On April 17th Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s former campaign manager, addressed the Log Cabin Republicans, a federated gay and lesbian political organization. The major thrust of his speech was to justify gay marriage, however, it was really an attempt to make his case for republicans to soften their stance on sensitive issues so as to gain political support in future elections.
Firstly, let’s examine the biblical background and position on the specific issue of gay marriage.
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…’”
Genesis 1:27-28
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24
In the New Testament Jesus quoted that passage as did the Apostle Paul in the epistle to the Ephesians.
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh…’”? Matthew 19:4-5
For those that believe the Bible it is clear that any marital arrangement other than between a man and a woman never entered the mind of God. A progressive culture has invented that concept which heretofore did not exist.
But that is not the current point. The real issue is that Mr. Schmidt, a republican/conservative, is speaking out to encourage others to look past the biblical basis on the subject and accept a politically correct viewpoint. If republicans/conservatives cave in to such a strategy on this topic, there will be no end to such compromise which will lead to further erosion of our historic foundational principles.
Below are several excerpts from Mr. Schmidt’s speech.
“I respect the opinions of Americans who oppose marriage for gay couples on religious grounds…But I’m confident American public opinion will continue to move on the question toward majority support, and sooner or later the Republican Party will catch up to it.”
“But if you sincerely believe God’s revealed truth objects to it (gay marriage) then it is perfectly honorable to oppose it. But those are not the grounds on which a political party should take or argue a position.”
“And while we shouldn’t carelessly dismiss the importance of enduring traditions, we should understand that traditions do change over time in every society. Customs change. Societies change. People change.”
In fact in the recent presidential election, in which everyone had the privilege to participate, the victor won with his promise to bring “change” to America. Republicans have now lost the presidency as well as the House of Representatives and Senate. They are presently in the process of self assessment to determine what it will take to regain political prowess.
Fortunately for the more than 75% of Americans that claim to be Christians the new president adamantly declares his Christianity and belief in the Bible as does his vice president. Furthermore, the speaker of the house is also a professing Catholic. With this current leadership perhaps America will hold on to their Christian principles while the republicans evaluate Mr. Schmidt’s position and consider whether politics should trump principles. It would certainly be disappointing to learn that our present leadership was also willing to compromise biblical principles that they claim to espouse in order to stay in office.
And while Mr. Schmidt may be right about traditions and societies changing, some things do not change.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My (Jesus) words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24:35
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
The gay marriage issue is just another case where the politically correct is challenging the biblically correct. In this case it attempts to legalize issues that are contrary to biblical positions in order to achieve personal agendas.
Lastly, consider further Mr. Schmidt’s statement that biblical teachings should not be the grounds on which a political party should take or argue a position. Societies, traditions, cultures, and people do change reminding us that in the secular world there are no absolutes. According to the Bible God made all things and He is sovereign over His creation. Therefore, His immutable word must also be absolute. The Bible is in fact the only source that provides the absolute benchmark defining “right and wrong,” or “good and evil.” The Bible further states that mankind will ultimately be judged based on choices made relative to God’s revealed code of conduct and not on man’s perception of good and evil.
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes.” Isaiah 5:20-21
In view of the above it would appear to be a wise strategy that all proposed legislation be aligned with God’s immutable, absolute word and not on current societal norms which change as the wind.
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