BreakPoint
This week, October 12 through 18, has been designated Marriage Protection Week by the president. A coalition of Christians and conservatives is using this week to explain to our society how marriage is being threatened and why we must protect it.
The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. This summer, a Canadian court ruled that Canada's ban on homosexual "marriage" was unconstitutional. Since then, the city of Toronto has issued 757 marriage licenses to same-sex couples. One-third of those couples were from the United States.
Three weeks after the Canadian court decision, in Lawrence v. Texas, the United States Supreme Court ruled Texas's law against sodomy unconstitutional. Homosexual advocates were ecstatic about the decision, claiming that it would lead to the legalization of same-sex "marriage" here in the United States.
I agree. That was a terrible court decision. And I think it will lead, eventually, to the legalization of much more: polygamy, incest, pedophilia, and even bestiality. As Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent, the decision in Lawrence v. Texas "effectively decrees the end of all morals legislation."
Furthermore, we're fighting this battle in a culture whose understanding of marriage has been steadily eroding for years. A Gallup poll shows that 40 percent of Americans believe that same-sex "marriages" should be legalized.
How are Christians to make the case for marriage to such a society? We need to remember the biblical injunction to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Although our worldview is grounded in biblical presuppositions, we cannot frame our arguments to a secular society in those terms. If we simply say to people, "The Bible says this is wrong," they'll come right back with, "That's fine for you, but we don't believe the Bible. So you do what you want to do, and we'll do what we want."
Instead, we have to show them why same-sex "marriage" is wrong for everyone. As Professor J. Budziszewski of the University of Texas puts it, it's an "oxymoron." Therefore, it must not be legalized. We have to work from an understanding of the natural order, which is clear to anyone who actually observes human relationships and how they work. In his excellent book THE CLASH OF ORTHODOXIES, Princeton professor Robert George explains that marriage is consummated by an act that is reproductive in nature, whether or not it actually leads to the birth of a child. And it creates an organic unity that homosexual acts do not and cannot.
And that's not even considering the fact that life expectancy for homosexual males is twenty to thirty years less than that for heterosexual males, according to several studies. We should not be urging our government to sanction a practice that is so destructive to the health of the individual and society. And these are good, strong arguments based on the common good.
I urge you to call us at BreakPoint (1-877-322-5527) to learn more about this grievous threat to marriage. We want to send you some very good resources, including a CD featuring discussions with both Robert George and J. Budziszewski on same-sex "marriage"; information on the health risks of homosexuality; and much more. Make no mistake, the future of our society is at stake; this is a battle in which every Christian needs to get involved.
What’s at Stake
This week, October 12 through 18, has been designated Marriage Protection Week by the president. A coalition of Christians and conservatives is using this week to explain to our society how marriage is being threatened and why we must protect it.
The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. This summer, a Canadian court ruled that Canada's ban on homosexual "marriage" was unconstitutional. Since then, the city of Toronto has issued 757 marriage licenses to same-sex couples. One-third of those couples were from the United States.
Three weeks after the Canadian court decision, in Lawrence v. Texas, the United States Supreme Court ruled Texas's law against sodomy unconstitutional. Homosexual advocates were ecstatic about the decision, claiming that it would lead to the legalization of same-sex "marriage" here in the United States.
I agree. That was a terrible court decision. And I think it will lead, eventually, to the legalization of much more: polygamy, incest, pedophilia, and even bestiality. As Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent, the decision in Lawrence v. Texas "effectively decrees the end of all morals legislation."
Furthermore, we're fighting this battle in a culture whose understanding of marriage has been steadily eroding for years. A Gallup poll shows that 40 percent of Americans believe that same-sex "marriages" should be legalized.
How are Christians to make the case for marriage to such a society? We need to remember the biblical injunction to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Although our worldview is grounded in biblical presuppositions, we cannot frame our arguments to a secular society in those terms. If we simply say to people, "The Bible says this is wrong," they'll come right back with, "That's fine for you, but we don't believe the Bible. So you do what you want to do, and we'll do what we want."
Instead, we have to show them why same-sex "marriage" is wrong for everyone. As Professor J. Budziszewski of the University of Texas puts it, it's an "oxymoron." Therefore, it must not be legalized. We have to work from an understanding of the natural order, which is clear to anyone who actually observes human relationships and how they work. In his excellent book THE CLASH OF ORTHODOXIES, Princeton professor Robert George explains that marriage is consummated by an act that is reproductive in nature, whether or not it actually leads to the birth of a child. And it creates an organic unity that homosexual acts do not and cannot.
And that's not even considering the fact that life expectancy for homosexual males is twenty to thirty years less than that for heterosexual males, according to several studies. We should not be urging our government to sanction a practice that is so destructive to the health of the individual and society. And these are good, strong arguments based on the common good.
I urge you to call us at BreakPoint (1-877-322-5527) to learn more about this grievous threat to marriage. We want to send you some very good resources, including a CD featuring discussions with both Robert George and J. Budziszewski on same-sex "marriage"; information on the health risks of homosexuality; and much more. Make no mistake, the future of our society is at stake; this is a battle in which every Christian needs to get involved.
For further reading and information:
Call 1-877-322-5527 to receive the "Speak the Truth in Love" resource kit ($25).
"Marriage Protection Week, 2003," by the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation, 3 October 2003.
To learn more about Marriage Protection Week, visit the official website.
"Chuck Colson's Response to the Texas Sodomy Law Decision," BreakPoint Online, 26 June 2003.
Pamela Wong, "Christian Groups Mobilize on the 'Issue of Our Time': Protecting Marriage," Concerned Women for America, 2 October 2003.
"Toronto Marriage License Statistics," Equal Marriage for Same-Sex Couples (a Canadian site in favor of same-sex "marriage"), 3 October 2003.
Joel Belz, "Something to Scream About," World, 11 October 2003.
Bridget Maher, "Why Marriage Should Be Privileged in Public Policy," Family Research Council.
Family Research Council has a web page devoted to Marriage Protection Week, including a copy of the Marriage Protection Pledge (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
Cheryl Wetzstein, "Groups pledge to protect marriage," Washington Times, 3 October 2003.
Charles A. Donovan, "The Dogcatcher's Coat," BreakPoint Online, 17 July 2003.
BreakPoint Commentary No. 030616, "Power Plays: Santorum and the Sex Lobby."
Roberto Rivera, "No Other Kind," BreakPoint Online, 22 October 2002.
Gina Dalfonzo, "Speaking Different Languages," BreakPoint Online, 31 July 2003.
See the "Worldview for Parents" pages, "http://www.pfm.org/BPtemplate.cfm?A New Sexual Revolution" and "The Way God Made Them?"
Robert George, The Clash of Orthodoxies (ISI Books, 2001).
Tim Dailey, Dark Obsession: The Tragedy and Threat of the Homosexual Lifestyle, Family Research Council.
09/8/06
