Obergefell vs. Hodges: Yes, one can be Christian and support same-sex marriage

The Supreme Court Ruling:  What Would Jesus Do?

From the Lebanon Enterprise newspaper, Lebanon, Kentucky

July 8, 2015

The previous week, another pastor in town had written a letter to the editor explaining his church's decision to fly the U.S. flag upside down over the Fourth of July.  He explained that flying the flag upside down was an announcement that the nation was in grave distress, and went on to condemn the Obergefell vs. Hodges Supreme Court decision.  I was at the time the (straight, married) pastor of United Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, which is a welcoming congregation.  The rainbow stole in this photo was in celebration of the congregations 225th anniversary.

            This is where I'm going to make some people very happy and others very unhappy.  I will not call anyone names if you disagree with me.  I will let you know what I think about this ruling, but the point of this column is to think about how we can move forward from here, no matter our opinion of the ruling itself.

            A lot of you are confused and angry and scared about the same-sex marriage ruling.  You read scripture literally, and you don't see how anyone can dodge its meaning: homosexual behavior is sinful.  You don't want the country legitimizing this behavior, and you see us literally going to the devil.  I am not going to tell you you're a hateful bigot because you think this way.  There are plenty of hateful, homophobic bigots out there, but not everyone who is against homosexuality falls into that category.

            Others, including Christians, are celebrating this ruling.  We see it as a recognition of the humanity and equality of our gay brothers and sisters, some of whom are also Christian.  The churches who have come to this conclusion did not get here by blithely ignoring scripture; we have struggled with this issue for years.  However, we do have a different understanding of the Bible.  Most of these churches do not believe in the "verbal inerrancy of scripture," the idea that every word was dictated by the Holy Spirit and is valid for all time.  Instead, we see the Bible as a collection of books written by different people, inspired by the Holy Spirit to bring God's Word to their people and situations.  We look at the context in which scripture was written, and draw parallels from their situations to ours.

            For example, Paul wrote against homosexual behavior--but the Greek words he used do not refer to a long-term, loving, faithful relationship.  He wrote against temple prostitution and the common practice of men having sex with boys, frequently slaves.  Yes, God gets angry at prostitution and child abuse, but those things have nothing to do with gay marriage. 

            Paul also said, "Slaves, obey your masters as you would Christ," and then added that masters should treat their slaves well, "for you also have a Master in heaven, who shows no partiality."  For Paul's time, this was radically progressive stuff.  If you think these words of Paul are to be read literally (slavery is OK as long as the masters are good, and slaves should obey their masters) as the eternal Word of God, binding on all times and places, there is something wrong with you.  I believe that just as God nudged Paul toward acknowledging that slaves were people who had a moral claim on their masters, God continues to expand our understanding that every single human being is God's beloved child, worthy of dignity and respect, and called to treat others with the grace we have received from God.  Jesus says nothing about homosexuality, but he says a lot about not judging others, and treating others as we want to be treated.

            So yes, it is possible to be Christian and to believe sincerely that marriage equality is a good thing.  What if you don't?  What if you think my reading of scripture is all wrong?  Either way, a story of Jesus from the Gospel of Mark, chapter six, can give us a way forward.

            Jesus had been travelling, teaching and healing.  He had just raised a girl from the dead.  He was getting quite famous.  He came back to Nazareth, his home town, and preached in the synagogue.  The local folks didn't want to hear it.  They said, "Who does he think he is?"  The text says Jesus was astounded by their lack of faith, but he did not denounce them or curse them.  He went on to other villages, and sent his disciples out as well, two by two.  He told them to accept the hospitality of whatever village they entered.  If a place did not accept them, they were to wipe the dust from their sandals and move on.

            When we believe the Word of God is clear, we have a duty to speak out.  That's true whether you believe scripture supports same-sex marriage or forbids it.  We are captive to our own consciences.  However, we cannot force anyone to agree with us.  We can witness; we cannot compel.  I don't want someone whose faith I do not share telling me I have to follow the rules of their faith, and so I cannot tell others they have to follow the rules of mine.  (This ruling does not compel any clergy or faith group to marry anyone.  A county clerk cannot refuse a civil marriage license, because a civil marriage has nothing to do with religion.)  Like Jesus and the disciples, we tell our truth; we witness to our faith; and we leave people free to respond.  Jesus did not waste time trying to *make* people follow him; he moved on.  So can we.