During high school, I recall a history teacher explaining to
his students that some court cases were extremely important, and others were
not. This week saw a series of important cases, and the two SCOTUS decisions
touching on the question of gay marriage – both DOMA and California’s
Proposition 8 – have been weighing heavily on my heart for the past couple of
days. My thoughts regarding these cases have solidified around two areas of
significance – what is the significance of these rulings for a secular nation? And
why is marriage such a big deal for Christians? These cases cause my heart to
bleed for a land unable to recognize truth, justice, beauty, or goodness anymore.
As Dr. Richard Gamble so eloquently persuaded his students
in Philosophy of History, America is not a Christian nation specifically called
by God; current statistics indicate that the United States is no longer
populated by a majority of orthodox Christians. That being the case, we should
not expect Christian understandings to be assumed legal practices. Even so, I
think this court case marks a development in the national consciousness. As a
nation we have now enshrined in the highest law of the land an unwillingness to
define one practice as right or true. We have broken with the tradition of our
fathers going back for centuries. We are the heirs of a tradition, a set of
practices, that have come down to us from Washington ‘til now, and this court case marks a specific
historical moment when we as a people proclaim that tradition of truth, beauty,
and goodness to be unworthy of practice. In his much commented upon dissent,
Justice Antonin Scalia points at the sheer idiocy which will result from
lacking a uniform definition of marriage. Whether Christian or no, any “child
of the kindly west” can recognize this case as a moment of rejecting the
heritage of our forefathers.
While I see myself within that western tradition, I also
consider myself within a more narrow Christian tradition and it is in that
context that my heart truly breaks over this decision. For the Christian, this
case is not a question of states’ rights, federalism, libertarian freedom or
oppressive morality. Christian theology proclaims marriage as the ultimate
metaphor of God’s unfailing love for a people who continually reject him. As
God calls us to repentance, we are like an unfaithful wife who returns to her
husband. This case undermines the theological meaning of marriage, and thus our
understanding of how God and man relate through Christ. I have met many
Christians of my own generation (everyone currently under age 30) who support
the question of “gay rights” based on superficial notions of love and freedom.
They fail to connect the importance of a biblical understanding of marriage with
salvation and the person of Christ. The question of marriage also plays into
gender roles, family structure, and general understandings of authority. This
is not a simplistic question, but one that touches on the heart of our faith. Homosexual
marriage is a place where Christians must differ from their surrounding culture
because of the way God explains marriage as a picture of salvation. The United
States government enshrining homosexual marriage by way of SCOTUS as an
acceptable practice is not a place for Christian agreement.
At the conclusion of a meditation on American politics in
June of 2013, I find myself right back where Pastor Tom Mercer led his
congregation before the last presidential election. Pastor Mercer reminded us
that this world is not our home; we are eagerly awaiting the return of the true
king; we should not be surprised when sinful people sin. Our right response to
events which oppose Christian truth is to mourn the sin, pray for the sinner,
and plead for God’s grace over the lost. Ultimately, SCOTUS’ decision is a
reminder that this world is still fallen and in need of the Kinsman-Redeemer.
