Friday, March 4, 2011

Is same sex marriage inevitable? Albert Mohler thinks so.

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, talks about marriage equality with Focus on the Family. The man is a lot of things but he isn't stupid. (From Right Wing Watch):

Daly: Do you think, as we look at those demographics and the polling data and all the other things, as the Christian community, is this something that is inevitable? I know this is a tough question here on Christian radio but I think it's time to start talking about what if.

Mohler: Well Jim I appreciate your candor in that because I think a lot of Christian conservatives are going to try to deny the obvious. I mean, when we're talking about same-sex marriage, we're talking about something that is already legal in one form or another in basically twelve states. So whether they call it marriage, as they do in a few states, or marriage lite as they have now in twelve states, the reality is that a good number of Americans are living where they're already facing not just the inevitably, but the reality, of same-sex marriage. I think it's clear that something like same-sex marriage - indeed, almost exactly what we would envision by that - is going to become normalized, legalized, and recognized in the culture. It's time for Christians to start thinking about how we're going to deal with that.

I think in the United States, Evangelical Christians in particular, have kind of grown accustomed to having our beliefs and moral convictions and ways of life supported by the state, by the larger culture and we're going to have to learn what it means to live faithfully as Christians when we do not have those supports. You know, it's one thing to live believing that you're in the majority position - everything comes pretty easy that way ...

Daly: A Christian nation.

Mohler: That's right. But when you live in a situation where we're clearly a minority holding to certain convictions that the larger culture either doesn't hold or doesn't hold tenaciously or as very important, we're going to find out just where we stand as Christians.
And along the lines of reality checking in, the lawyer for the American Family Association admits that DOMA is probably unconstitutional.
Pat Vaughn appeared on the Tuesday edition of the AFA Report ... "I think that marriage is defined by God as between a man and a woman. However, the Defense of Marriage Act is probably unconstitutional, particularly ... if you attempt to apply it so that to say that a marriage conducted in one state is not in effect in another. That clearly violates the Constitution."
Expect a renewed push for a Constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality.

1 comment:

Jarred said...

I think in the United States, Evangelical Christians in particular, have kind of grown accustomed to having our beliefs and moral convictions and ways of life supported by the state, by the larger culture and we're going to have to learn what it means to live faithfully as Christians when we do not have those supports.

No, Mr. Mohler, you are used to having your beliefs and moral convictions enforced by the state and the larger culture. The state and larger culture will continue to support your beliefs and moral convictions. The state and larger culture will support your right to pursue marriage with your opposite sex partner. The state and larger culture will continue to support your right to only attend, approve of, and perform marriages which involve a man and a woman. The state and larger culture will support your right to believe whatever you want. That is what support means.

Support does not mean we have to agree with you. Support does not mean we are not allowed to criticize your beliefs and moral convictions. Support does not mean that we have to live by your beliefs and moral convictions. The things you are looking for and bemoaning the loss of go far beyond what it means to support you.

To put it more succinctly, it's time to check your privilege, Mr. Mohler.