It has become apparent that as your Pastor I need to respond in some manner to the cover story of Newsweek December 15 issue, titled “The Religious Case for Gay Marriage” and subtitled”Our Mutual Joy.” The number of questions, conversations and e-mails already generated about this necessitate some response.

What is clear is that Lisa Miller, the author of the article who is a Senior Editor at the magazine has written a passionate attempt to support and justify homosexual marriage from what she calls a “religious case.” What is also clear is that a very gifted writer with an impressive resume in writing (Harvard Business Review, The New Yorker, Self, The Wall Street Journal) has written a cover story in one of America’s most respected and authoritative weekly news magazines on the most polarizing issue in the American Church of our young 21st century that has huge biblical and theological issues. What is also, amazingly, clear is that this author has a B.A. in English from Oberlin College and no mention of any formal biblical or theological education or training of any kind, Seminary or otherwise, yet self-proclaims her article to be the religious case!

Exegesis is the method of studying and interpreting scripture using the scripture itself as the starting point, with an honest objective attempt to discover what the passage meant to the original hearers in their present time, then attempting to show what this message means to our present time. Eisegesis, on the other hand, leads to “reading in of one’s own ideas…the substitution of the authority of the intepreter for the authority of the original writer.” (From Interpreting the Bible, A. Berkeley Mickelsen, page 158) We were always warned in my theological education journey to avoid the latter. Unfortunately, Lisa Miller does precisely that.

The article begins by reflecting negatively on Old Testament biblical heroes who were also polygamists, without mention to how they disobeyed God’s moral laws in the process, and the consequences of their actions clearly outlined in scripture. It continues with a negative comment on the New Testament model of marriage and asks this startling question: “Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple – who likely woke up on their wedding day harboring some optimistic and newfangled ideas about gender equality and romantic love – turn to the Bible as a how-to script?” Miller then, stating “the religious case”, answers her own question stunningly – “Of course not, yet the religious opponents of gay marriage would have it be so.” And this was all in paragraph ONE!

As a person who has studied through more than ten years of formal biblical and theological education with two degrees and a pastor who has led literally hundreds of young people and adults across 27 years of ministry YES, to the Bible for a “how-to script” for marriage believing in gender equality and romantic love and someone who has attempted to live out in 27 years of marriage to the same woman those very principles based on, yes, that Bible, I must admit I was shocked with the cavalier manner in which the author dismissed the scripture in her opening comments! I hope every pastor, priest, rabbi, and counselor, bible teacher and believer was also!

I could not in this forum take the time and space to counterpoint every argument Miller raised – but let me try a few:

She writes neither the Bible or Jesus “explicitly defines marriage as between one man and one woman.” Yet every reference the Bible and Jesus and Paul make to marriage defines by their language that relationship being one man to one woman, speaks of brides and bridegrooms, and husbands and wives! Every reference! Furthermore, Jesus used this understanding of marriage as the illustration basis for huge Kingdom of God principles that he taught about (see Matthew 19:1-9; 25:1-13), and Paul used it as his basis to understand the spiritual relationship that exists between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:21-33)!

She writes that “no sensible modern person wants marriage – theirs or anyone else’s – to look in its particulars anything like what the Bible describes.” Mercy I do! I have used Ephesians 5:21-33 based on Genesis 2:18-25 as THE particular look I am seeking both in my marriage and the dozens of marriages I have officiated to look like, let alone those of my three daughters and the thousands of parishioners I have preached to across these years about marriage!

She boldly and falsely proclaims that “Scripture gives us no good reason why gays and lesbians should not be ‘civilly and religiously’ married” – and goes on to state that Scripture gives “a number of excellent reasons why they should.” While the “civil” reasons may be open to some debate, anyone who bases their “religious” life on the Bible and its teachings find dozens of reasons why it should not happen, beginning with the two afore-mentioned passages and including Romans 1:18-32.

She then summarizes in a sweeping generalization “We cannot look to the Bible as a marriage manual…” This statement honestly and accurately portrays her view, to be sure, but is a direct challenge to every preacher, writer, theologian, teacher, counselor and individual married person who has based their view of marriage let alone their marriage itself squarely on the Bible. It is an affront to my faith, an attack on what I believe to be eternal truth, and an offensive and painful dismissal of what millions of Christian believers believe is the inspired and authoritative Word of God.

Further, for a news magazine of such influence and reputation to allow such an unqualified person in the fields of theology and biblical study to write such a piece and put it on their cover, let alone trumpet it as “The” religious case is a sad commentary on where the agenda of Newsweek clearly lies.

If there has ever been an issue where Christ-followers who stake their eternal claim on the Bible as the Word of God take their stand – this is it. Again, we can debate the civil issues and their implications, and may well come down on differing sides. But to say the Bible in any way “supports” and makes “a case for” homosexual marriage, let alone homosexual acts themselves, as acceptable in God’s sight is simply impossible to defend based on the scripture. And those who do so need to be responded to lovingly, but firmly. I have attempted to do just that.

Perhaps, in closing, it would be wise to let the Bible speak for itself. I defer to the Apostle Paul:

Romans 1:24, 26-27: Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another…Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

Based on this and other passages, the Church of the Nazarene in its “Covenant of Christian Conduct” states the following: “Sexuality misses its purposes when treated as en end in itself or when cheapened by using another person to satisfy pornographic or perverted sexual interests. We view all forms of sexual intimacy that occur outside the covenant of heterosexual marriage as sinful distortions of the holiness and beauty God intended for it. Homosexuality is one means by which human sexuality is perverted. We recognize the depth of the perversion that leads to homosexual acts but affirm the biblical position that such acts are sinful and subject to the wrath of God. We believe the grace of God sufficient to overcome the practice of homosexuality (I Corinthians 6:9-11). We deplore any action or statement that would seem to imply compatability between Christian morality and the practice of homosexuality…”

There we stand. We can do no other.

The struggle for self-control of one’s behavior and the need for God’s help in the process is intense for the person of homosexual orientation or desire. It is no less intense for the person of heterosexual orientation or desire who is single, divorced, widowed or estranged from loving relations with their spouse. It is no less intense for the person who is married but struggles to keep their sexual expression within that marriage relationship exclusively. But God has promised in His word to be with us in the path of temptation (I Corinthians 10:13) and that we can practice self-control with the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25).

Our doors and arms are open to those who honestly struggle with sexual sin but earnestly desire God’s help and God’s transforming change in their minds and lives. God’s grace is extended to those who repent and seek His forgiveness and are willing to change their behaviors. We are all equally sinners before God short of His forgiving grace and transforming change in our lives. And we are equally in need of His Spirit’s power in our bodies daily to keep us making choices and living lives that are pleasing to Him. For us to embrace homosexual acts or marriage as acceptable to God and His Word would be disobedient to His Word, but no more so than if we embraced fornication, adultery, incest, sexual abuse, rape, or any other form of sexual sin. His Word calls us not to embrace sin, but to overcome it with His help! And to love the sinner struggling with it but seeking His help in their lives – join us on the journey! And to respect those and pray for those who disagree with His Word, but not to approve of what they do (Romans 1:32).

Again, there we stand. We can do no other.