Kerby Anderson
For centuries, marriage was defined as one man and one woman. But various states and then the Supreme Court in its controversial 5-4 decision ruled that every state must recognize same-sex marriage. That was not the end of the debate. The House of Representatives recently passed the deceptively named Respect for Marriage Act to codify the Supreme Court decision.
There are many good reasons to reject the concept of same-sex marriage, which I recount in our Point of View booklet on a Biblical Point of View on Same Sex Marriage. Many of those arguments that were cited before the 2015 Supreme Court decision are now coming to fruition. And we don’t have to guess how the redefinition of marriage will affect religious liberty. We have seen it play out in the courts.
Nevertheless, a greater percentage of Americans now support same-sex marriage. When Gallup first began tracking support for same-sex marriage in 1996 a quarter of Americans (27%) backed legalization. The most recent poll found that seven in ten (71%) believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by law as valid.
This significant shift illustrates three important points. First, activists presented same-sex marriage as “marriage equality” as illustrated by the bumper sticker that merely had an “equals” sign. Second, Americans tend to take their cues from what is legal. Third, most pastors need to explain the importance of the biblical definition of marriage.
One group of Americans that does still oppose legalized same-sex marriage are weekly churchgoers. In fact, approval for same-sex marriage in this group has fallen a few percentage points in the last few years. By contrast, Americans who seldom or never attend church are much more likely to support same-sex marriage.
That is why pastors must remind their congregation of what the Bible says about marriage, and why it is still important in the 21st century.
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Penna Dexter