[Faith-talk] article 2

[Beth]

Okay.  That's your opinion and you have good arguments behind it.
Beth

On 11/10/08, Corey Cook <ccook01 at knology.net> wrote:
> 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
>
>
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