Whenever an issue of political importance is discussed on a national scale, there will always be those, Christian and non-Christian, who will point to the Bible as the final authority. Being of the Christian faith, I believe the Bible contains all the instruction needed for a Christian to live in a nation filled with chaos.
Paul wrote a majority of the New Testament and addressed many issues plaguing Christians as they tried to live in communities which had pagan religions. Paul did not lead protests or call for an overthrow of the government at the time. He rigorously asked the Christian to make sure their behavior was in accordance with what God would have them to do. In my upcoming book "The Politics of Prayer" I ask the Christian to look at their own actions while being the voice of God for a nation in tormoil. Of the many issues bantered around in the news today, homosexual marriage is one that causes contention on both sides of the polarized issue.
Marriage was a big concern in Corinth at the time Paul visited. Prostitution was rampant, immorality was pervasive, and marriages were in shambles. Paul gives practical answers to the Christians of Corinth(7:1-40). Today, with marriage under attack by same sex couples petitioning for the same rights in marriage as heterosexuals, the Christian community has come out with a strong voice against such policies. The Bible declares with certainty that homosexuality is an act God does not sanction. But the Christian must also take a look at the state of their own marriages.
Divorce rates among Christians rival if not exceed those of non-Christians. The Christian voice regarding the sanctity of marriage has become impotent due largely to the fact the Christian does not subscribe to what they say about the sanctification of marriage between a man and a woman.
“An Associated Press article reports a national average divorce rate of 4.2 per thousand. The highest divorce rates, excluding Nevada’s drive-thru divorces, are in Tennessee (6.4), Arkansas (6.1), Oklahoma (6.0) and Alabama (6.0), where Christian fundamentalism dominates society and culture [Census Bureau and National Center for Health Statistics data.]”
Rebecca Chase of ABCNEWS.com writes Oklahoma City, Dec.15 — “For couples who decide to tie the knot in Oklahoma, their chances of spending their lives together are among the worst in the country. Oklahoma’s high divorce rate is particularly embarrassing for a state that is mostly Christian, in which 70 percent of people go to church at least twice a month.
"It’s not good," says Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, "and it’s embarrassing and it’s inexcusable and it certainly should not survive." Religious leaders agree. "Our faith certainly teaches that divorce is not a good thing," says Anthony Jordon, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, "that marriage ought to be held sacred. And there is a wide gap between faith and practice. And, yes, I take some responsibility for that."
Christians call for the immediate halt to sin. Homosexuals are told that once they accept Christ they will no longer have a desire to be in a relationship with a same sex partner. Yet, the termination of their sins have not manisfested within the sanctaty of their marriage. Mercy, grace, and forgiveness is limitless it seems for the Christian without an ounce of mercy, grace, and love for those considered to be sinners.
One may believe that I am a Christian basher. This could not be further from the truth. I also suffer from imperfections and cannot claim to be sin free. But, I am one who does not advocate the persecution of others using the Bible as a weapon. I just believe caution should be used when we point at the sins of others. We should look at ourselves first and constantly strive for correction with the help of God. It is only after then can we be a true example and representation of the power of God.
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