On Friday, June 26, 2015 five un-elected Supreme Court Justices imposed the legalization of same-sex marriage on the entire country. In doing so, they irrevocably cast a die in the raging U.S. culture war that will have a dire impact for people of faith that believe in the traditional definition of marriage. Based on national news coverage and just about everyone's Facebook feed, it seems that millions of Americans are celebrating this decision. Indeed, even many Christians, including those that are not necessarily in favor of gay marriage, are breathing a sigh of relief that at long last this issue can seemingly be laid to rest and that it no longer needs to be argued about in the public arena. However, as Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his dissent, "I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools." This victory for the proponents of gay marriage will in no way result in a cease fire in the broader culture war because the core issue has never been about the definition of marriage. As brilliantly said by conservative columnist David French: "First, the conflict is not between gay rights and religious liberty, but between the sexual revolution and Christianity...Abortion battles continue to rage, sometimes with an intensity that matches or exceeds the arguments over gay marriage...And just over the horizon are new, widespread battles over the very definition of what it means to be male and female. Simply put, the sexual revolution questions everything about sexual morality and identity-demanding changes in every aspect of traditional sexual morality and, consequently, orthodox Christian theology."
Even a cursory analysis of Justice Kennedy's majority ruling makes it clear that the door has indeed been opened for the complete and total annihilation of marriage, not simply an extension of its parameters to include gay couples. Kennedy wrote: "Under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, no State shall 'deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.' The fundamental liberties protected by this Clause include most of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights...This analysis compels the conclusion that same-sex couples may exercise the right to marry...A first premise of the Court’s relevant precedents is that the right to personal choice regarding marriage is inherent in the concept of individual autonomy." Thus, if this "right to personal choice regarding marriage is inherent in the concept of individual autonomy," then we must extend the definition of marriage to include any configuration of consenting adults. This opens the door to the legalization of polygamy, polyamory, and even incestuous relationships between adults. While it may seem that I am being hyperbolic or intentionally inflammatory, the dissenting justices themselves pointed out this very fact: "Although the majority randomly inserts the adjective ‘two’ in various places, it offers no reason at all why the two-person element of the core definition of marriage may be preserved while the man-woman element may not. Indeed, from the standpoint of history and tradition, a leap from opposite-sex marriage to same-sex marriage is much greater than one from a two-person union to plural unions, which have deep roots in some cultures around the world. If the majority is willing to take the big leap, it is hard to see how it can say no to the shorter one,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts. Thus, Justice Kennedy in no way put to bed the argument over gay marriage. In fact, his opinion opens the floodgates for advocates of polygamy, polyamory, incest and who-knows-what-else to demand "changes in every aspect of traditional sexual morality," as predicted by David French. After all, according to Justice Kennedy's legal logic, does not every individual, no matter how perverse or outside the mainstream their view on sexuality and marriage, have a right to express their "individual autonomy" in regards to marriage? Indeed, if this right only exists for gay and straight couples are we not perpetuating the very "discrimination" that Justice Kennedy just supposedly ended with his decision?
Justice Kennedy's majority opinion, however, did something far more pernicious than lay the legal foundation for the decimation of the definition of marriage: it made Biblical morality incompatible with the U.S. Constitution and laid the foundation for the legal persecution of Christians. I am fully aware that this claim sounds, at best, as someone crying wolf and, at worst, as the paranoid ravings of someone with a persecution complex. However, in legalizing gay marriage, the Supreme Court did not simply grant homosexual couples "equality." Rather, this decision put gay couples on a pedestal as a legally protected class that cannot be "discriminated" against. Thus, the free exercise of religion clause of the First Amendment not withstanding, sooner of later churches will NOT be allowed to refuse to perform gay weddings. Indeed, if gay marriage and homosexual behavior is normalized as a matter of law, then Biblical texts that label homosexuality as sin will eventually be deemed hate speech and gay activists will see them exorcised from the public square. In fact, as I write this, the assault on religious liberty has already begun despite the fact that the ink has been dry on the Supreme Court's decision for a mere two days! Today, Mike Oppenheimer of the New York Times has already called for churches to be stripped of their tax-exempt status: "The Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage makes it clearer than ever that the government shouldn't be subsidizing religion and non-profits. Rather than try to rescue tax-exempt status that dissent from settled public policy on matters of race or sexuality, we need to take a more radical step. It's time to abolish, or greatly diminish, their tax-exempt statuses." Thus, as Justice Alito presciently predicted, dissenters will be free to express their disagreement, but only in private and only under the threat of federal retribution.
Believers should not be surprised or dismayed by the recent turn of events in regards to gay marriage. Jesus made it very clear in the Sermon on the Mount that those who faithfully followed him would be subject to persecution: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me (Matthew 5:11)." He also assures us in John 16:33 that we need not fear persecution because he is always with us and his ultimate victory is assured: "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." The question we must ask ourselves is: are we ready to stand and be counted with Christ and face the scorn, derision, and ultimately, legal penalty for following Christ and Scriptural authority in ALL areas, including the realm of sexual morality? Sadly, I think lots of believers have bought into the lie that if they are simply loving. accepting and tolerant that they will not come into conflict with the world and the advocates of behavior that the Bible clearly labels as sinful. These individuals do not seem to understand that the world is not looking to live and let live but to bring about the acquiescence and capitulation of people of faith. The die has been cast and the battle is coming. We must choose a side and realize that "friendship with the world makes [us] an enemy of God (James 4:4)." The reality is that we cannot pretend not to care because we will ALL be made to care. This issue has been and will continue to be pushed by gay activists in the media, schools, and soon, in our churches. God has given us the power to stand, but are we willing to pay the price it will take in order to do so? Please do not misunderstand, I am no way saying that gay individuals should be maligned or treated poorly by Christians. As believers, we have a mandate to treat every person, even our enemies, with the love of Christ. However, this in no way mitigates the fact that gay activists and those sympathetic to their cause in government will continue to push their agenda in order to silence dissenting voices in the faith community. We can either allow this to occur unopposed and betray what Scripture says, or stand with Christ, be counted as his followers and pay the cost that will undoubtedly come as a result.
