SCOTUS MISSES THE MARK

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It was with extreme disappointment, but not much surprise that I heard the news of the decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) regarding same sex marriage. I was shocked and dismayed, however, to see the nation's presidential residence bathed in the colors of the LBGT movement. I have heard the president repeatedly state that he is the president of all the people of the United States. So, how do 2 - 3% of the entire population shape the argument and define the agenda for the other 97+% of the people in this nation? The answer is not necessarily a simple one, and assuredly, there is not a single answer. What is obvious, however, is the overwhelming sense of complacency and the deep misunderstanding of what tolerance actually means There is also a frustrating lack of moral integrity gripping our nation, a shortcoming that has enormous consequences.
Our founding fathers, who were mostly deists, but generally Christian in their perspective, may well be turning over in their graves - not because the decision was rendered, but that the decision even reached the point of being brought before the court. In this decision, SCOTUS took a giant swipe at the Constitution, overriding the rightfully legislated processes of many states. Actually, SCOTUS enacted Federal Legislation from the bench, without Congress, without referendum, and without precedent in National Law. Amazing!
But the greater tragedy is to be found within the Church. The level of confusion among those who claim to be Christians, people who have complete access to the Holy Scriptures, is simply astounding. For more than a century and a half, the integrity of the Bible has been being challenged by liberal theologians. It has been parsed and piece-mealed, its message shredded by opinions of men, rather than the counsel of God. The distinct and undeniable prohibition against sexual misconduct of every sort is either wholly misunderstood or conscientiously ignored. Every form of sexual misconduct is condemned in Scripture. Adultery, fornication, sex with children, with animals, and with close relatives (cousins, uncles, aunts, etc.) are all specifically addressed. So is homosexuality, beastiality, and necromancy.
The LGBT community, a group that is marginalized and ostracized by the greater community, defends their sexual departure from Scripture with claims of genetic determination. Thus, they have shaped their agenda as social, not moral. However, it is a moral issue, far more than merely a social one.There is no science to back up genetic disposition to homosexuality, only psychological hypothesis. Same sex attraction undoubtedly occurs, but that is not evidence of genetics. Moreover, the miniscule proportion of those who are "trans-gender" individuals, regardless of surgical and chemical transformation, does not and cannot change DNA. That these individuals command so much attention from the general public is attributable more to the oddity of their condition than to its normalcy.
LGBT behavior, regardless of the claims of its participants, is driven by personal choice. These individuals choose to pursue these lifestyles. Many, perhaps most, believe they could make no other choice without enduring lasting personal emotional pain. I cannot intelligently address such convictions. I sincerely believe that to be more convenient than irresistible, the personal defense for choices which have been made.
As an American, a military veteran, and a patriot, I defend the right of people to make such choices. But that does not assume I agree with them. I believe those choices to be ill-advised and in direct contradiction to Holy Writ. But many Christians violate the tenants of their faith, as do many Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and followers of other religions. To assume LGBT behavior to be more wicked than other forms of sexual departure from Scripture is indefensible. But that does not make such behavior right, or perhaps a bit more right than other such activities.
Murder is wrong. Stealing is wrong, Adultery is wrong. Just as slavery, pornography, drunkenness, and a vast array of other moral violations are wrong. Weighing one against the other does not make it right, even if it seems to be more right.
As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my faith draws me to a love of God's children, uniquely created in His image. That love is informed by a kind of love of which only God is capable. But just the same way I would not and cannot give myself to embracing the sin in my own life as acceptable to Him, I understand that He accepts me, even better than I do myself. And He is able to extend His grace, His mercy, and His redemption beyond my ability to understand. He does not, however, require me to accept, embrace, or tolerate violations of His will and Word as being acceptable behaviors, acceptable practices, or those which should be advanced within a moral, God-seeking, and God-fearing community, not for myself and not for others.
The line is difficult to draw, not because I cannot draw it, but because those who oppose it want to define it incorrectly. I am not a "homophobe," a gay basher or hater, or anything of the sort. I am simply a man who is determined to walk as closely to God as I can, to confess my sins early rather than late, to repent and turn from them, and to receive His forgiveness. For those who walk in the wickedness of murder, child exploitation, adultery, stealing, and the vast array of other sins, there is forgiveness. But, there is also a requirement of transformation, a requirement to stop sinning and live righteously. This is also true for those who are within the LGBT world. If they truly want to experience the fulness of God's favor, they will, of necessity, be forced to deal with biblical morality. Either that, or they will not experience the fulness of their Christian possibilities - even though they may be believers.
I do not suggest that these individuals should be banned from the Church. Rather, I believe the Church to be the redemptive community which can offer grace and the transforming love that people in moral failure need. We all need God's grace, His mercy, and His love. Raising walls of separation that constrain or prevent the flow of such grace seems wholly unChristian. Just as does tearing down moral imperatives that have been clearly and concisely laid out in Scripture. The balance must be found in embracing the spiritual transformation which comes when the Holy Spirit has free reign in every heart. Until then, upholding the moral standards of Scripture and living lives of Godly love continues to be a somewhat precarious balancing act for many.
On either side of this issue are good people with honest convictions. Most assuredly, we will not all agree. But there is sufficient grace in God to cover what I personally may not be able to realize. God's love is far too vast to be stymied by the limitations of my perceptions, or anyone else's, for that matter. Yet, there is this - the Holy Bible - the definitive, uncompromising, and inspired Word of God. Leave that behind and any choices people make easily become acceptable to other people. Hold fast to that Word, however, and the choices are governed by a much higher standard, the moral boundaries God has laid down. We may fall short of perfect obedience, or even of Godly love. That does not give us license to overturn the moral imperatives of our faith or change the reality of God's Word.