As the pastor of a Christian church, I am greatly saddened that other ministers have chosen to distort what the Bible says about one of the most fundamental relationships in all of humanity — the relationship of marriage.
As an African-American, I know the importance and necessity of civil rights and civil liberties and I am deeply troubled by their use of those as an argument for altering God’s definition of marriage to fit the sexual desires of those who choose to ignore His word.
The God of the Bible is a gracious God, showing goodness and kindness to all of His creation without merit. As Americans, we count on God’s graciousness when we repeat that phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag: “one nation, under God … with liberty and justice for all.” Our being one nation under God is the precise reason it is possible to provide liberty and justice for all. Because of God’s graciousness, we affirm we have been given “certain inalienable rights” and that among these rights are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
But do we understand that enjoyment of God’s benefits is linked to heeding His standards? People sometimes mistake God’s graciousness to mean He has no standards for right and wrong, and for promoting what is good for the human family.
Our nation underwent the horror of a civil war because we forgot He created all people — and all races — as equal. And, according to the Bible we are either actively serving God, and can expect His approval, or we are actively disobeying God and can expect His disapproval.
The Bible frankly commends sexual expression between a woman and a man in marriage, while consistently condemning homosexsual behavior in both the Old and New Testaments (see Gen. 2:22-24; Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:26-28).
Our country is involved in a debate as to whether there should be a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as a union between one woman and one man.
It must be recognized that God designed traditional marriage. God’s design for marriage is good for all of mankind, and has been since the beginning of the human race. To change God’s standard for the family is to put the very future and good of our country in jeopardy.
The issue is not complex — it is easy to see God’s design for marriage is also the best design for the human race and promotes the common good of every nation.
Traditional marriage has always been the core unit of the family. It has created an arena for a woman and man to express femininity and masculinity in a complementary and cooperative manner. Additionally, children reared by a mother and father have the advantage of closely observing human sexuality in its male and female forms. This is vital to the sexual identity of children reared in the home environment.
Boys need to see masculinity modeled, and girls need to see femininity modeled. The marriage of a mother to a mother cannot meet a child’s need to see healthy maleness modeled. Similarly, a marriage of a father to another father cannot meet a child’s need to see healthy femaleness modeled. But the marriage of one man to one woman has done this very well.
The standard of marriage defined as a union of a man and a woman has benefited human development by encouraging male and female cooperation, and by providing vital models of male and female sexuality to children nurtured in the home.
These are a few reasons why traditional marriage should be protected from the current attempts to promote same-sex “marriages.” While the benefits of traditional marriage and family have contributed to the health and strength of our country, same-sex “marriage” advocates have not proven it will not harm the traditionally family unit.
The Bible reminds us that God is especially gracious to those who pursue a life and relationship with Him. He does not stop loving us when we fall short of keeping the standard, and, contrary to what some pastors preach, he does not stop loving us because we sin. He is gracious, forgiving, and Holy. But he loves us enough to hold us accountable to standards, which benefit us, while fulfilling His creative purposes.
The definition marriage as a union between one man and one woman is one of those standards. We must trust God, and His standard for marriage.
REV. TYRONE QUEEN
Pastor, Oakland Baptist Church
Alexandria, Va.
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