We Are All on Level Ground

Taken from National Geographic

 As the clouds gather and the yellow light of the setting sun is storm-palpable, I have been pondering the current cultural view of Christians when it comes to gay marriage.  The media and other outspoken individuals characterize Christians as condemning, angry people that are as rooted in their misconceptions as deeply as those who once said having a dark skin color made you a lesser creature.

The whole debate over gay marriage comes down to who decides what marriage is?  Many in our country have been fed and swallowed the idea of relativism.  This idea hinges on the concept that the individual decides what is right and wrong for themselves.  But there are many in America that still hold to God's Word as the plumbline for what is true.  And if we take from scripture, then it is pretty obvious and clear that marriage is between a man and a woman.

This is quite a controversial position to hold.  The voices that I have heard speaking loudest against this tout it follows you are somehow in opposition to gay people.  Somehow that you go from disagreeing to their philosophy on marriage to all of a sudden hate.  That is a pretty big leap.

Let me give an example.  I ask my child to put a toy away, he refuses, I rebuke the behavior, but do I hate my child?

Or, I disagree with someone at work over how to approach managing a problem.  We can't seem to agree on our approach, but do I hate my coworker because of this?

I have changed in leaps and bounds since I was a teenager, but there is a theme I held to then that I still do.  It breaks my heart to see and hear the harassment of gay people; it amazes me that hate can infest in such deep and ugly places in people.  Untold numbers of offenses have been committed by others against people just because they were gay.

Are you born gay?  Is it a choice?  Well, I would like to put forward that it is irrelevant in many ways to ask the question.  It just is a reality for some people.  Same sex attraction exists, the Bible tells us what it is - sin.  That is a word that can ignite fires.

The other thing the Lord has told us is "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God".  All means me, it means you - everyone. None of us measure up to perfection.  I was born in a sinful flesh; I was born a sinner.  From an early age I lied, coveted, disobeyed my parents and could be generally cruel to others.  Is that all I was?  By no means.  Every child is a born sinner, but every child is also made in the image of God ("God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."  Genesis 1:27).  We bear His stamp!  In my own children I see so many good things!  Things that remind me of the character of God.  But my joy over this fact has not blinded me to the obvious reality of how much they are ruled with their own sinful desires.  The struggle to parent them in turn points out a million failings that I am still entrenched in. 

It saddens my heart.  It threatens to tear apart thinking someone might miss out on the message of forgiveness, healing, salvation and wholeness because of their misconceptions over the person of Christ.  The term "Christian" means "little Christ".  It is rich with the idea of the individual imitating Christ in the sphere in which they find themselves.  We as part of the church in North America have had such failing in this area.  Perhaps it is simply another demonstration of how all of us are so far from perfection.

I can't think of one person that doesn't need healing and wholeness.  I can't think of one person that has no sin.  And my mind grasps at air when trying to think of anyone who couldn't use a little tune up in one area or another of life.

I have large holes in me.  Places where ugly seeps out, anger, irrationality and harshness.  And yet, I have been promised that because I have given my life over to Christ, I don't have to default to my human nature.  I don't have to, but sometimes I do.  Sometimes, I mess up - ask my family; my neighbor.

Writing these things down will not change many of your perspectives, I am simply giving voice to my own.  It is tragic that media and others paint hateful pictures of people that hold to traditional marriage.  It can only lead our country down a dangerous road of "think like me, or beware".  To sound all too American and cliche - it isn't the foundation this nation was built on; where many people and viewpoints can live together.

We have entered a time in our country and culture where the only thing it is okay to hate is Christianity.  Might I offer another choice, put off hating all together?

**** This post was written a few weeks ago, but went unpublished due to my raw feelings and rushed nature in which I wrote it.  I was browsing through my files and decided to make some minor changes and publish it now.  Though I live in Canada, I write this as an American - just in case anyone is confused.  For some reason so many of my friends and family think I somehow became Canadian when I married one :)****