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FIRST-PERSON: Whose definition of marriage: God’s or man’s?

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–One tenet of a republic is that the voice of the people influences the law of the land. The Founders intended this as they wrote the Constitution and created a new nation.

However, a homosexual minority of fewer than 3 percent of our population is pressing its political agenda through a court system dominated by liberal judges who have elevated themselves to the position of rewriting the Constitution instead of interpreting it. The result: America is mocking biblical morality and turning its back on God.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas overturned a law that classified sodomy as illegal and opened a floodgate that many feel can never be closed again. The decision in effect legalizes homosexuality. The natural progression from that decision is to redefine the biblical model of marriage: one man to one woman.

Legalizing homosexual “marriage” will advance the decline of America’s remaining morality. No person will remain unaffected. A decision at any time from one of several state courts, where this issue is currently being heard, could release a legislative landslide that will bury the moral sensibilities of 97 percent of Americans.

Situation critical? Yes, but not hopeless. Many American leaders are proposing passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment that would legally define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Southern Baptists, through the Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission, and in cooperation with other ministries such as Focus on the Family, the American Family Association and Prison Fellowship, are launching “Marriage Protection Week” Oct. 12-18. The week is designed to develop a cohesive plan to assist churches in responding to the well-organized and well-funded effort to redefine marriage. The week will lay a foundation of support for a constitutional amendment and allow our voices to be heard as we engage in the struggle to preserve the biblical model of marriage. A sample resolution supporting the week is available at the Marriage Protection Week website (www.marriageprotectionweek.com).

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Are a “Marriage Protection Week” and a Federal Marriage Amendment really that necessary? Consider the progression of immorality if the definition of marriage is redefined. Marriage would become merely an emotional relationship that is flexible enough to include any grouping of “loving” adults. If legally two men or two women “marry,” group marriage of several adults would also be legal. Unbelievable? This is part of the homosexual agenda and is publicly advocated by prominent homosexuals like author Judith Levine. (Levine also favors lowering the age of consent to 12 for sex between children and adults in her book, “Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex.”)

If same-sex “marriage” becomes legal, then it will be presented to America’s schoolchildren as the equivalent of heterosexual marriage. Children will be taught that anyone who objects to the homosexual lifestyle is more than “intolerant;” that person is breaking the law by criticizing homosexuality. If this sounds far-fetched, Canada’s House of Commons recently passed a bill that potentially classifies the Bible as “hate-speech.” Courts in several Canadian provinces have ruled in favor of same-sex “marriage.”

Many Christians to this point have held the issue at arm’s length, believing the homosexual agenda didn’t affect them and hoping it would simply go away. The day for inactivity and half-measures is over. If Christians don’t resist the strategic advance of the homosexual agenda, we will lose our voice to preach God’s love to a group that desperately needs to hear biblical truth. “Marriage Protection Week” is a great opportunity to enter the battle for the moral soul of our country.

Some valuable Web resources in learning more about this issue are:

Marriage Protection Week (www.marriageprotectionweek.com).

Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission (www.erlc.com).

Focus on the Family-Citizen Forum (www.family.org/cforum).

No Gay Marriage (www.nogaymarriage.com).

The Way Out (www.lifeway.com/thewayout).
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Draper is president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.