently tell homosexuals that Christ died for their sins; 1 Corinthians 6 also tells us this. However, for us to be free of those sins, we have to repent of them, admit that what we are doing is wrong and is a sin, and admit that we need Christ to be free of that sin. Only then can Christ set us free of it and give us the new life and love he wants to.
The problem with too many homosexuals (and too many sinners in general) is that we want God's love and approval while hanging on to our sins. It doesn't work that way. As Christ said, you can't love two masters; you'll love one and hate the other. You can't hang onto sin, pretending that it's just fine, and have a close, personal, life-changing relationship with God.
But when homosexuals become ready to cast aside their sin and embrace the Savior, He's ready and willing.
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