Why should Christians care if same-sex couples marry? If they are unbelievers, why should Christians dictate their actions? Shouldn't we just worry about preaching the gospel?
U.S. Supreme Court building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
This question is based upon the false
premise that Scripture assigns the accountability to marriage to
Christians alone rather than to society at large. Christian concern for
marriage is deeply concerned with the moral risk taken by unbelievers when they marginalize,
reject, subvert, or harm marriage in any way. Christians believe this risk
threatens acting parties with eternal consequences.
Furthermore, it is quite selective and arbitrary to say that when it comes to same-sex
marriage, Christians should not ask unbelievers to act like unbelievers. Why should that request be limited to
same-sex marriage?
Should it be applied to other aspects of the criminal
code? Should Christians not expect non-Christians to live by the same
civil laws they live by? Should Christians require non-Christians not to
murder or steal? The law places demands on us on purpose. Laws exist
because God gave the gift oflaw to human society for our protection and
good, which are provided for both the believer and the unbeliever.
The cover of Vanity Fair magazine, the Supreme Court of the
United States
of America legally redefined marriage. Neither
development came as a
surprise, but both are evidence of the tsunami-like moral
revolution that
is reshaping our culture right before our eyes.