This week President Obama shocked many in the nation by coming out so boldly in favor of “same-sex marriage.” By his own confession he acknowledged that he had “evolved” on this issue over the years.
One of the most interesting aspects of Obama’s pronouncement revolved around his faith statements. In the interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts he said that when he and his wife:
…“think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated.”
I must admit it is refreshing to hear the President speak so openly about his faith in Christ and the implications of the cross on his self understanding, but sadly his quest for grace has led him down a path of “foggy theology.” The same Scriptures that declare the “Golden Rule” as a life principle also point to the destructiveness of sinful behaviors and attitudes of all shades of color and depth.
Sadly, I regret that President Obama did not stick with his position that he articulated so well. In 2004 in an interview with WTTW, a Chicago public television station, he said:
“What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it’s not simply the two persons who are meeting,”
In this statement Obama clearly expressed the Christian or biblical view of marriage. He stated articulately that marriage was far more than a civil ceremony or legal contract or covenant. He believed marriage between a man and woman was “something before God.” When you bring God into the equation this the debate on Same Sex marriage ends for those who use the Bible as a life guide. The God of the Bible does not encourage nor sanction “same-sex” marriage. In fact, He identifies this lifestyle also with many others as sinful, unhealthy, and fundamentally wrong.
Obama, the theologian, has fallen on the slippery slope of picking and choosing positions based on predetermined outcomes, or to support positions already chosen due to personal or political pressure. One simple cannot put words into God’s mouth. How can He be true to himself and call one lifestyle sinful yet sacred at the same time.
In the “same-sex” marriage debate in North Carolina last week, Billy Graham, the voice of faith for our nation for decades, stated:
“The Bible is clear — God’s definition of marriage is between a man and a woman.
Simply put marriage is the union of a man and a woman made “one” by the touch of God upon their hearts and life. As a nation we would be wise and prudent to not redefine marriage in trying to be “fair” or “just” to all. Without doubt every citizen in our nation regardless of color, creed, or orientation deserves to be treated with the utmost respect yet marriage must not be redefined regardless of the political pressure of “correctness” We must not sway to the opinions of “enlightened” and powerful on this vital issue that strikes at the core of the moral fabric of our nation.
When God spoke the “Golden Rule” challenging men and women of faith to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” by no means was He creating a “situational theology” that suggest that we must affirm and support the actions of those who openly choose to live in rebellion against the Word of God.
Sadly this debate once again will draw lines in the sand between the faith community and the secular world. It saddens me that to stand up for right often is perceived as rejection of others. The power of the gospel rests not in policies or laws. The power of the gospel moves through channels of relationships. Jesus, on a quest to refine reality, did not stoop to political maneuvers to implement meaningful change–rather He chose to become the “friend of tax collectors and sinners” knowing that life on life, love on love, grace on grace alone can move the world toward wholeness.
I pray we will take Jesus’ stance on this issue:
Pro-marriage/Pro-people
Love & Lead 
Adding to the powerful voices of the President and Vice President, Nancy Pelosi has now added that her Catholic faith “compels’ her to affirm same-sex marriage because her faith is against discrimination of any kind. She was answering the question “How do you grapple with the idea that you support gay marriage as a Catholic?”
That answer conflates American government with Catholicism. The President’s answer conflates a universal-type religion with Christianity. He has often noted in past speeches that all major religions share belief in the Golden Rule.
I’m wondering, however, if there is a distinction between the “Golden Rule” statement that the President made this past week and the statement that he made in 2004.
The 2004 comment suggests a theological affirmation that marriage – in his faith (which implies a tradition like Black Church) – is between a man and a woman.
But the context of his comments here in 2012 is not a theological one. In my view, he’s offering a political affirmation that same-sex couples deserve the same LEGAL protections as opposite-sex couples and that is made possible by extending “marriage” rights to those couples (shifting from support for civil unions to marriage).
My marriage is a covenant that my wife and I have with each other and with God. A minister to the Gospel and our church blessed this covenant when we made our vows. I don’t see how our “covenant marriage” – to use a phrase that Tony Perkins likes – has anything whatsoever to do with McLennan County or the state of Texas.
I don’t see the procurement and submission of a legal license – which I had to pay $50 or so for – as a biblical requirement to have my marriage be a real marriage.
From a theological perspective, what does a covenant marriage have to do with civil marriage? And in an increasingly pluralistic society with changing views about sexuality, perhaps we could “protect marriage” by distinguishing between the political and theological to some degree. There are a growing number of Black Church leaders who are doing just this (Frederick Haynes in DFW, William Shaw, Ebenezer Baptist in ATL, etc.). These leaders affirm equal rights in the political arena for such couples but do not bless the ceremonies in their churches, etc.
May God grant us discernment.