I am, of course, disappointed by the ruling for several reasons including the fact that it is constitutionally wrong based on the 10th amendment; but I am not surprised by it.
My greatest concern at this time is that the result of this ruling will be a continued erosion of our first amendment liberties. I do think that the intent of some of those pushing this agenda is the destruction of the church by removing or limiting our religious liberty.
Please know that this is not the intent of everyone who believes that gay marriage is right, but I think it is the ultimate goal of many of those who lead this movement. I base that on my observation of what has happened to some business owners in states that already had gay marriage as well as what has happened in other countries where gay marriage exists. I think that many who support gay marriage are naïve about what the ultimate result will be.
Given this, what should my response as a Christian be?
I need to remember to show love to those with whom I disagree. I know that this is sometimes difficult. I see a lot of anger in my friends on both sides of this issue, but I do believe that as a Christian, I need to be kind and loving even when I disagree. I don’t think though that showing love means I back away from the truth.
We need to stand firm for what God says in his Word is right. The Biblical view of marriage is between one man and one woman. That has not changed.
We must also support our pastors and our churches as they stand for what is right even if that leads to civil disobedience.
We need to keep up the fight politically to maintain our first amendment rights. One of my big fears about this ruling is that more Christians will back further away from the public square than they already have over the last eight or nine years. This is not the time to do that. In fact, I think part of the problems in our country politically are a result of Christians staying home and not voting.
I have been very frustrated by the lack of involvement of my fellow Christians in the public square. We need to be educated and involved in what is happening in our communities as well as on our national stage. While I understand that not everyone is the political geek that I am, I think Christians especially should consider it their duty not only to vote but to be educated and involved in government.
As I write this, we have just celebrated the 239th birthday of our country’s independence. I went to church last night, and we thanked God for our freedom in this country. Our founders, in spite of what is often taught these days, were men of faith. They created a country where people of faith could live in freedom.
Our Constitution’s Preamble begins with “We the People…” Our form of government was unique. We had no king. The people would rule themselves. With that self-rule came a responsibility though. The responsibility of being educated and involved in our government. The founders did not intend for us to abdicate that responsibility. Indeed, they warned us what would happen if we did.
Thomas Jefferson said, “If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions.”
I believe that Christians have a particular responsibility in this area for several reasons. Romans 13 is often used to justify Christians not being involved in government. In this passage, we are told to obey those who rule over us. In our country, we do not have kings or rulers.
As many of you know, I am a township trustee. One day recently, my son after accompanying me around town where I was talking to people, said to me, “Mom, you own this town.” While it was flattering to have my son say that, the truth is my town belongs to all the people who live there. I am a public servant entrusted to make decisions to govern the town, and I am bound by the will of the people and laws of the United States and the State of Ohio.
In our country, our “ruler” is the rule of law and the Constitution. That is the ruler that we are to obey. And when the public officials in our country don’t obey the Constitution, we are not under a Christian obligation to obey; and in fact, we have a responsibility to correct those officials by working to remove them.
Micah 6:8 says “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
Our country with its freedoms has become a “shining city on a hill” to those who seek justice and freedom. As American Christians, we have a unique responsibility to “do justly” or as some versions say “show justice” by maintaining that beacon of liberty for the world.
I have Christian friends who believe that since we are living in the last days we should just give up worrying about this world at all. My response to that is that while we may very well be in the last days, we cannot know that for sure. We still have the responsibility as Christians to live in this world and “do justly.”
I have had Christian friends who say that politics is all corrupt so we should completely stay away from it. To me that is all the more reason to get involved. We need to be a light in a dark world. What better way to be that light than to take the darkness head on.
Ultimately, we as Christians need to be good stewards of what we have. As American Christians, we have a legacy of freedom, and it is our responsibility to maintain that. We do that by being involved in the public square.
Remember the words of Ronald Reagan:
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed down for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
