wfn.org | LCMS - SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: WHO'S MAKING THE RULES?

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

David Strand
Director of Public Affairs
The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
1333 S. Kirkwood Rd.
St. Louis, MO  63122
314-996-1229

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: WHO'S MAKING THE RULES?

By Gerald B. Kieschnick

With all the buildup of late, the news shouldn't have surprised me, but the
headline gave me pause all the same: "Massachusetts to begin issuing
marriage licenses to same-sex couples."  As of Monday, hundreds of pairs of
people were flocking to Cambridge and other Bay State locales to obtain a
legal blessing on what has been viewed since the dawn of time as abnormal,
if not unheard of.

"And now I pronounce you man and man" (or "wife and wife").  Sounds odd,
yes, but according to polls, Americans are starting to get used to the idea.
As a group, no matter how averse we may be individually to same-sex
marriage, no matter how supportive we may be of a Federal Marriage Amendment
to protect traditional marriage, we seem to be shrugging our collective
shoulders and saying, essentially, "We don't like it, but it seems the rules
are changing."

Who exactly is changing the rules?  Who is deciding what our nation's moral
choices will be?  How is it that the vast majority of the world's population
throughout history would be aghast over same-sex marriage, and yet that's
exactly what Belgium, the Netherlands, parts of Canada and now Massachusetts
are doing?  How is it that what used to be considered outrageous, sinful,
taboo, unthinkable, is now shrugged off as some sort of social progress?

Who or what is behind this change in our moral values?	Aren't there any
constants, any universal truths telling us how to relate to one another?
There were, once upon a time.  Once it was a given, for ages upon ages, that
marriage could only be the sacred union of one man and one woman.
Suddenly--amazingly--that's no longer the case.

Now we have entered the strange new realm where public morality is formed by
a relatively small group of people--academic, media and other secular
elites; leftward-leaning religious leaders; and a handful of overstepping
judges.  Is it wrong to kill an unborn child?  Most of us might think so,
but since Roe v. Wade in 1973, "we the people" have maintained that a woman
has the right to decide that for herself.  Is it wrong to end the life of a
terminally ill patient whose quality of life just isn't there?	Most of us
might think so, but many Oregonians do not, and I predict others among us
will share that thinking in the future.

Now comes same-sex marriage.  Will this new twist on the timeless estate of
holy matrimony spell the doom of heterosexual marriage?  No, probably not,
though it will do deep and lasting damage to the institution of marriage in
general.  Will it shake the foundations of our republic?  No, not
noticeably, at least not at first, but those foundations (as you probably
have noticed) have been shaking for a while as it is.

The real question posed by the reality of same-sex marriage, and the
controversy surrounding it, is this: To what source can we turn for a sure,
guiding light of wisdom and unshakeable truth to help us through the tough
moral questions we face?  Are we left to ourselves and our own devices?
Dear Lord, let's hope not!

There is one who claims not only to reveal the truth-including some very
clear-cut views on what marriage is all about (and thus what it is not all
about)-but actually to be the Truth, as well as the Way and the Life.  Who
is this?  It is Jesus Christ.

The good news is that, at least for now, thanks to a highly popular movie,
magazine cover stories and a controversial novel or two, Jesus is in vogue
again.	We can talk about him in polite society, at least a little.  I am
just one man among a few hundred million Americans who must grapple with the
big social, moral and ethical issues of the day.  Who will set my standards?
Who will be my moral compass?  Who will establish my values?  Like you, I
have to make a choice.	As I survey the moral landscape of 21st century
America and see where our collective wisdom is taking us, I believe I'll
stick with Jesus.

The Rev. Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick is president of the 2.5 million-member
Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, based in St. Louis.