[Faith-talk] article 2

[Corey Cook]

Not twisted.
The truth.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" 
<faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 1:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] article 2


> Hah.  This is a very twisted debate.  I'm moving to the Netherlands if
> this keeps up. lol
> Beth
>
> On 11/9/08, Corey Cook <ccook01 at knology.net> wrote:
>> What's Really at Stake in the Gay Marriage Debate? Part 2
>> Albert Mohler
>> President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
>>
>> October 20, 2008
>>
>> Editor's Note: This article is the second in a series. Click here to read
>> part one.
>>
>> Same-sex marriage is, for now, legal in three of fifty states in the 
>> United
>> States.  Beyond our borders, it is legal in the Netherlands, Spain, 
>> Belgium,
>> South Africa, Canada and Norway.  This represents a very small percentage 
>> of
>> the world's population.  Same-sex marriage is, by any measure, the 
>> exception
>> rather than the rule.  Even when legalized civil unions and domestic
>> partnerships are thrown into the mix, the countries that consider 
>> same-sex
>> unions and heterosexual marriages to be equal before the law represent a
>> small percentage of the world's nations.
>>
>> Keep that in mind when you observe the media's coverage of the issue.  By
>> and large, the mainstream media have presented opposition to same-sex
>> marriage as the odd and out-of-step position and support for same-sex
>> marriage as the mainstream assumption.
>>
>> The San Francisco Chronicle now reports that conservative Christians
>> represent the major energy behind the promotion of Proposition 8 in
>> California.  The major media generally frame these Christians as out of 
>> step
>> with the times.   As the paper reports:
>>
>> Christian conservatives have come to dominate the religious debate
>> surrounding Prop. 8 - even though the Bible's statements on homosexuality
>> are complex and disputed among Christians.
>>
>> Catholics, Mormons and evangelicals have been contributing millions of
>> dollars and flying into the state from around the nation to lead rallies 
>> and
>> services that preach support for the measure.
>>
>> The paper describes the Bible's statements on homosexuality as "complex 
>> and
>> disputed."  Of course, this is only true in very recent years and within 
>> a
>> very thin slice of liberal Christianity.  Most Christians throughout the
>> history of the church -- and the vast majority of Christians alive 
>> today --
>> have no problem understanding what the Bible teaches about homosexuality.
>>
>> Take a very close look at these paragraphs:
>>
>> Liberal groups representing Christians, Jews and others are trying to 
>> defeat
>> the measure. But their efforts have been far more modest, even though
>> priests and rabbis in the Bay Area have played a pivotal role in creating
>> and cultivating a theology that includes lesbians and gays as equals to
>> heterosexuals.
>>
>> Conservatives and liberals generally use dramatically different lenses to
>> interpret the Bible. Christian conservatives tend to emphasize an
>> interpretation of the Bible that doesn't change with the times. They say 
>> the
>> Bible describes marriage as only between a man and a woman.
>>
>> "You've got the California Supreme Court rewriting sacred heritage," said
>> Steve Madsen, pastor of Cornerstone Fellowship, an evangelical megachurch 
>> in
>> Livermore.
>>
>> Liberal Christians tend to emphasize that divine revelation can come from
>> many places, even outside the church. For example, many denominations 
>> don't
>> allow same-sex marriages, while California law does.
>>
>> "Culture is going to manifest Christ in a way that summons the church to 
>> new
>> realities," said Episcopal Bishop Marc Andrus.
>>
>> These statements are incredibly revealing.  First, note that the paper
>> describes efforts to normalize homosexuality have included "creating and
>> cultivating a theology" that would serve their purposes.  That is a very
>> helpful (and accurate) explanation.  There is no way that the received
>> tradition can be twisted into support for same-sex marriage.
>>
>> Second, observe the fact that the paper recognizes that those on opposing
>> sides of this debate "use dramatically different lenses to interpret the
>> Bible."  That is an understatement, but represents another helpful
>> explanation.  The arguments put forth by proponents of same-sex marriage
>> come down to assertions that the Bible does not say what it plainly does
>> say, that Christians have misunderstood the critical passages until 
>> liberal
>> scholars pushing this agenda have just discovered what the passages 
>> really
>> mean, or that the Bible just has to be corrected in light of contemporary
>> developments.
>>
>> Third, note that the reporter explains that conservatives "say the Bible
>> describes marriage as only between a man and a woman."  Any honest reader
>> must acknowledge that the Bible describes marriage in exclusively
>> heterosexual terms.
>>
>> Fourth, on the other hand, note that liberals pushing for the 
>> normalization
>> of homosexual behaviors and relationships are described as believing that
>> "divine revelation can come from many places, even outside the church."
>> Episcopal Bishop Marc Andrus is quoted as saying, "Culture is going to
>> manifest Christ in a way that summons the church to new realities."  In
>> other words, who needs the Bible when you can just accept some new 
>> cultural
>> authority in its place?
>>
>> Proponents of same-sex marriage now attempt to argue that the only
>> opposition to legalized homosexual marriage comes from conservative
>> Christians pushing a narrow theological agenda.  They cannot possibly 
>> claim
>> that conservative Christians control the vast majority of the world's
>> nations in which same-sex marriage is decidedly not legal.
>>
>> Still, the fact that the San Francisco Chronicle felt the need to publish 
>> a
>> chart of Bible passages on homosexuality tells us something.  The very
>> existence of these passages still troubles the consciences of those 
>> pushing
>> the normalization of homosexuality -- whether within or without the 
>> church.
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> In addition to being one of Salem's nationally syndicated radio talk show
>> hosts, R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is the president of The Southern Baptist
>> Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and recognized as one of
>> America's leading theologians and cultural commentators. Contact Dr. 
>> Mohler
>> at mail at albertmohler.com.
>>
>> Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11583138/
>>
>> Corey Cook
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>
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Corey Cook