The whole of conservative America, it would seem, has weighed in on the United States Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states. People from every walk of life, starting with the dissenting judges and extending out to the majority of Bible-believers, responded en masse in tweets, Facebook posts, letters to the editor, calls to radio talk shows, and, no doubt, in pulpits from coast to coast on the following Sunday morning. We were all stunned by a 5-4 decision that legitimized a fundamental redefinition of the most basic building block of society, the nuclear family. As shocking as it may have been, this ruling did not signal the end of the controversy. One only needs to consider that the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion triggered a war of words, political turmoil and even physical violence for forty-two years and counting. In fact, acceptance of abortion became the shibboleth for many politicians if they had any hopes of being elected.
This is where the present issue is headed. The ruling only opened the starting gates for the supporters of SSM. Next, they will insist that same sex couples be afforded the same legitimacy in society that has been enjoyed by heterosexual couples for millenniums. Billboards, magazine covers, television commercials, sitcoms, primetime shows, movie themes and popular songs, along with every other possible media outlet, will flaunt, promote and celebrate this newly-contrived right. The flip side of this campaign will be a correspondingly vicious attack on anyone who disparages SSM. Those who oppose it will be charged with hate speech, and boycotts, aggressive protest movements, and mandatory seminars aimed at reeducating the nation on sexual orientation will rock the Christian world. With the assured support of the mainstream media, they will succeed. Once that hurdle is cleared, same-sex marriage will be advocated as not only the normal, but even the superior form of marriage.
But the statistics reveal a radically different reality than the SSM proponents would have us believe. Dr. Timothy J. Dailey, Senior Fellow at the Center for Marriage and Family Studies has done extensive research on the subject and has come up with very different conclusions. He says, “On the contrary, the evidence indicates that “committed” homosexual relationships are radically different from married couples in several key respects: relationship duration, monogamy vs. promiscuity, relationship commitment, number of children being raised, health risks, rates of intimate partner violence, and, with evidence from gay activists themselves, an indication that behind the push for gay marriage lies a political agenda to radically change the institution of marriage itself.” (www.frc.org) So, before anyone buys into the popular philosophy on SSM, he or she needs to see what’s behind it all.
Let us now shift our focus from the problem itself to the impact all of this will have on the church. The truth is that down through the ages, the cosmos has declared war on God’s chosen people time after time. In fact, American culture has been an anomaly for religious freedom. From its inception to the last half of the twentieth century, the church has enjoyed a favorable political climate, relatively free from interference or persecution, in which to exercise its religious beliefs. The historical perspective, however, is very different. In their history, monotheistic Jews endured heavy persecution for their faith, much of it coming from the monarchies under which they labored. The Pharaohs of Egypt enslaved the Hebrew nation for four hundred years. It was the king’s decree that landed Daniel in the lions’ den, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. The writer to the Hebrews recounts the list of tortures to which believers were subjected: “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:35-38). Foxes Book of Martyrs recounts the stories of hundreds persecuted believers and the grisly ways they were tortured. This was the norm. The primitive church fled their tormentors and scattered throughout Asia Minor. The generations of American Christians have never been subjected to anything resembling this kind of treatment on an official and widespread basis.
Is this our time? Are we about to see an unprecedented trashing of Christianity? In the name of civil rights and humanitarianism, ostensively out of respect for all values or agendas, will Bible-believing people begin to suffer physical harm, fines and/or imprisonment for our adherence to the Word of God? The prospect of such oppression now hovers on the horizon. If it does, we’re not talking petty harassment or embarrassment. It will be officially sanctioned tyranny over any citizen who openly propagates or exercises Bible-based convictions. Moreover, it may go beyond actions against the church. Government will likely intervene into families, especially targeting parents who try to raise their children with Bible values.
Jesus Christ issued warnings about this kind of persecution. “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:7-13).
Persecution is already the norm in totalitarian states like China, N. Korea and other countries. America has been spared. We cannot predict the future with any accuracy in terms of time and location. Let us simply preach the Word, reach the lost, worship God and have revival! Victory has a price, and if we intend to triumph, we will have to pay that price. If we have a year, five years, ten years or more, the church must capitalize on the freedoms we now possess in order to be about our Father’s business. For those of us who don’t like what is happening, let us also be reminded that “this world is not our home; we’re just a passin’ through!” As one veteran preacher said, “We are not citizens of this world trying to make our way to heaven; we are citizens of heaven trying to make our way through this world!”