Marriage Debate
Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It
Marriage is based on the truth that men and women are complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need a mother and a father.
Redefining marriage does not simply expand the existing understanding of marriage; it rejects these truths. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children.
By encouraging the norms of marriage—monogamy, sexual exclusivity, and permanence—the state strengthens civil society and reduces its own role. The future of this country depends on the future of marriage.
The future of marriage depends on citizens understanding what it is and why it matters and demanding that government policies support, not undermine, true marriage.
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Read More Young Pro-Marriage Conservatives Undaunted by the Battle Ahead
They hear that their cause is lost, that demographics and the march of history have doomed their campaign to keep marriage only between a man and a woman. But the young conservatives who oppose same-sex marriage – unlike most of their generation – remain undaunted.
They identify themselves as part of the “pro-marriage movement” and see themselves at the beginning of a long political struggle, much like the battle over abortion. If they can begin shifting the terms of the debate away from gay rights and toward the meaning of marriage, they say, they have a chance to survive short-term defeats.
“The primary challenge that our side faces right now is the intense social pressure,” said Joseph Backholm, 34, the executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington. “To the extent that the other side is able to frame this as a vote for gay people to be happy, it will be challenging for us.”
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To put it another way, opponents of same-sex marriage say they must argue in favor of traditional marriage, not against gay people or gay rights. “It’s really a broader defense of marriage and a stronger marriage culture,” said Will Haun, 26, a lawyer and member of the Federalist Society.
Read MoreWhich Politician Stood Before 65 Mill Viewers and Labeled Our National Debt Immoral? — Revelation 11:15-19
When Lot was in front of the people of Sodom, he weakened the message of the Bible so that the people would leave him and his family alone.
Churches do the same thing today. We have lowered our rhetoric against sin.
During the last presidential debate, one of the candidates said that our national debt was immoral. Even good Churches don’t talk about morality.
Maybe this is why there isn’t much persecution of believers in America.
We have stopped saying what God told us to say for our own comfort sake.
Read MoreCalifornia Makes It Illegal to Try and Convert Gays Under the Age of 18
Gov. Jerry Brown announced Sunday that he had signed SB 1172 which prohibits sexual orientation change efforts for anyone under 18.
Conservative religious groups and some Republicans have argued that banning conversion therapy would hinder parents’ right to provide psychological care for children experiencing gender confusion.
The Encino, Calif.-based National Association for Research and Therapy on Homosexuality said in August that the bill was a case of “legislative overreach,” and Lieu’s claims of harm to children were based on politics, not research.
The effect of the law, in brief, makes it illegal to try and convert any gay person under the age of 18 if your goal is to free them from the sin of homosexuality.
Read MoreNot Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it! — Banned by the UK Government
The man who believes he can help gay people turn straight
Dr Mike Davidson, a Christian campaigner with a homosexual past, says others, too, can reject what he calls a sin.
“We don’t consider it a disease,” says Davidson, who works under the banner of the Core Issues Trust. “There are plenty of people who work in a therapeutic context to achieve life goals. There are some people who have tried gay; it doesn’t work for them. It’s not mixing with their life circumstances. They want to move out of it. They deserve to receive professional help that is well trained, well regulated and ethical. That’s what we are trying to achieve.”
The Mayor of London has just banned advertisements that Davidson and his allies planned to put on the sides of buses, declaring: “Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!” They were meant to mirror a campaign by the gay rights group Stonewall, but Boris Johnson pulled the ads after taking offence at the suggestion he saw within them.
“It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness that someone can recover from,” said Johnson, who feared “a backlash so intense it would not have been in the interests of Christian people in this city”.
Read MoreA Lament for the PC USA Church
Why did the ARP Synod call the PCUSA Church to repent? Because they have formally opened the door for practicing homosexuals to be ordained.
This is the last call for repentance as the ARP has now officially removed all connections between our denominations and severed our fraternal communications with the PCUSA. All of our military Chaplains are officially removed from the PCUSA endorsing board and have been transferred into the RPCNA.
We no longer recognize the PCUSA as a collection of believers being led by Christ. The PCUSA Church is being led by another spirit which is not the Holy Spirit. We no longer believe that Jesus is the head of that denomination.
We are calling on the faithful Christians left in that denomination to leave it. This sermon explains these issues.
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