When Two World Views Collide

Dear brothers and sisters,

I have been reluctant to post a blog on this issue, but after watching facebook explode over the last day I feel like it is important to speak.  First, I do not support or indorse gay marriage.  As I currently stand (I say this only to leave room for a more clear understanding of what I believe in the future) I would not marry a homosexual couple in my church.  However, I do not know how I would handle a homosexual couple attending my church--isn't this the issue for all of us future church leaders?  Second, I say none of this with certainty.  What I want to do with this post is push us towards thinking about this issue from a different direction.

1. State <--> Church 

The United States government has already ruled on this issue in many ways.  Marriage in the church's eyes is a holy bond before God--arguably the closest we can come to experiencing the trinity.  One man and one women coming together as one in Christ, entering into a covenant with one another before God.  The United States government does not view marriage in this way--it can't because if it did it would be taking a stance with religious grounds as the basis.  With this view, marriage in the Christian sense is not what the government has to offer homosexual couples.  This sense is only offered by the church.  In short, marriage in the sense that the government is talking is not Christian marriage.  Further, it never will be because the government has already taken the stance of separating religion and the state.

2. Church <--> State

The church should not be functioning in line with the government.  We do not need to support the governments policies.  However, when I say support here I do not mean stand in opposition with legislation but, rather, not supporting their stance in the church.  There are problems with this issue.  If the government were to start forcing churches to marry homosexual couples then this would become a problem (I do not see this being an issue in the near future).  However, for the time being we can stand for our beliefs while staying uninvolved in the government's stances.  In short, the church should be just as separated from the state as the state is from the church.  (This view goes all the way back to Paul. If asked, I can write on this specifically.)

3.  Set Apart

The church is set apart.  Some of you may have read my blog about Rob Bell's support of gay marriage (you can read that here).  Since I have already written on this topic I will speak briefly on this issue.  Also, for many this seems to be the hinging point on the issue.

In my previous blog I shared that Rob's stance may push the church closer to American culture.  What I mean by closer to culture is that, if the church accepts gay marriage, then we will be becoming more secular to appeal to the secular world.  However, Rob may not be suggesting that the church accept gay marriage within but only accept it from the outside.  Those who are not in the church are not held to our standard and we should not expect them to be.

It is hard to tell what exactly Rob is referring to (typical Rob Bell), but the deeper issue is the church needs to be the called out ones.  Called out of society and apart from the government.

4.  Loving Out

My final point is a culmination of these ideas.  We, the church, are not the United States government (and we never will be).  We are Christ's body, and we follow his guidance in the world.  We are not bound by secular governments because our head transcends all secular governments.  With this we are called to love those outside of the body.  Those outside the body are not expected to live to our standards.  Further, after joining the body, the only hope we have is in Christ convicting and teaching us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot expect our standards of them; we can only love.  Loving out...

Please remember, these are thinking points.  They are not the end all or the final world.  This is only the beginning of the conversation.

Yours,
Chris