The face of marriage in America
- Jul 2, 2008 - 4
On a warm, windswept Saturday, a young bride and groom were married in a Mississippi Baptist church. It was a scene undoubtedly repeated many times on a Saturday in many other venues around the country, but we seem to never grow tired of this age-old celebration of unfailing love and lifetime commitment.
The ceremony began, right on time. The bride was radiant; the groom was beaming. Within minutes, they were no longer two individuals but one entity in the eyes of God. The ensuing reception in the church’s Family Life Center featured the finest white tablecloths on which food and drink were placed from one end of the building to the other.
A good time was had by all. At the end the newlyweds headed off for their week-long honeymoon cruise and, beyond that, into a lifetime of love and devotion. The challenges of marriage and the tragedies of life will have to be faced down the road, but all of that can be put aside for this brief, shining moment when God is on His throne and everything is right with the world.
The wedding ceremony is important to us, because it is symbolic of how seriously we take the concept of marriage. That’s the real reason we travel great distances and go to such great expense to be a part of such weddings.
There are people in the America of today, however, who would degrade the God-ordained marital union of one man and one woman for life. There are those who would have us believe that marriage is not special or God-ordained at all, but rather a common “commitment” or “union” between people of whatever genders and sexual preferences suit them at the moment.
There are political, judicial, and cultural leaders in America who shamelessly excuse such sinful and immoral behavior and even boast of their efforts to normalize perverse relationships (Romans 1:32). Commentators have begun to observe that future generations of Americans will likely have a completely different concept of marriage than we do today.
In the world of tomorrow, marriage will mean anything anyone wants it to mean. Homosexual and lesbian marriage will have the same status as heterosexual marriage, but so will marriages between multiple partners, simultaneous marriages, and marriages between adults and children. There may even be legally-recognized marriages between humans and animals. (Don’t laugh; who would have thought we would have gone as far as we have?)
This is merely one battle among many in the war with the secularists and elitists who would destroy foundational institutions like marriage and the way of life that goes with it, simply so that they can live as they please. However, the American people aren’t buying it. A New York Times/CBS News poll indicates that the American people are very much in favor of protecting the traditional understanding of marriage.
The poll indicates that Americans oppose legalized same-sex marriages by 61%-34%, and support a constitutional amendment to enshrine the traditional understanding of marriage (55%-40%). Obviously, our liberal leaders are out of step with the Americans they are supposed to be leading.
Christians must get involved to have their voices heard on this matter. Otherwise, we will be relegated to the fringes as we have been on so many other important issues of our day.
First, let us get our own marriages in order. It is embarrassing and shameful that the divorce rate among Christians is just as high as it is for non-Christians. Only if we practice what we preach when it comes to marriage will people start to pay attention.
The concept of marriage is worth the fight. May we not fail at this crucial task.
This article is reprinted from the June 5, 2008, issue of The Baptist Record, the newspaper of the Mississippi Baptist Convention.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to preserve the institution of marriage and the value of family in the lives of Americans. To learn more about these important issues, additional resources are available here. If your church is interested in purchasing materials on marriage and family, please visit our online bookstore.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Marriage, Sexual Purity, Homosexuality, Citizenship, Legislation
4 comments (post your own) feed
1 On Jul 2nd, 2008, at 2:48pm, Dan Valdes wrote:
Two United States Senators implicated in extramarital sexual activity have named themselves as co-sponsors of S. J. RES. 43, dubbed the Marriage Protection Amendment.
If ratified, the bill would amend the United States Constitution to state that marriage “shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.” so on that front I would assuredly agree with Mr. Perkins that heterosexuals might want to get their own marriages in order first as they are not setting the gold standard of marriage at this stage.
2 On Jul 2nd, 2008, at 3:12pm, Nathan wrote:
Your comment on marriages with multiple partners, simultaneous partners, children, and even animals is spot on. In Leviticus 18:22, the word tells us that a homosexual act is an abomination, and in verse 23, relations with animals are a perversion. Two chapters later (Lev. 20:13,15-16) it tells us that all parties in either situation are to be put to death. Instead, in America they are protected and even exalted as tolerant and enlightened. It is a grave reality that our nation is headed toward a total reversal of marriage where the sacred is disdained and the once unthinkable is applauded. Once the wall of the sanctity of marriage is breached, any and all violaters will be welcomed with open arms and the watchmen and soldiers on the wall who fight for the protection of marriage will be seen as archaic and doltish.
3 On Jul 3rd, 2008, at 7:16am, Dan Valdes wrote:
Nathan is most correct about the passage in Leviticus.
Here it is...Leviticus 20:13
NLT: (New Living Translation): “The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act, and are guilty of a capital offense.”
Who among you will carry this out?
Dan Valdes
4 On Jul 8th, 2008, at 12:56pm, Charles Enlow wrote:
Perhaps I cannot name names or your tax exemption would be scrutinized, but you must know that both ultra-liberal contestants for the presidential nomination of one of the parties, have advocated the removal of all barriers to the radical homosexual agenda. This side must not win.