And so we come back again to same-sex marriage.
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Following the historic referendum in Ireland to legalise same-sex marriage, pollies here are anxious to strike while the iron is hot.
Emotions are high, lines are being drawn in the sand and everyone will have to pick a side.
One is either progressive or intolerant, a liberator or the oppressor. There does not seem to be any fence sitters in this one (or maybe they are too boring to be allowed any air time).
Followers of Jesus should not be too worried. Once upon a time adultery was considered a serious offence.
Those laws were repealed and now shacking up is considered the norm. No one really jumps up and down about it anymore. Sure, the Bible does teach that sex belongs in marriage but no one seems to be lobbying the government to reinstate laws against fornication. Trying to live as good disciples of Jesus is hard enough without forcing non-believers to follow the values of the Bible.
Those who don't belong to the church have every right to live how they see fit.
Why should non-Christians be forced to live according to Biblical standards? The apostle Paul himself wrote, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?" (1 Corinthians 5:12 NIV)Now some might argue that in the end, children and ultimately society will suffer.
The Bible does teach that rebellion against God's rule will never end well and so maybe we should fight for God's rules to apply to all.
The Bible however seems to indicate that all people have the freedom to choose how they want to live and all choices will have consequences (Genesis 2:16-17, Joshua 24:15, Galatians 6:7-8). As citizens, we should feel free to let the government know of our values as followers of Jesus, but we shouldn't insist that others live by our standards.
Traditionally (and for good reason) Baptists have stood for the separation between church and state.
Same-sex marriage will be here soon.
For many, this is a great change.
For the disciples of Jesus, it's not going to stop anyone from continuing to follow him.
Sources:
All brickbats, bouquets and banter welcome at simon.chen@narrominebaptist.org.au
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