:: in.a.mirror.dimly ::

The Vermont state legislature is currently considering the passage of a bill legalizing same sex marriage. VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports:

(Kinzel) Scott Libby is the pastor of the Grace Brethren Church in Irasburg. He said the bill was in direct conflict with the word of God as written in the Bible:

(Libby) "God has given government authority to help restrain sin but when government begins to legalize and legitimize sinful practices defined by God then it starts down a road that will lead to the persecution of god [sic] fearing people. [I inserted the period here in trying to match the audio] To endorse the immoral in a sense then is to condemn the moral"

Here’s my thing, you don’t have to like same sex marriage. It’s a free country, and you can vote against it for whatever reason you like. However, once we start talking about the reasons why a Christian should adopt a particular position on an issue, we need to be careful. Christians have employed a variety of reasons for opposing same sex marriage, and this is one of the less palatable arguments—the good ole’ slippery slope toward persecution.

Fear mongering is an effective tactic used by the left and the right. The left fears those zealot Christians who want to bring back the Salem Witch trials and lock up gays and people who have had abortions. The right fears the “politically correct” liberals who preach an intolerant tolerance that aims to abolish religion, ban the Bible, and one day lock up Christians in prison. Even my caricature for  either side should at least give you an idea of the rhetoric, fear, and assumptions that get tossed around with these debates and end up clouding the debate to the point that little can be accomplished.

Supporters of same sex marriage can do a lot to advance the debate here if they can provide some guarantees to Christians of their religious liberties. Whether or not these fears are valid or justified, Christians and homosexuals have something in common here. Both groups want to be able to practice their “beliefs” in complete freedom. In a sense, if Christians like pastor Libby don’t have to worry about liberals taking over their churches and restricting their freedoms, then a major plank for their opposition is lost. The fact is that Vermont has no shortage of congregations willing to give same sex marriage their stamp of approval, so why not give the ones who don’t support it a guarantee that they won’t have their arms twisted? It’s not like same sex couples will be lining up to be married by pastor Libby any way.

Christians need to take a long and hard look at their priorities as disciples of Christ. I am not going to tell Christians which side to choose in this debate because I believe there is a higher calling for us. Some may have their reasons for opposing this legislation, and I respect that.  However, the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not give us that mandate. Jesus has given us the two greatest commandments: love God and love one another. He commanded us to go out and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to obey his teachings.

In other words, our core identity and mandate for action as Christians comes from the living Gospel message of Jesus that reconciles us with God, not with a conservative agenda for American politics. There is nothing inherently wrong with conservative or liberal politics—big government or small government is still government. What’s wrong is making conservative policy part of our Christian calling—as if we could make more and better Christians in America by banning same sex marriage.

Same sex marriage is a badge on our nation that Christians fear—a badge that our time of cultural and political dominance is over. Whether or not homosexual practice is a sin, and the Bible sure does seem to say it is, our calling as disciples of Christ isn’t in opposing legislation for our earthly kingdom, but rather in preaching the Gospel that the Kingdom of God has come, repent and believe the Good News.