Genesis 2:24 records the institution of
marriage, describing how “a man leaves his father and mother and is united
to his wife, and they become one flesh.” The divine intention behind such a union has
always been interpreted as being one which produces not only sexual intimacy
and companionship, but also children.
Noticeably, this vision of a Biblical marriage does not include homosexual marriages.
While historically, the church and the state both refused to recognize or perform marriages for homosexual couples, that changed when the United States government began recognizing same-sex marriage in 2014.
This split was recently highlighted after President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) into law— a Congressional bill that codifies federal recognition of same-sex marriage that was originally ruled on in the Supreme Court case of Obergefell v Hodges.
The 2014 Obergefell case came on the heels of the case of Lawrence v Texas (2002), which ruled against state anti-sodomy laws. Knowing that Lawrence opened the door to same-sex marriage, in the twelve years after Lawrence, 34 states passed amendments encoding a Biblical understanding of marriage as being between a man and a woman. These amendments were undemocratically invalidated in one fell swoop in the Obergefell ruling.
Similarly, the RFMA bill has raised concerns from numerous conservative Christian organizations because it signals the dawn of an emboldened era in which same-sex marriage is popular enough that it is not only recognized by court precedent, but is also being encoded by Congressional statute. This comes on the heels of a recent Pew Research Report indicating that an unprecedented 71% of Americans now say they agree with the statement that “marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages.”
The difficulty posed to American Christians by this increasing cultural comfort with homosexuality is that no Christian may simultaneously call themselves “conservative” while also endorsing homosexuality. This obviously places Christians in an oppositional position to the discussions of liberal media.
There are six major verses in the Bible condemning homosexuality: sexual assaults committed in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-11), Levitical laws condemning homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13), New Testament “vice lists” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:10), and the Pauline epistle to the Romans (Romans 1:26-27).
While some scholars, like Robert K. Gnuse, may attempt to equivocate over the supposed original meaning behind these texts, to do so not only rejects the plain implication of the text, but also thousands of years of undisputed Christian practice and theology.
While the passage of RFMA is certainly discouraging to conservative Christians, this is not an unprecedented cultural experience for Christianity. In the days of the Roman Empire, homosexual behavior abounded and was often closely connected with various pagan cults. Despite the gratuitous homosexuality of ancient Rome, God’s plan did not fail, and Christians were still able to set themselves apart as a people— despite being surrounded by a culture that did not share their values.
This is not to say that conservative Christianity should not continue to defend its place in society, but it is to say that Christians should not be afraid that legal and cultural liberalization will be able to thwart God.
As James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
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