My friend, Pastor Mark Jeske, host of the "Time of Grace" television program recently offered some thoughts about last week's Supreme Court decision. Let me share some of what Pastor Jeske wrote:
In my pastoral opinion, the best thing straight Christians can do to protect "one man, one woman" marriage is to take better care of their own marriages. Marriage is like a car - if you just drive it and drive it and never refuel or do maintenance, the car will die by the side of the road.
Christians should stop expecting that their government will be the teacher of national morality...Our nation's laws are based not on the Bible but on what the people want. That's the downside risk. But there is an upside - the darker and bleaker our world gets, the better and more desirable our Christian communities will appear. Where God's Word and Spirit are disappearing, Satan moves in. In Satan's wake are always pain, conflict, hatred, selfishness, and cruelty.
Opposition to the LGBT agenda and lifestyle is not "homophobia." That very word is a made up mishmash - "phobos" is the Greek word for "fear." We are not "afraid" of gay people. We are simply convinced by the clear words of Scripture. Neither are we haters. Christians whose harsh words make them look like haters only make the Biblical position look backward and distasteful.
People with same sex desires are people too, people loved unconditionally by the Lord, sinners just like you and me in desperate need of the blood of the Lamb. People who feel shunned by their families and churches are often intensely lonely and can find acceptance and support only in the gay world. We need to find a way to make people with gay desires feel valued and loved even while discouraging living their lifestyle. We must find a way to welcome people even when not sanctioning parts of their lifestyle. Gay people need to be in church. Gay people need Jesus.
LGBT advocates argue that the very presence of gay desires legitimizes those desires. Their Christian allies will say things like, "This is how God made me." Biblical Christians do not have to yield on this point. The presence of a desire in someone's mind and heart does not make it right. A persistent subset of the population fantasizes about sex with children. That does not make it right.
You can read the complete presentation by Pastor Jeske at the Time of Grace website. May the days ahead lead us all to a concerted time of prayer and Scripture reading as we reflect on how believers in Christ can show and share His love to all people while standing firm on the clear teachings of the Bible, teaching that are designed to keep us safe and enable us to live out our new life in Christ.
