Most evangelical Christians oppose homosexual conduct.  But should we vigorously oppose legalizing homosexual marriage?  I believe our answer should be “Yes.”  Here are four major points leading to that conclusion:

1. The Bible opposes homosexuality—and homosexual marriage—as a serious sin.

The Bible says that marriage was designed by God as the primary building block for the good of society, and that marriage was exclusively designed to be heterosexual (Gen 1,2; Mark 10).  The marriage bed is to be kept pure from all forms of sexual immorality (Heb. 13:4).  Yet homosexual acts are specifically said to be sexually immoral (Rom. 1:26-27).  Therefore marriage cannot include homosexuality.

Further, homosexuality is more serious and damaging than most other sins. 

Keep in mind, the Bible speaks of degrees of severity of sin (Lk. 12:47-48).  The popular statement, “All sin is equal” is false.  All sin disqualifies a person from heaven unless they accept Christ, but not all sin is equally severe or will incur equal consequences. 

In this hierarchy, homosexuality is said to be a very serious, damaging sin both to individuals and their society as a whole.  Romans 1 rates homosexuality as a key sin leading to the downfall of a society and inviting God’s judgment, even more destructive than heterosexual immorality, since it is a sin against God’s created natural order.

2. It often our responsibility to engage in political activities to try to legislate biblical morality.  

The statement, “You can’t legislate morality” is wrong and unrealistic.  Most law already “legislates morality.”  Theft is illegal because society values the principle of ownership and judges stealing to be morally wrong.  Murder is illegal because society judges life to be precious and the killing of innocent life to be morally wrong. 

Laws are statements of what society judges to be morally right or wrong.  Without this concept, there could be no law, anarchy would prevail, and society would collapse.

Of course, we can’t make all sin illegal, nor should we try.  But on issues of major consequence the law must embody morality.  The Bible—as well as numerous studies by non-Christian social scientists—shows that marriage is one of those issues.  The entire stability of society rests on it.

Christ’s parable of the good Samaritan shows that we must love our neighbor, and one way to love your neighbors is to prevent laws that the Bible says would incur major social and individual harm.

3. Legalizing homosexual marriage is a very major issue which impacts the welfare of our entire society, and therefore as “good Samaritans” interested in the welfare of others, Christians should oppose it. 

The law is both a reflection of a society’s morality, and also influences society’s morality.  Legal homosexual marriage would influence society to be more accepting of homosexuality and other forms of sexual immorality, as it has in Scandinavia. 

Having other “types of marriage” will water down biblical marriage and fewer people than ever will seek such a marriage.  And if that happens, what about children?  Numerous studies of children show that they do much better in almost every category of life—health, education, mental and emotional well-being, etc.—in homes with a heterosexual marriage. 

But the social damage will go much further.

If homosexuals are allowed to marry, the same legal arguments would successfully be used to legalize other forms of marriage, including polygamy, polyamory (group marriage between several men and women), consensual incest, non-homosexual same-sex marriage for financial gain, and other relationships. 

This is not far-fetched.  Lawyers for people in many such relationships are ready to file lawsuits for their clients as soon as homosexual marriage achieves legal status.  Powerful groups like the ACLU formally support many such “rights.”  If the courts grant homosexual marriage, other forms of marriage likely would soon be recognized.

Then there is the legal and financial chaos that would ensue.

Since marriage brings huge legal and financial benefits to spouses—insurance rights, government assistance rights, tax benefits, etc.—then redefining marriage so that any relationship could claim legal marriage would (a) mean a total revamping of our entire legal system to account for an entire new class of “spouses,”  and (b) force a potentially catastrophic strain on to our financial system since “spouses” from these new kinds of marriage would demand financial rights that until now only went to a single husband or wife. 

In fact, many non-homosexuals of the same sex will be able to file for marriage just to get financial benefits. 

4.  Legalizing homosexual marriage would seriously jeopardize the freedom of Christians and could lead to a hardening of hearts against the gospel.

If homosexuals are allowed to marry, homosexuality will be more accepted by society and public statements against homosexuality will be less tolerated.  Christians who express their biblical morality, or resist indoctrination efforts, will be less tolerated in government, in public and private workplaces, in the media, and elsewhere.

In Canada, where homosexual marriage is becoming legal, Christians are generally prohibited from stating that homosexuality is a sin on the radio or TV.   Some Christians have been fined thousands of dollars for publicly stating that homosexuality is sin.

Churches could eventually be forced to perform homosexual marriages, refrain from preaching on passages against homosexuality, and submit to other restrictions.

And as biblical Christianity becomes further marginalized and made to look “kooky, and not in step with enlightened modern views,” fewer people may take the gospel message seriously.   Even many Christians, inundated with anti-biblical propaganda, will become lukewarm, confused, and ineffective.

Indeed, God may judge our society by allowing a general hardening of hearts.  Eventually, America will come to resemble continental Europe, where sexually immorality is rampant and biblical Christianity is now practically extinct.

THE CRISIS IS HERE

Christians must never give in to the temptation to self-righteously hate homosexuals.  We must reach out to them by speaking the truth in genuine unconditional love, and being available to help them escape the so-called “gay” lifestyle. 

But we must also never give in to the temptation to compromise our biblical values or shrink from expressing them in the public debate over the future of marriage in our society.  God may well judge the church in America according to how we defend His sacred institution of marriage as it comes under severe legal attack. 

The crisis is here.  It is hammering at our doors, and at our neighbors’ doors.  How will each of us respond?

Christopher Corbett is a writer living near Dallas, Texas, and former editor of the Freedom Club Report. He has written or coauthored worldview issues, including Answers to the Gay Deception with Marlin Maddoux.

This article first appeared in the May 2004 issue of The Freedom Club Report.