What Is Marriage?
A question I get all the time as the chairman and CEO of The Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender www.thecenterforfaith.com, is “Where in the Bible does it say two people of the same sex can’t get married?” My answer often surprises them.
Marriage is a legal option, but not a biblical one. The fundamental question that needs to be answered is this, “What is marriage, from God’s perspective?”
My co-worker, Dr. Preston Sprinkle the president of The Center, wrote this wonderful blog, answering that very question.
When Christians dialogue or debate the ethics of same-sex relationships, they typically start by talking about the so-called “prohibition passages” like Leviticus 18:22 or Romans 1:26-27. The discussion usually focuses on whether these passages apply to modern day, consensual, adult marriages. Or some people argue that the biblical writers didn’t know about sexual orientation—that some people are born gay, but the biblical writers didn’t know this and that’s why they prohibited same-sex sexual relations. If the biblical writers knew about orientation, they’d have no problem with two adults of the same sex getting married.
These are important discussions to have and all the evidence needs to be weighed and considered. But I suggest that questions surrounding the prohibition passages or sexual orientation shouldn’t be the first or main questions asked. Instead of asking, did Paul prohibit same-sex marriage, we need to ask the ultimate question: What is marriage?
Marriage is a legal option, but not a biblical one. The fundamental question that needs to be answered is this, “What is marriage, from God’s perspective?”
My co-worker, Dr. Preston Sprinkle the president of The Center, wrote this wonderful blog, answering that very question.
When Christians dialogue or debate the ethics of same-sex relationships, they typically start by talking about the so-called “prohibition passages” like Leviticus 18:22 or Romans 1:26-27. The discussion usually focuses on whether these passages apply to modern day, consensual, adult marriages. Or some people argue that the biblical writers didn’t know about sexual orientation—that some people are born gay, but the biblical writers didn’t know this and that’s why they prohibited same-sex sexual relations. If the biblical writers knew about orientation, they’d have no problem with two adults of the same sex getting married.
These are important discussions to have and all the evidence needs to be weighed and considered. But I suggest that questions surrounding the prohibition passages or sexual orientation shouldn’t be the first or main questions asked. Instead of asking, did Paul prohibit same-sex marriage, we need to ask the ultimate question: What is marriage?
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