Rendering to Caesar: The Church and Gay Rights

"To vote, or not to vote?"

That's certainly a question, although I'm not so sure it's the question (most likely since it's not an exact quote). And while I'm not quite suffering a crisis of conscience on the same level as dear Hamlet, I am struggling to come to grips with what biblical voting should look like for me come this November.

Ever since the California Supreme Court declared that same-sex marriage was lawful back in May, I've been wrestling with the decision more than I expected I ever would. This case is not cut and dry. There are many points of dispute, and I'm sure just as many rebuttals for each and every point, giving both sides fair ground to argue. On the one hand you have the "religious right" who won't stand for such a...desecration of morality, as they make it out to be. On the other, the left (and I imagine most moderates), view the ruling as a great civil victory, or, just simply don't care all that much; a "live and let live" attitude. So where does that leave me? An 18 year old male whose been raised in a conservative, christian home all his life, and belongs to a conservative, christian congregation. Even more, an 18 year old male who understands his former condition before God, and has repented at the cross to reclaim his Lord as the treasure of his life. The answer is obvious, isn't it?

Actually...no.

It isn't for me and I'm not so sure it should be for any believer.

I have some issues with all of this. I already posted my initial response to the court's ruling back in May, which was, for the most part, a complaint against legislating from the bench. Now with November approaching, things get a little more personal, and I've got to decide what biblical voting on this issue looks like, or if it even exists. And lemme tell ya...I'm scrambling.

So what are my issues? Let me first say that I love this country. It's nothing short of a great blessing to live in a nation whose first priority is (in theory) the protection of the rights of it's citizens. We have every right to live in any manner that we choose, so long as the manner of our living doesn't infringe upon the rights of others. Great! We have the right to believe and worship whatever we choose to believe and worship under that same, simple condition. Even better... Which leads me ask, "who does same-sex marriage hurt? what right of mine - or anyone else for that matter - does it violate?" I challenge someone to give me a solid answer. People will sit and argue bogus statistics: that homosexual couples have shorter life-spans, have a higher STD rate, or whatever ridiculous thing they manage to come up with, but that's foolishness. Statistics aside - viable as they may be (or not be) - nothing changes the fundamental fact that gay marriage hurts no one, and violates nothing. There's nothing you can use to directly link the ability for two people of the same sex marrying with the rights of someone else being infringed upon. All other arguments are indirect, because if they weren't, this debate wouldn't exist. Which means, considering there is no definition of marriage whatsoever in our constitution, gay marriage should absolutely be permitted. (It also means that should an amendment defining marriage ever be added, it simply should not be, but that's a whole separate post).

It's just as simple as that...in theory of course. But everything is simpler in theory. Now, there is a flip side to that wonderful coin of human liberties. I can vote in whatever manner I'd like for whatever reason I have to vote in that particular direction. Faith-enabled voting is fair game. That's a great freedom to own, but how far is too far? When it comes to the issue of same-sex marriage, the initial response is to take up arms against it any way possible...like a good christian. This both lines up, and doesn't line up with the freedoms given to us in our Constitution. I'm voting against allowing gay marriage because of a belief system I have. At the same time, I'm voting to withhold rights from a certain group of people who don't share the same beliefs as me. Both of those sentences are saying the same exact thing, they're just worded differently. Yet the first sentences lines up with our Constitution, while the second seems to raise some red flags. Isn't that a slight mistreatment of our voting liberties? I mean, really, it has no effect on me either way. Whether gay couples can or can't be married will have virtually no impact on the lives of all the people voting against it, and yet they're doing it anyway because their bible tells them it's not right. A bible the gay community (most I'm assuming) don't believe to be the word of God. A belief, by the way, they have every right to have. Yet we still play a huge hand in deciding as significant an aspect in their lives as marriage (or lack thereof), and don't think twice about the fact. Does that sit right with you? It certainly doesn't with me. The question still remains for me though as to whether I'm placing the United States Constitution above Scripture. I'm reminded of Colosians 2:8 every time I think through this, which states:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hallow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

Is that what I'm doing here? Is there room for deceptive philosophy in our Constitution to ensnare me in all of this? I mean after all, the word of God is the word of our Almighty God, while our nations principles - great as they may be - stand as nothing more than flawed human tradition. If I'm wrong about this issue, then I think it's for exactly the reason stated in that verse. However I've not even really responded to the issue yet, so that's yet to be determined. I will say that if anything or anyone convinces me that I am placing human tradition above the guidance of Scripture in my life, then I'll do everything I can to change that. But since nobody has yet, I'll continue...

What really upsets me about this whole debate has nothing to do with constitutionality though. It's the force behind the debate in the first place; the one driving factor behind our collective vote against gay marriage...the church. More than any other issue - homelessness, poverty, even abortion I think - political public enemy number one in the church is homosexuality. I don't think the church goes after anything more fervently than we do the rights of the gay community. And the way in which we've done so is not only disgraceful, but has missed the Gospel completely. I haven't seen any compassion for the gay community. No attempts to understand the issue better, no appropriate outreach to a group of people who very possibly are confused and hurting. Instead it's become a virtual shouting match between the majority of the "religious right" and minority of radicals on the left. Homosexuality is the unforgivable sin in the church.

So how have we decided to solve this problem? Well, through voting of course! And we're told to vote! ...vote! ...vote! That's our battleground against the horde of heathens in the world and we have God on our side.

What?!

Are you kidding me?!

What is this nonsense?!

Someone tell me when our job stopped being to spread the Gospel through word and deed to all people at all times...in a loving fashion. Someone tell me why we're so surprised that that world is simply being the world. I'm not upset with the gay community at all. I'm not upset with the California Supreme Court Justices who gave this ruling. I am very upset with the church and it's reaction to all of this! There's no reason to be upset, and there's no reason to be shocked. If our God...the God of the universe, speaks...and in speaking says that the world will hate him...then maybe we should expect that. If Jesus Christ Himself says that the world hates Him and will hate all those who follow Him, then why do we get so offended when things like this happen? Why do we take it so personally?

I'll tell you why, because we feel like we're the morality police of the world. We have to keep things in check, and we're not going to stand for the world living in...sin. We forget that the government exists for one reason only, which is to protect it's citizens. We forget that in order for the church to function properly, we need the government to function separately. It's an establishment which allows us the opportunity to freely worship and freely express our faith to others, not a tool to force the Gospel through law. We've taken the Great Commission - Christ's call to go out into the world and make disciples - and decided to advance that work through legislative means, therefore holding an unbelieving world to believing standards. Then we can avoid the whole spreading the Gospel through God-honoring relationships stuff. And it's that...it's exactly that sick fusion of faith and politics that's choking out the Gospel. Now the level of one's Christendom is measured by how they vote. If you vote one way, you're justified before the Lord. If you vote the other...well, yeah, you say you're a christian, but c'mon man, who are you fooling? Nothing makes me more sick than to see these evangelical pastors - shepherds of the Lords sheep - telling their congregation that if you are God's, you must vote. And not only that...but you must vote this way, or that way, so that we can reclaim this godless nation.

Nonsense!

Separation of church and state baby! That's where it's at, and I'll tell you something, it doesn't fully exist. However, if we do anything...if the church leans in any direction at all, it's in the direction of fusing the two rather than keeping them apart. And we think we're all the holier because of it. I realize in thinking through all of this how blessed I am to be in the congregation I'm in. The teaching from the pulpit is nothing but solid, and my Pastor does an excellent job of rising up and hitting the misguided ideals and actions of the church head on, while dealing with nothing but the Gospel. And he certainly never abuses the pulpit by preaching politics or voting patterns.

Another issue... Most believers will bring up this thing we call the "sanctity of marriage." Well, what does that even mean? We live in a nation where half of all marriages end in divorce, with an equally alarming number existing in the church and we're going to play that card? Gimme a break. Most of the country cares nothing about the sanctity of marriage...most couldn't tell you what it is even. And in the church, to think about the divorce rate that exists there, and then to think that we have the gall to stand up and take a holy stand to protect marriage against the gay community...what a hypocritical ploy that is; what a gross mistreatment of the Gospel. I don't doubt that many feel the unique status of marriage between one man and one woman is worthy of protecting. After all it is a God-ordained relationship which points directly to the relationship between Christ and the church. I would love nothing more than to preserve it's sanctity, but we've not done an even decent job as a church, being the example for the world. And truth be told, marriage will always be a holy thing in the Lord's eyes. In 6-10 years on the day that my future bride walks down the isle and we're joined together in marriage, the sanctity of that ceremony for us, and before our God won't be tarnished one bit by the possible fact that gays too can be married. Let's fry bigger fish... Let's work on commitment.

So where does all of this leave me in the voting booth this November? As of now, it leaves me right smack dab in between a vote for either side. I'm not comfortable voting to allow gay marriage, and yet I don't want to contribute to the misguided motives of the church in attacking the issue. For a long while this kept me panicking until the answer hit me the other night...

...I just won't vote.

I think that's the best way for me to render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to my God what is my God's. (For the record, could Christ have answered that question any worse than he did, and yet any better?) I think I'm turning into one of those "confused" Christians who thinks we should be more concerned with issues like poverty and homelessness and yes, abortion rather than spending all our time doing everything not to love the homosexual community. So does that mean I'm a democrat now? I hope not. Republican red all the way! But really, I'm increasingly unhappy with this attempt to press the Gospel through legislation, and I couldn't be more unhappy with this inseparable interlocking of faith and politics that exists today. I think we should do more as a church to utilize our time, energy, money, and prayer elsewhere...instead of yelling at a sinful world not to sin anymore...we aren't called to do so. Let's spread the Gospel, and do it with compassion. Conversion isn't our game, and neither is judgement, that job's reserved for a much more qualified candidate.