Dear Christian Clerks: Please Issue Gay Marriage Licenses

Dear Christian Clerks:

As you are well aware, the Supreme Court has recently ruled that homosexuals have the constitutional right to get married in the United States.  Like you, I believe this is clearly contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures and of our faith on the nature of marriage, and that gay marriage is sin.

But in spite of such feelings, I want to encourage you to do something that seems almost contrary to what our actions should be.  I would appeal to you, as your fellow Christian and brother in Christ:

Please issue gay marriage licenses if and when a homosexual couple requests to get married.  Don't protest these proceedings under the flag of civil disobedience, taking a stand for religious liberty, or in the name of Jesus Christ.

Please, hear me out.

I believe you should issue same sex marriage licenses to whoever requests one, even though our faith is clearly against such behavior, and that you can do so in good conscience without having sinned against the Lord.  My reasoning behind this is pretty simple.

In issuing a marriage license to a gay couple, you are not personally endorsing their "marriage" anymore than you are personally endorsing the marriage of anybody else.  You are simply acting as a representative of the state, and issuing a certificate that simply gives the couple legal standing in this country as a married couple.  That legal standing is not the same as you personally endorsing their decision to get married.

Think about it for a second, do you know a straight couple in your life that are getting married, but have no business whatsoever getting married, because they simply are incompatible with one another?  Let's say your Christian daughter wanted to marry a devout Muslim.  Such a marriage arrangement is clearly contrary to the teachings of our faith, and would clearly be a sin according to the Scriptures.  Without a doubt, the marriage would be a complete disaster.

Yet if they came into your county clerk's office to request a marriage certificate, even though you are personally opposed to your Christian daughter wanting to get married to a devout Muslim, would you not issue them a marriage certificate just the same?  Or if for whatever reason you don't, should not the state issue them one just the same?

Remember, just because you oppose the marriage to begin with, even on sincerely held religious grounds, does not mean you should refuse to issue the couple a marriage certificate to begin with.  Your issuing them a marriage certificate is not the same as you giving them your personal blessing, or endorsing their decision to get married.  Such is simply you carrying out a function of our government, and acting as an agent of the state who recognizes the right of any couple to get married.  And even in that capacity, the government is not in anyway endorsing the wisdom of that couple getting married.  It's simply saying they have the right to do so, no matter how sinful or stupid such a decision might ultimately be.

I don't believe you would be sinning against the Lord in issuing a gay couple a marriage certificate.  I understand your reluctance.  But I would encourage you to do so in good faith and clear conscience before the Lord.

For further reflection, I would encourage you to consider the likes of Joseph and other great men of God we read about in the Bible, who served as government officials in nations that were steeped in great pagan and idolatrous practices.  They carried out duties on behalf of their idolatrous governments, yet maintained a pure faith before the Lord.  Consider their example, and apply it the best you can to your situation.

Many blessings,


Jimmy

Franklin Graham: What if Lightning doesn't strike Obama?

Dear Mr. Franklin Graham:

In a recent post on Facebook, I noticed you got pretty upset over the White House being lit up like a gay rainbow flag.  I feel you on that, as it kinda turned my stomach too.

Like you, I object to gay marriage on Biblical grounds.  I definitely don't see gay marriage as something I care to celebrate, and like you, it grieves me that our society has embraced this particular sin.  I'm especially grieved that the White House chose to celebrate this historical mile marker in the fashion that they did.

However, as concerned as I am about these things, I am even more concerned about the public "attitude" you are displaying over this matter.  I mean seriously, what do you hope to accomplish by making a rant about the need for president Obama to invest in lightning rods?

Who does such a comment appeal to?  What good can come from it?  And most importantly, who do you hope to reach with such a comment, and what do you hope to win them to?  Do you imagine somebody is saying "Gee... Franklin Graham is really making a compelling point... I never thought about this issue like that before?"

Such a comment as you made was totally irresponsible, and does nothing whatsoever to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the kingdom of God.

In Luke 9, we read a story about how the Samaritans wouldn't have anything to do with Jesus and the apostles' ministry.  The apostles, feeling a bit scorned over the entire issue, thought it might be wise to ask the Lord if it was ok if they called fire down from heaven in response to their rejection.  Jesus instantly rebuked the apostles, telling them that they were out of their mind and didn't know what Spirit they were of.  For Jesus said to them that the Son of Man did not come to destroy men, but to save them instead.  In other words Mr. Graham... we shouldn't expect any lightning bolts to hit the White House anytime soon.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know... Sodom and Gomorrah.  Fire and brimstone.  The book of Revelation.  All that fun stuff.

Such things have had their time and place, and we will see them yet again.  They are Biblical.  But I can't help but prophetically intuit that such comments as you have recently made are a bit off.  And if I were a gambling man, I would confidently bet that president Obama will live out the rest of his days without being struck by lightning from heaven.

And if God doesn't in fact smite president Obama over all the evils our nation has embraced, what will you do?  Will you apologize for such comments?  Will you acknowledge on Facebook and elsewhere that you don't quite know the heart and mind of God as well as you thought?  And perhaps, just perhaps, you will see that God is a bit more merciful than you ever imagined?

After all, if God was able to put up with you in the days of your rebellion, don't you think He is also willing to practice a little kindness and mercy, and forbear the sins of  a blinded nation that doesn't quite know what it is doing.

Many blessings,

Jimmy

Our Hopes for Revival Are Dead: And I'm ok with that...

As we celebrate this Fourth of July, many Christians will do so out of a awakened sense that America is not exactly a "Christian nation" anymore.

The Supreme Court decision affirming gay marriage has caused many to realize that we are living in what many have labeled a "post-Christian" nation.  "Traditional values" have long gone out the window.  More than ever, Evangelicals are beginning to realize we are a minority group.

Cliched slogans about "turning America back to God" are losing their former prophetic fervor.  What was once our war cry has now started to become a distant echo.  Hopes for city and nation wide sized revivals are starting to die.  A few foolish "prophets" will still announce the next great move of God that is going to shake everything up from time to time.  And such will land such people a spot on a stage somewhere, or on the Elijah List.  But there they will go to see their hopes and dreams die, and their words having an origin from somewhere other than God.

But, slowly, over time, we will eventually wise up to the silliness of prophecies.  Such prophecies are often grounded in the desire for self-glorification that a so-called prophet has for themselves, coupled with a really bad theological foundation.

Indeed, I think our eyes will be opened to the truth that the primary reason that past "revivals" in America and Europe were ever able to exist in the first place is because there existed a nominal Christian culture that made such revivals possible.  That's not to say such revivals were purely a sociological phenomenon.  God was definitely at work.  But they were a miraculous sociological phenomenon, unique to their own time and place in history.  At the end of the day, these revivals were born in places where the name of Jesus was at least welcomed and familiar.  People still thought of themselves as being somewhat Christian.

Those days are quickly moving past us.

As recent studies have shown, an increasing number of Americans don't have any sense of religious identity.  Any possible outbreaks of "revival" that happen in America going forward will be very limited and regionally based.  But, as our nation as a people moves away from the places that Puritans and Jesus used to haunt, "revival" will be something we read about mostly in a few church history books.

And in spite of the many years of my life where I have studied, hoped for, prayed for, preached on, and had fellowship with other like minded individuals that yearned for revival, I have come to accept that our hopes for revival are ultimately dying and will soon be dead.  And I am ok with that.  I'm ready to move on.

I'm ready to move on to the not so glamorous Christian life.  I am ready to do the painful and difficult work of being a minister in the midst of trials and persecutions of a culture that is hostile to Jesus.  I am ready to embrace the grace I need for daily bread, and to share that bread with others who realize they are hungry for something other than what this world has to offer.  I am ready to speak to those who have ears to hear, and to show Jesus to those with eyes that can see.

Any "revival" we as a Church experience in America going forward will be a revival that sifts and refines us.  The next "great move of God" will involve God preparing a bride for Himself.  It will involve us asking hard questions about hard things, learning to accept difficult answers, growing in our understanding of grace, as we as the church earnestly seek the face of God in how to direct us into the next stage of history, so we can effectively carry out the work of His kingdom, and to be the people He has called us to be.

God will not judge America over gay marriage....

Lately, I've been reading a lot on social media about God's impending judgment on America because of the recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage.

However, I couldn't disagree more with this perspective.  God will not judge America over the issue of gay marriage.  No fire and brimstone is getting ready to fall from the sky.  We aren't about to be destroyed in an economic or nuclear holocaust.

Rather, looking to the apostle Paul and and what he said in Romans 1, we get a glimpse into the mind of the apostle as to what the "wrath of God revealed from heaven" normally looks like in God's dealings with mankind.  Paul wrote:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.  

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." ~ (Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭18-32‬, NASB)

In this passage we see that God's wrath seldom manifests itself in apocalyptic gestures involving angry angels smiting nations while calling down fire and brimstone.  Make no mistake, such has happened and will happen according to Scriptures. But, such grand gestures are exceptionally rare, and as a result, I believe we should be extremely reluctant to call down such judgments upon America, or any other nations.

Rather, God's normal means of bringing judgment on an individual or nation often comes in a much more subtle way.  Rather than summoning plagues and famines, God has a way of simply giving people over to the full magnitude of their own devices.  When you choose sin, God will often let you drink the fullness of your wants and desires, as He allows you to progress from one bad choice to another.

There is an old saying that says "sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and make you pay a higher price than you ever wanted to pay."  God has a way of letting people simply destroy themselves in their own sin.  People and nations have a way of rotting from within, and leaving nothing for God to strike down.  Fire and brimstone is seldom ever needed.  Rather, there is a tendency for people to simply waste away on their own.

We see this in many different ways in life.  For example, if you cover an indiscretion with a little white lie, it is often just a matter of time before you you have to tell another lie to cover your original lie, and before you know it, things snowball out of control, and you've told a thousand lies all because of one. Then finally the truth of a matter comes out, the lie is exposed, and the fallout ensues. We see things like this all the time with crooked politicians and business executives, or husbands who are cheating on their wives.

In light of such things, I can't help but dismiss the idea that God will judge America over things like gay marriage. And I believe that preachers who call for such things are often doing so out of extreme theological naivety.  They are venting their own frustrations instead of expressing the heart and mind of God.

Rather, a perspective that is more in keeping with Scripture, is that we have things like gay marriage in our land because God long ago judged America.  Gay marriage exists because God is simply letting us drink the fullness of our own ways.  We want our sin instead of God, and as a result, God is letting us have all the sin that we could ever hope for. He is allowing us to spiral out of control, as we sink further into the mire. And, long before a foreign army destroys us, or fire falls from heaven, God will allow our situations to go from bad to worse, as we destroy ourselves from within.

At the end of the day, things like gay marriage are but a sign that God long ago judged America, and that we are currently experiencing the wrath that is revealed from heaven.  The ruling of the Supreme Court is merely God turning us over to further depravity, and allowing us to become intoxicated from the cup of our own sin. 

If we wish to repent of anything, we have much deeper issues to look at than simply that of gay marriage.  Gay marriage is but the fruit of a tree with much deeper roots.

Challenging the "Coming Out" Narrative

Robin Roberts, an ABC news anchor on "Good Morning America" has recently "come out" as a gay woman. She is one of many homosexuals to do so in the public arena over the years. Such stories tend to pop up in the headlines from time to time. It has happened long enough and frequently enough now that a lot of people have started to shrug off such news headlines, as it simply isn't such a "big deal" anymore in America that people (especially those in the entertainment industry) are openly gay. Coming out of the closet is a generally accepted narrative in our culture, and the story isn't overly "newsworthy" as it once was.

Indeed, just the opposite, as the recent Duck Dynasty scandal shows, people openly and publicly speaking against homosexuality make more news and ruffle more feathers than those who do not. Indeed, taking such an open position can even cost somebody their job, as our cultural pendulum has swung so far left and progressive, that holding such a position is now considered, by in large, socially unacceptable. 

What is considered acceptable is for us to embrace, uncritically, the countless coming out stories that usually follow the predictable narrative of a gay person who felt pressure to conform to acceptable social norms, and did things like get married and have children, and otherwise "live a lie" as a repressed homosexual who wasn't free to be themselves. Then finally when they can take it no more they "come out" as a gay individual. 

That's often how the story goes. And it's a story whose truthfulness cannot be questioned. And if you dare raise an eyebrow and so much as question any part of this story, you will be considered a hater and biggot who does nothing more but engage in bullying and probably played games like "smear the queer" as an adolescent. 

What cannot be socially tolerated, however, are conversion stories that reverse this narrative. Stories where known homosexuals who came out of the closet find Jesus and become straight as a result. Such stories should be newsworthy, especially since it is culturally accepted (a claim without any scientific proof, as the American Psychiatric Association points out) that people are genetically born gay. If truly "born that way," then a homosexual becoming straight is as miraculous as a white man going to sleep and waking up as a Chinese woman. Everytime this happens, then this should become headline news, as it is more newsworthy than the story of somebody "coming out" of the closet.

And the truth of the matter is that there are thousands of such stories in our nation. But such stories are "repressed" in the media, because it is not considered socially acceptable and it is a narrative our society will not allow to be told. And why? Because if at the end of the day people are "born gay," then somebody claiming to be "born again" another way is proof of a miracle and proof that Jeus Christ is alive and really Lord. And if it turns out that science one day shows that homosexuality is more the result of choice than genetic pre-disposition, a conversion narrative will show that people are gay simply because they are sinners who love their sin, and their choices are something they might have to give an account for one day. And if either of these lines of reasoning are true, these are narratives our culture will truly do well to repress, because at the end of the day, men love the darkness instead of the light. And such men simply do not want Jesus wrecking their lives.