What About the State's Reaction to Same-Sex Marriage?

NYS Senator Diane Savino speaks on the Marriage Equality bill


I have written a lengthy blog elsewhere (click HERE) on what I believe to be a biblical reaction to homosexual relationships.  I think that the Christian tradition, founded upon the scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, is quite consistent and clear: homosexual relationships are counter to God's intentions for humanity, and as such are to be rejected by the Church as sinful.  Though I did not go into detail in that blog about gay marriage, the natural outgrowth of this position would obviously be the belief that the Church ought not to condone or conduct same-sex marriages.

This is and ought to be, I believe, the stance of the Church.  But what about the stance of the State?  How should a secular nation such as the United States respond to some of its citizens' desire for legal same-sex marriage?  (As an important caveat let me simply say, despite the Christian/Deist heritage of our founding fathers, the Constitution of the US explicitly denies the State a role in regulating the religious beliefs and expressions of its citizens: for this reason I have referred to the US as a "secular nation."  I know this is a contentious point to some conservatives, but the often referenced argument concerning America's "heritage" is simply a moot point in relation to this fact.)

The above video is a 7 minute clip of a speech given by a New York State Senator, who argued for a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York.  I encourage you to watch the video before reading my brief opinions below:





DID YOU WATCH THE VIDEO???








In my opinion . . . 
I  greatly appreciate this senator's statements concerning the prerogative of religious institutions, like her own Roman Catholic Church, to deny to ordain or recognize same-sex marriage.  I think she has here rightly understood the Constitution's insistence that the government stay out of the business of religious institutions.  On the other hand, I see her point when she argues that the United States--and each individual State, such as New York--does not have such a prerogative.  (Of course this is the very reason why some conservatives have pushed to make an amendment to the constitution that would define marriage explicitly as between a man and woman--a statement that as of yet does not exist in the Constitution.)  So in the end--while I would not have expressed my opinion in all the ways this senator has--I would have to agree with the basic conclusion: Religious institutions like the various denominations of the Christian Church have the right to deny recognition of same-sex marriage, and have the right to refuse to conduct same-sex weddings (a right that I believe the Church should exercise!); however, the Federal Government and State Governments of the United States of America do not have such a right, and have therefore breached their own Constitution in discriminating in this way.


I have to admit that this conclusion is difficult for me to swallow.  I do not want it to be this way, but I feel that this is the only consistent conclusion available to me.  This is, of course, a good example of why my primary identity is that of a Christian, not an American.  Of course I am also a citizen of this country, and am grateful to be one.  This is, however, an area where my allegiance to Christ comes into conflict with my allegiance to my nation; and when such a conflict occurs my allegiance to Christ must win out every time.  I do not--nor do I believe any follower of Christ should--condone same-sex marriage; but I understand why the nation within which I find myself must.  To not do so is a breach of its Constitution.  Since my allegiance is to a King and a Kingdom, not to a President and a Constitution, I am not interested in changing the Constitution of the United States of America; I am interested in enacting the prayer my Master taught me to pray: "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  The Church must stay strong here, holding fast to the biblical witness on this issue, even as we live within a nation that does not fully embrace the vision of the Kingdom/Reign of God.  The Church needs to focus more attention on better understanding, praying for, and incarnating the Kingdom/Reign of God, and less on trying to change the national Constitution.  The change that the world needs will come through the Kingdom, not through a nation's Constitution.  The Church must exercise its prerogative to discriminate when it comes to sin; the USA has not given itself such a prerogative in the case of same-sex marriage.  We disciples of Christ must always remember: We live in the world, but are not of it.