May 27, 2009
Mourning Proposition Eight: Dragging Jesus Through the Mud and Wasting $85 Million
I’d rather not rant about this Proposition Eight business. I think it’s more appropriate to mourn this mess spear-headed by Christians and Mormons.
I understand that some Christians see this as a freedom of speech issue, being able to define marriage as they best understand. I also know that many Christians are deeply troubled by defining marriage in terms other than a man and a woman.
However, we need to step back here and look at the larger picture. We need to look at the role of Christians in the grand scheme of things as ambassadors for Christ, ministers of the Gospel, and God’s redemptive people. We don’t have to approve of same sex marriage, but we do have to think of our mission, our reason for being here.
I like the way Paul speaks of his ministry—he describes himself as a good soldier who has to focus on obeying his commanding officer and completing his mission. Anything that gets in the way of that mission must go.
Christians are here on this earth to share the Gospel, to be agents of God’s Kingdom, and to bring redemption to this world. We’re picking up where Jesus left off: preaching the Good News, healing, and discipling. We can certainly involve ourselves in the matters of our state, however, we must carefully weigh whether these matters have an adverse effect on our mission. If they hinder our mission, then our involvement with the state must go.
The fact of the matter is that Christians are generally labeled as anti-homosexual, if not flagrantly homophobic and hateful toward homosexuals. The other fact of the matter is that Jesus has sent us to preach the Gospel to everyone, including this group. Therefore, it is my assertion that this Proposition Eight business has only succeeded in dragging Jesus through the mud and wasting $85 million that we all know could have been put to much, much better use.
Supporters of Proposition Eight spent around $40 million—it’s opponents $45 million. Just think about the impact that money could have had with groups such as World Vision, Prison Fellowship, Not for Sale, or just about any other missions and service group. This money could have saved lives, supported missionaries who preach the Gospel, or at least paid to place the Bible in someone’s hand.
Instead the followers of Jesus are known as intolerant and anti-homosexual. We can talk all day about supporting Prop. Eight while not being anti-gay, but no one will believe us. Our actions are drowning out anything we may say, whether about ourselves or about the Gospel.
Proposition Eight has crowded out the Gospel. Perhaps it’s not evil in and of itself, though some may make that case, but it certainly has taken evangelical Christians, people who are defined by the Gospel and its life-changing power, away from their primary mission to be witnesses who preach the Gospel.
The survival of Proposition Eight to fight another day means that more money and time will be squandered on something that really has nothing to do with preaching the Good News that Jesus offers salvation and redemption through his death and resurrection. The Gospel cannot be found in the fight for this law, no matter what we make of it. And as much as it inhibits our ability to fulfill the mission Jesus gave us, we must avoid such peripheral matters.
Let us resolve to know nothing other than Christ crucified and the power of his Resurrection.
Ed,
I think you hit the nail on the head. Besides the problem of legislating morality, the issue here is where we are putting our efforts. If $85 million (or even, $40 million) went to some organization or to fight hunger, we would be more in line with Christ’s mission because I’m pretty sure what Jesus says is his mission in Luke 4 says NOTHING (let me say that again, NOTHING) about marriage, let alone gay marriage. My problem is also with the Christians who support gay marriage, who are placing their attention here, as well.
Thanks Evan! This is certainly a thorny issue that requires a great deal of discernment. May we seek God’s Kingdom first.
I agree, Ed. My job isn’t to save the culture, even if I think it would be a better culture if it followed my moral guidelines. My job is to glorify God, care for the weak and make disciples. Goodness knows that’s enough to keep me busy.
Yeah, your point reminds me that Andy Crouch didn’t write a book called “Culture Savers,” but rather “Culture Makers.” It puts us in a more constructive position. Thanks Adrienne!
Thank you for this. I especially like what you said about the apostle Paul’s commitment to the Kingdom first. He had plenty of “fires” to put out in his time, yet chose to remain focused on declaring the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ and not so much on trying to change Rome’s stance on allowing(mandating really) people to sacrifice to state idols.
There is a strong tension for me in this issue. On one side, I wonder if there is anything wrong with passing laws that flow from a biblical worldview. If we truly believe it to be wrong then why shouldn’t it be illegal. The gospel should express itself in a way the recreates societies as well as individuals, right?
Another part of the tension is that we live in a country whose liberties allow us the freedom to choose to do the right thing or the wrong thing as we see fit. While this is frustrating, it is very like the freedom that God gives us to either choose to live with/trust/love/obey him or not. So maybe the best thing to do is to allow the most amount of choice. (this seems to be your position on the political side on the discussion, Ed.)
For me, it has been pretty hard to watch the prop 8 discussion because I have friends who have been alienated from the church because of their homosexual lifestyle. While there is a time and place for church discipline, I think most of their frustrations have been with fearful or downright hate-filled Christians(either in their families or in the public square). If those people continue to love them and worry about declaring Christ crucified for them, I believe the situation would be changed in a much more constructive manner. May we continue on our mission of loving as Christ loved and may we be granted wisdom on how and when to shape our societies.
Well said, and thanks to cwillz for directing me here. I find it interesting that there is so much attention to homosexual unions than to, say, divorce, which Christ spoke against himself. Although I agree that it too would be missing the point, where are the marches and millions to make divorce (perhaps with the exception of infidelity) illegal? Might it have anything to do with the fact that a third of our congregations are divorced, but less than one percent is gay? Translate these numbers into amounts of wood, and I believe we have our speck and our beam.
Mike, I like how you put that. We’ve got a lot of lumber in our churches…
Chris, I’d say that we need to evaluate our laws from the perspective of justice and individual liberty. For example, we should certainly legislate to preserve freedom in the cases of human traffiking or to preserve life by banning certain guns that have no relationship with hunting.
However, issues such as homosexuality or adultery are matters of morality, not so much a matter of justice. We can’t legislate in such a way to stop people from having affairs or leaving their spouses. We don’t have to approve of this kind of behavior, but a secular state cannot force someone to live morally in that sense. However, the state must force people to stop killing each other or enslaving one another.
I hope that helps a bit.
[...] Ed Cyzewski, author of Coffeehouse Theology, wrote an excellent post on the Christian response to California Supreme Court’s upholding of Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, thus, banning gay marriage. Wherever individual Christians find themselves in this debate, Ed offers good advice, which is, Christians must first and foremost be focusing their time and energy on the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven (which I’m pretty sure Jesus said first). Read his post “Mourning Proposition Eight: Dragging Jesus Through the Mud and Wasting $85 Million” here. [...]
Ed (and friends),
Really well thought out stuff here. I like when people find a way to put into words what I was having a hard time articulating. The number of things wrong with the government enforcing what might and might not be marriage is staggering. In a free democracy, people need to have the right to choose their own path.
But I think Ed’s overall point is the best. What’s the likelihood of an openly gay supporter of Prop 8 showing up in a California church in the next couple of Sundays? Slim to none. I don’t think I’m alone in having my heart broken by that thought. People are being kept from the most beautiful and meaningful relationship available to them, and it’s because of a legislative food fight (based on the price tag, they must be throwing steaks).
Before we start getting involved with who someone marries, we ought to find out who they’re in love with. Because if they haven’t found the love of Christ yet, then we must stop at nothing to introduce them.
–End Rant–
J