On the Post Christian Era

A post written about a year ago:

Instead of starting with a disclaimer, as was my first inclination, I believe I'll instead start with by simplifying my thesis. God is bigger than the world we live in.

Our generation is witnessing more giant leaps towards the secularization of our great country. The strategic omission of "...under God" from our pledge of allegiance, the continual removal of Christian ethics from our classrooms, and the overwhelming tide of relativism that has somehow seemed to protect every viewpoint other than that of those who believe in Jesus Christ. For whatever reason, some seem to view the issue of gay marriage as the field on which conservative Christians must stand and die - for if they are to give up and allow homosexuals the rights and protections of married couples under the law of the land - then they feel we have passed the final tipping point, and all is lost.

I approach this subject from two personal viewpoints - that of a Christian and that of an American.

As a Christian, I believe in the biblical definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. As an American, I don't believe it's our government's right to define what marriage is at all. At it's core, the concept of marriage is a fundamentally religious belief - the idea that two persons are sworn together before whoever they feel is sacred (God, gods, friends, trees...whatever). Where the state comes in, is in the logistical execution of how and with whom I contractually bind my life and resources. It's paperwork, really. Emotionless, logistical and legal contract work. As far as the state is concerned, my marriage license is no different than my car registration. Does the court care if I love my wife or share an "accepted" belief system that allows us to marry? It's not their role - unless they want to start asking me the same types of questions when I go to the DMV..."Is the merger between you and this Nissan socially acceptable?"

So where does that leave me on the "legalization" of gay marriage? Simply put - I'm for the de-legalization of all marriage. My marriage to my wife took place on two levels. The spiritual, in which I pledged before the God of heaven I would love and honor her in the ways that He instructed - for life; and the legal, in which I agreed before the state that we were contractually obligated until such time as we wanted to do even more complicated and expensive paperwork to undo our obligation. By my description, you can tell which one I believe deserves the emphasis.

So yes, as an American - go ahead and allow people who, based on their belief systems, want to spend the rest of their lives (or whatever time period demonstrates the national average for divorce) to do so with the same logistical and legal protection as those who are doing the same thing in conjunction with biblical marriage. It doesn't dilute the concept of marriage when the state tries to re-define it. It simply shows that the state CAN'T, plain and simple. All they can do (and should do) is give legal and social protection to all people who are living their lives in dependence on each other.

But wait, doesn't that mean I'm "giving up" by letting "them" win? Not at all. I'm "giving" people the right who disagree with my beliefs the right to do so - a concept we as Christians stood on during the creation of this great nation. Or at least claimed to. As an American, to do anything else would simply be contradictory our fundamental beliefs. As a Christian, by choosing to allow others to disagree with me and refusing to use my role as the majority to subjugate them and withhold basic human and legal protections (healthcare, etc.), I believe we demonstrate the grace that has been shown to us by the One who was once our enemy. We must keep in mind, that it is not our role to change the minds and hearts of those whose beliefs don't match our own - that is the Holy Spirit's job. Our futile attempts to do so are typically counterproductive, and look as ridiculous - almost as ridiculous as a state trying to define marriage.

What this does mean to me, is that we are drawing closer to the "post Christian" era in the United States. Our government is reflecting our social majority - drifting away from using the Bible as the foundation for the state's rule and law. "In God we trust" is a fading pillar of our government. Soon our nation may not be thought of as a "Christian" country, and to your possible surprise - I'm not worried.

The spread of Christian faith is, I believe, even more effectively accomplished when it isn't state sponsored. God has shown throughout history how He is able, and may even prefer to permeate His word through the work of underdogs and minorities, working in contrast to the social atmosphere around them. The Christian faith's first "boom" took place as early believers were being systematically hunted and eliminated by the existing government, and from there, God spread it throughout the world. To think that ay decision our government can/will make could limit the work of the Holy Spirit in and through our nation is to see our God as much too small as compared to the world He created.