Being a veteran of thousands of political forum debates over the years, especially the ones over gay marriage, I've heard the assertion made by a Christian, "gay marriage will hurt my right to practice my faith effectively" and the retort would "how does someone being gay hurt your right to practice your faith effectively?"
So, I had an epiphany which dealt with the latter question. I was reading the news the other day which trumpeted an unprecedented move by the Presbyterian Church to approve of gay marriage. The epiphany? Not only is the Presbyterian church the largest Protestant denomination to endorse/accept gay marriage, it could start a disturbing and destructive trend within Christianity as it is in the United States.
That trend, if it continues, would effectively change the way I worship when and if in fact my denomination chose to approve of gay marriage. I as a Christian personally find this wholly unacceptable and a betrayal of the faith.
"For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."
--1 Corinthians 8:10-12
"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself.But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."
--Romans 14:13-23
So, I had an epiphany which dealt with the latter question. I was reading the news the other day which trumpeted an unprecedented move by the Presbyterian Church to approve of gay marriage. The epiphany? Not only is the Presbyterian church the largest Protestant denomination to endorse/accept gay marriage, it could start a disturbing and destructive trend within Christianity as it is in the United States.
That trend, if it continues, would effectively change the way I worship when and if in fact my denomination chose to approve of gay marriage. I as a Christian personally find this wholly unacceptable and a betrayal of the faith.
"For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."
--1 Corinthians 8:10-12
"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself.But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."
--Romans 14:13-23
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