JUNE BRIDE: A Thing of the Past?

This week’s commentary is different – it is excerpts of a letter authored by Congressman Frank Wolf (Republican) and Former Ambassador Tony Hall (Democrat). I share the conviction of both gentlemen that the voices of America’s church leaders must be heard as the nation debates the meaning of marriage. Here is the letter addressed to church leaders:

"The Bible is clear - God's definition of marriage is between a man and a woman." These simple, but provocative, words spoken by the Reverend Billy Graham, whom we have both long admired, were featured in an advertisement that ran in multiple newspapers in North Carolina leading up to that state's recent ballot initiative on marriage.  The initiative, defining marriage as between one man and one woman, passed overwhelmingly.

North Carolina joined 29 other states in making this determination.  At the same time, national polling data indicates that many, especially the young, are increasingly open to the idea of same-sex marriage.  This generation views the issue in terms of civil rights - understandably an American virtue.  Reframing the debate in this way is a triumph for those who seek to redefine marriage.  It follows that those who dare disagree and who align themselves with the historic Judeo-Christian understanding of a God-ordained union are often characterized as intolerant or bigots.

It is clear that our culture has begun a profound shift. For millennia, marriage has not been tampered with, and yet, in a matter of decades a relatively small segment of our society has succeeded in calling into question this institution with a swiftness that would be almost inconceivable were it not reality.  The fact that ballot initiatives, such as the one in N. Carolina, are even necessary speaks to the underlying crisis.

In the last month alone, both the President and Vice President of the United States stated their unequivocal support for same-sex marriage.  Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson described the President's "evolution" on this issue writing, "He justified his recent switch on gay marriage, in part, as the direct application of Christian teaching.  'When we think about our faith,' [Obama] said, 'the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated.'

In 2008, he justified his support for civil unions by saying: 'If people find that controversial, then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans.'" Given that the President cited Jesus, it should also be noted that in the Gospel of Matthew (19:4-6), Jesus says, "Haven't you read...that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?  So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together let man not separate."

Talking heads and strategists in Washington are busy analyzing what constituencies have been mobilized, energized, secured or alienated by the timing of the President's announcement.  But the implications of this shift are more far-reaching than November's electoral outcome

We believe that the President's position, which he sought to justify by citing Scripture, necessitates a response - a reasoned, winsome, faithful interpretation of what Scripture actually says about God's intent for the sacred institution of marriage. For those of us who identify ourselves as followers of Jesus, this apologetic for marriage must be seasoned with grace and love while also being grounded in truth.

The nation needs to hear from its church leaders on this issue. Some segments of the church are already engaged – for those, we express our profound gratitude.  Others, however, are noticeably silent, which begs the question: where are the Christian apologists who will sound the clarion call for Biblical orthodoxy on the institution of marriage?  Where are the William Wilberforce's and the Mother Theresa's and the C. S. Lewis' for our day? 

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?"  We fear that the trumpet's call is muffled - that there is uncertainty and confusion among people of faith.

We are asking you, as a follower of Jesus and a leader in His church, to leverage your influence. Consider the teachers in your congregation and the students they shape on a daily basis, or business people wielding their influence in the marketplace, or film students seeking to address the culture. 

On this issue, as on so many others, the discussion among government leaders and opinion makers is simply a downstream manifestation of what is already happening in the broader culture, which is why your leadership is so important.

We write to you not as a Republican and a Democrat, which we are, but as men of faith who take seriously the teaching of Scripture - as do you. German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, "Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act."  In that spirit, we implore you, with an urgency that the situation demands, to boldly lend your voice to the public square on this defining issue - for such a time as this.