Pastor Steve’s Weekly Letter For Thursday, May 10, 2012


Yesterday, President Obama offered his endorsement of gay marriage. This comes after two years of saying that his views on gay marriage were “evolving.” The evolution of our President’s views appears to be complete, although he has reversed his position in the past. In 1996, he offered his support for same-sex marriages while running for office here in Illinois. Then, in August 2008, while running for the presidency, he said: “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.”

So how are we as followers of Jesus Christ to respond to our President’s endorsement? Let me remind you that I am very, very careful about not bringing politics into my pastoral ministry. I simply don’t want to confuse, compromise, or divert attention away from the gospel. I have heard through the grapevine that some of you think I am a Democrat and some of you think I am Republican. I am happy with this, not because I want to play with your mind and keep you guessing, but because I don’t want to do anything that would distract my focus, your focus, and the focus of my non-Christian friends from the gospel. We have both Republicans and Democrats in our church, and I am fine with that. Christ, not political affiliation, is what unites us. But the matter of gay marriage is not merely a political issue. It is a moral issue. As a pastor, I must speak to it in a biblical way. Here, then, are my thoughts.

To begin with, I affirm that the Bible teaches same-sex behavior is sin. I declared this in a message on May 3, 2009. You can access this message on our website or through iTunes if you want to review the relevant Scriptural data. There is simply no getting around conclusion that the Scripture condemns homosexual practice as sin. To draw out another conclusion from the Bible is to read it in such a way that you can affirm or deny just about anything. This robs the Bible of its authority. At the same time, I argued for two additional points. One is that we must show God’s love to gay people even as we speak the truth in love. The other is that the Bible gives hope to gay people that they can assume a new identity.

With these convictions in my heart, I was deeply distressed by our President’s endorsement of gay marriage. In fact, I felt anger over what I perceive to be a political move at the expense of undermining society’s oldest and most central institution. But after reading an article by my friend, Collin Hansen, I am more convinced than ever that venting our anger is NOT the best way for Christians to respond in the public square. There is a far better way to live out our commitment to the gospel and to the truth of Scripture. Hansen says: “Problem is, gays don't see us as agonizing over our acceptable sins. The pursuit of self-fulfillment covers a multitude of adultery, divorce, and pornography in our churches. Why shouldn't it also cover homosexuality?” Hansen points out that we live in a culture which has three deep-seated beliefs: (1) God made me this way; (2) He wouldn’t deny my natural desires; and (3) I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone else. Our challenge is to demonstrate in our own lives that we do answer to God, that self-denial and submission to Christ is the only way to find the life, liberty, and happiness we crave (see Luke 9:23-24). Of course, there is more to say and do. But hopefully these thoughts will set us out in the right direction as we live in our culture as citizens of heaven and respond to an issue that is one of the biggest the church will face in the near future.

On the personal front, Priscilla will spend Mother’s Day with her mother for the first time in almost thirty years! She is flying tonight to Boise, Idaho to spend a few days with her folks, Jim and Shirley Perkins. They are in their mid-80s and are both doing well. Priscilla’s sister from Alaska will also be there, and two of her three brothers will show up this weekend. Next week, I will be in Lake Geneva from Tuesday through Friday at the annual preaching retreat I attend with a group of graduates who all went through the doctoral program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary under Dr. Haddon Robinson. This year, Dr. Bruce Waltke, a renowned Old Testament scholar, will join us, and we will study the Psalms. Before that, I’m looking forward to this Sunday, May 13. I plan to preach from Colossians 2:16-23 on “Pursuing Purity: What Works and What Doesn’t.” We will remember our mothers and honor our graduates from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I’ll see you on Sunday!

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