EQUAL RIGHTS AND MARRIAGE
ILLUSTRATION
There was a young man who was about to enter high school. The guidance counselor called him into her office and asked him if he would prefer the agricultural or the vocational section. The young man explained to her that he wanted to be put in the academic section. The counselor smiled as she informed the young man that the academic section would not be appropriate for him and that he would find high school more enjoyable if he was in a section with his friends and relatives. The young man replied that it did not matter about friends and family, he wanted to go to college and thus he needed to be in the academic section. The guidance counselor leaned back in her chair, folded her hands on the desk and said: “you know full well that your family could never afford to send you to college. Young man, why don’t you accept the fact that you would be happier if you were in the proper section?” The young man replied: “It is my right to be put in any section I am qualified to be in. My family, my poverty, my being unhappy, and my lack of having friends in the academic section are not reason for denying me my right to be in the academic section.”
The young man was allowed to be in the academic section. While it was true that he never bonded with anyone and was never involved in any social affairs, he did graduate … with honors. Had he allowed a misguided system to deny him his rights the young man would have never realized his dream to graduate from college.
BIBLE TEACHINGS ABOUT EQUAL RIGHTS
Let every Christian understand that the issue of equal rights in marriage is only a secular issue because there is no possible way a Christian should ever be guilty of denying a person their equal right. After all, we serve a God who is just and fair to all persons and treats all persons with the same measure of rights and obligations. Moses told the people: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” (Deuteronomy 10:17) Peter made this concept even more clear when he said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34) Equal rights for all persons is established and demonstrated by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; thus our recognizing the rights of all people is what God expect from those who call themselves a Christian.
The only distinction God makes with mankind is relative to a person’s obedience to the gospel message. In fact, God went so far as to give us all the same starting point in our journey through life: everyone on the earth has sinned and therefor all have fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) This means that every single one of us were initially guilty of rebellion toward God and we were all destined to eternal damnation; for we all were without the free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Not only did God give us all the same starting point, He also extended His love and salvation to who were willing to come to the knowledge of truth regarding Jesus Christ. (John 3:16, I Timothy 2:4) God makes no distinction with mankind because His saving grace is given to all people who are willing to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. (Titus 2:11-12)
Even amongst those who have died to self-interest and been reborn as servants of Jesus Christ there is no distinction. Paul told the Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) Paul also told the Colossians: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:11) It should be obvious to a Christian that we cannot make a distinction between those in the family of Christ and we cannot make a distinction between those who are lost. The bible clearly supports the position that equal-rights belongs to all people.
REALITY OF MARRIAGE
Before we look at how the Christian concept of equal-rights applies to the secular issue of federal recognition in marriage we need to better understand the role of religion in marriage. Today we like to paint a romantic picture of ancient marriage, regardless of whether it is filled with religious pomp or pagan ritual. The truth is far different. Historically, marriages were contractual agreements between families or communities of people. It was not uncommon for the bride and groom to be excluded from all negotiations. In most cases, the fathers of the couple arranged the marriage for economic, family and social reason, and the marriage was made official through a witnessed contract: verbal or written. A wedding celebration may have followed the contract, but in many areas there was no official wedding ritual or ceremony. Quite often the most formal ritual was escorting the husband and wife to the bedroom, where witnesses watched to confirm that the wedding had been consummated. Eventually, the legal dispersing of land and assets caused civil authorities to get involved in recording, and sometimes controlling, marriages. The fact is that religion was never a controlling factor in marriage, and seldom even a consideration.
In ancient times marriage was strictly a consideration of tribal and family cooperation as well as blood line survival. It took the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire for religion to become a consideration in marriage. In fact, it was not until the late fourth and early fifth century that Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, began to teach that marriage was a religious experience and thus it was to be a sacrament in the church. Augustine may have taught this and other may have followed his example, but it took over a thousand years for the Church to officially establish the marriage sacraments; marriage became part of Canon Law at the Council of Trent in 1547. Thus, we can honestly say that up until the Council of Trent the average Christian married according to the civil law, probably in a family ceremony, which may or may not have had any special church blessing.
Even with the Catholic Church establishing the sacrament of marriage it was not universally accepted. While it may have become more common for a Priest to officiate weddings, civil authorities retained control over marriage legality. In fact, much of Europe retained the old Roman custom of marriages in usus, which was simply mutual consent without formal ceremony. In England, this form of marriage was called "common law marriage." The Catholic Church did continue to extend its control over marriage, and where Catholicism eclipsed civil authority marriage was considered the domain of the church, but civil legality were still observed.
When the protestant Reformers broke from the Catholic Church they rejected many Catholic doctrines, to include the sacrament of marriage. Both Martin Luther and Calvin considered marriage to be "a worldly thing and thus under the jurisdiction of civil authorities.” In the 17th century, English Puritans passed an Act of Parliament making marriage purely secular and it was not to be performed by a minister, but by a justice of the peace. Most of the American Colonies also choose to limit church control over marriage, in part due to our Puritan influence. It was only in those parts of Europe under Catholic control that marriage retained its religious elements. Under the Reformation Movement, marriage had lost its religious significance; albeit, in Christian families the couple were expected to maintain Christian values.
Today, marriage in the U.S. and Europe is only considered legally valid when performed by a government approved official, and conducted according to local civil requirements. If there is any religious element or ceremony in the marriage it must take place subordinate to civil legalities. The truth is, even when a marriage has been given a religious appearance, once the wedding ceremony is finished the vast majority of couples do not maintain a fellowship with the church in which they were married. For the fast majority of marriages preachers have been reduced to the position of master-of-ceremony and the church is nothing more than the stage for an elaborate religious farce … played out by people who will never yield to God’s plan for the union of male and female. As distasteful as it may seem, the truth is that most marriages today are simply civil unions, even when they are performed with all the church pomp and ceremony!
Now, remember this fact: today, and historically, marriage is a secular institution, except in those extremely rare instances where both parties are truly born again Christians.
IS EQUAL RIGHTS IN MARRIAGE A CHRISTIAN ISSUE?
Let’s face it; marriage in the western world is a secular institution, even when it is conducted as a church ceremony, by a church official. Before you get your dander up, think about it for a moment! We are a culture that is rapidly losing touch with any Christian concept of marriage; for example: around 50% of the people will get a divorce, about 50% of young mothers are unmarried, and the number of unmarried couples living together is rising. On top of this, the marriage ceremony is probably the only time most couples will ever spend in church; and, very frequently the marriage ceremony is the only time the preacher will ever see the couple. As far as marriage in America is concerned, the church is a stage and the preacher is the master of ceremonies. To us to make the claim that a religious bond exists in all marriages is absolute nonsense.
The point is, marriage in America is a secular institution and not a religious sacrament; therefore, the issue of equal rights in most marriages is a secular issue and not a religious issue. The question regarding equal rights in marriage is made a national issue because we have well-meaning people challenging a non-Christian government to wrap secular marriage with Christian moral principles. This is a bit of an oxymoron. Why would a Christian want to force a non-Christian government to embrace Christian moral values in regulating a secular marriage.
I realize that many Christians will challenge the proposition that the church should relinquish control over marriage, but marriage is something they never had control over in the first place. Look at it this way: there are two forms of marriage: secular marriage and Christian marriage and it does not make any difference where the ritual is performed or who performs the ritual. Historically, secular marriage is the three way tie between a man and a woman and the government. Christian marriage always has been, and still is, the three way tie between a man and a woman and God. The issue that is currently dividing our nation is our non-Christian government’s move to redefine secular marriage as a three way tie between two people and the government. Please note: this is a secular issue, it is a worldly issue, it is not a Christian issue because we do not have a Christian government and because a secular marriage is not a Christian institution … even if it takes place in a church.
Now, before you build a bonfire, drag me outside, and burn me at the stake, please take the time to finish this sermon. If you are a true Christian you are bounded by all the principles of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, as revealed in New Testament scripture. This means that we do not lift up one teaching and at the same time ignore another relevant teaching. As a true Christian, we recognize that homosexuality is clearly rebellion toward the teachings of the New Testament and therefore it is not permissible as a Christian lifestyle … thus there is no such thing as a Christian marriage between people of the same sex. As a true Christian, we also recognize that adultery is definitely rebellion toward the teachings of the New Testament and therefore it is not permissible as a Christian lifestyle … thus there is no such thing as Christian marriage for an adulterer. In fact, Jesus responded to this issue with the declaration that there can never be marriage for an adulterer. Now I ask you: when it comes to denying marriage, how cans a Christian view the adulterer to be eligible for secular marriage and deny secular marriage to the homosexual. Please take the time to honestly look at the issue. A born again Christian is not part of this world and we should not get so caught up in the things of the world that we neglect or twist Christian principles in an attempt to quite our emotions.
What all this bickering over equal rights in marriage boils down to is shallow Christians attempting to wrap Christian moral values around a secular institution. In fact most people see this as an overt attack on the lifestyle of homosexuals instead of a righteous pursuit. I will admit a Christian is a soldier of the Lord, but we do not let ourselves get entangled in civilian pursuits, since our aim is to please Christ, not attack those who are lost. (2 Timothy 2:4) We have escaped the defilements of the world through our relationship with Jesus and it makes no since for us to endanger that relationship by once again getting entangled in secular affair. (2 Peter 2:20) Perhaps things would be different if our nation was a true Christian theocracy or if our government was truly guided by Christian moral principles. The United States, however, is neither a Christian theocracy nor does our government adhere to Christian principles. Ergo, from a reality point of view, marriage eligibility is only a secular issue and it is not bounded by Christian moral principles. There is no logical or scriptural reason for a true Christian to demand that our secular government apply Christian moral values to a secular wedding.
AMERICA IS NOT A NATION GUIDED BY A CHRISTIAN GOVERNMENT
My objection to all the fuss people are raising over equal rights in marriage hinges on the proposition that marriage is primarily a secular institution regulated by a non-Christian government and therefore something Christians should not get all worked up over. I am sure many of you will raise your hackles over the statement that the United States is not a Christian nation. Before your emotions boil over, please consider the fact that it is misleading for us to portray our forefathers as faithful servants of Christ; they were first and foremost politicians. Most certainly many of our founding fathers were themselves believers in Jesus Christ and many were guided by Christian principle, but they were first and foremost politicians.
Consider the fact that we gained out independence from England in 1776, our constitution went into operation in 1789, and we signed the infamous Treaty of Tripoli in 1796. If you do not know about the Treaty of Tripoli allow me to share with you what was not taught in school. The Treaty of Tripoli came about because President Adams and the U.S. congress sought to stop Muslim raids against Mediterranean shipping. Our government chose to protect American sailors from African slavery by capitulating to the Muslim Ottoman Empire. In this treaty of capitulation the United States, clearly and distinctly, bowed down before Islam and declared that the United States was not a Christian Nation. The Muslims ignored the treaty, however, and eventually the United States was forced to grow up and defend itself; but the truth had been revealed – the United States congress had declared before the world that it did not consider America to be a Christian nation.
So you see, the United States Congress, from the beginning of our national history right up to today, has demonstrated that our governmental position is not Christian. For many years, this governmental position has been clothed in Christian rhetoric and symbolism, but time has a way of bringing change. Today our nation’s allegiance to God has clearly grown very dim, and for the most part it has been replaced by irreligious libertine values. That is why there can be no Christian symbols on public land; that is why there is no bible reading in school; and that is why there can be no Christian prayer in school. Our government is so openly non-Christian today that our president has led Muslims in prayer … in the White House. Our president is so openly non-Christians that he has repeatedly refused to acknowledge our creator when he quotes the Declaration of Independence. In fact, the current president of the United States, on a world stage, publically declared that the United States is not a Christian nation. It is time for Christian to wake up and realize that the United States of America is not a Christian nation.
CONCLUSION
Equal rights in marriage is primarily a secular issue confronting a non-Christian government, and therefore it is something Christians should not get all worked up over. To start with, a Christian should have only one view of marriage and that is the three-way union between a man, a woman and God. This is a Christian marriage and it cannot be broken except for fornication … there is no such thing as a same-sex Christian marriage. Only an apostate preacher would perform a same-sex marriage. Equal rights in marriage is a secular issue: enough said!
Of greater importance is the fact that most people in the United States do not submit to scriptural authority when it comes to marriage. So called Christians divorce one another for this and every other reason; divorced Christians then run off and remarry without so much as a single shudder at the sin they are committing. It has gotten so bad that most Christians cannot distinguish the difference between a secular marriage and the Christian sacrament of marriage. It is no wonder so many Christians get all worked up over the concept of gay marriage: they think it is going to be a Christian marriage. Wake up, gay marriage is totally impossible from a Christian perspective; same-sex marriage is nothing more than a secular institution; and as such, it has nothing to do with the Christian sacrament of marriage.
Think about this for a moment, same sex marriage is a non-Christian secular contract, which is regulated by a non-Christian secular government. As much as those of us who are fundamentalist Christians would like to believe we live in a Christian Nation, the fact remains that our government’s history proves that it does not consider itself to be a Christian institution. Therefore, fundamentalist Christians need to realize we cannot force Christian moral standards on a non-Christian institution.
Remember, if we are a true Christian we are not of this world … so we need to stop fooling ourselves with the belief that our government recognizes any obligation to adhere to Christian moral principles. This should not be taken to imply that a Christian would acknowledge any validity in same sex marriage, other than the secular validity given it by the government. It is impossible for the Christian church to recognize same sex marriage, but that does not mean we have to violently oppose secular authority. We would find our labors in the Kingdom of God more profitable if we were to focus on manifesting spiritual fruit, in a loving manner, instead of trying to force Christian moral principles on a clearly secular government. More is to be gained in loving the adulterer and the homosexual than will ever be gained in working to deny them federal recognition in marriage. I would rather see one adulterer or homosexual repent and establish a salvation relationship with Jesus than see ten thousand picketers carrying anti-gay-rights banners. Before we attack the secular rights of homosexuals we need to clean up our own congregations.
If we want a government that is governed by Christian principles then we need to stop and realize that this is exactly what we already have … after all, we are not of this world for we are a part of the Kingdom of God. The perfect theocracy!
