Equal Marriage : Just Plain Wrong A Christian Perspective on the Gay Marriage Debate in the UK

Equal Marriage; Just Plain Wrong.

Today, both in the United Kingdom and other Countries, we face the challenge in the name of Equality and Tolerance to allow same sex marriage (the marriage of a man to another man or the marriage of a woman to another woman) the equal standing in society that marriage between a man and a woman or a woman and a man has in the 21^st Century.

Yet those calling for Equality and Tolerance, only believe that their view and understanding of Equality and Tolerance is the only valid view and supersedes the understanding of both Equality and Tolerance of those Groups such as Christians that disagree with their view and understanding, rather than an open and honest debate and discussion, they have decided to demonize those who’s views and understanding of Equality and Tolerance differ from theirs, and criticize and condemn them for not showing or agreeing to both Equality and Tolerance, this is indeed a lack of Equality and Tolerance, for by calling those groups who differ from them In-tolerant etc,  they themselves have done  exactly what they accuse other groups of!

In recent days,  I have followed the on-going debate in today’s media both in favour and against same sex marriage and have examined the evidence and have researched the different perspectives and I believe that our standard and indeed our bench mark for all practices that we the Church hold,  is God’s Word  The Bible. It is quite easy to be influenced by the opinions and perspectives of others. 

Romans 12:1-2 the Message

^1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—you’re sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I’m on Facebook, which I think is one of the best sources of both news and information available on-line and I subscribe to various news feeds . I read with interest and a high level of disappointment and article on Lib Dem Voice by Steve Gilbert is Liberal Democrat MP for St Austell and Newquay.  “Church Opposition to Gay Marriage is intolerant, out of touch and wrong.”  

Mr. Gilbert has quoted that societies in the past such as Ancient China and Ancient Rome allowed Gay Marriage; if we followed the example of these societies today we would still have Slavery and The Death Penalty for various Crimes.  So if we follow the Example of Ancient Rome and all that is involved in that in allowing Gay Marriage shouldn’t we also allow Slavery and turn Wembley Arena into a 21^st Century version of the Coliseum at Rome!  I think not!
-
 To understand why Mr. Gilbert mentioned that practices of Ancient Rome and Ancient China, I decided to examine the evidence and have discovered the following on Wikipedia. (Although Wikipedia is not infallible)

“Various types of same-sex marriages have existed, ^[52] ranging from informal, unsanctioned relationships to highly ritualized unions.^[53]

In the southern Chinese province of Fijian, through the Ming dynasty period, females would bind themselves in contracts to younger females in elaborate ceremonies.^[54] Males also entered similar arrangements. This type of arrangement was also similar in ancient European history.^[55]

An example of egalitarian male domestic partnership from the early Zhou Dynasty period of China is recorded in the story of Pan Zhang & Wang Zhongxian. While the relationship was clearly approved by the wider community, and was compared to heterosexual marriage, it did not involve a religious ceremony binding the couple.^[56]

The first historical mention of the performance of same-sex marriages occurred during the early Roman Empire.^[57] For instance, Emperor is reported to have engaged in a marriage ceremony with one of his male slaves. Emperor Elagabalus "married" a Carian slave named Hierocles.^[58] It should be noted, however, that conubium existed only between a civis Romanus and a civis Romana (that is, between a male Roman citizen and a female Roman citizen), so that a so-called marriage between two Roman males (or with a slave) would have no legal standing in Roman law (apart, presumably, from the arbitrary will of the emperor in the two aforementioned cases).^[59] Furthermore, "matrimonium is an institution involving a mother, mater. The idea implicit in the word is that a man takes a woman in marriage, in matrimonium ducere, so that he may have children by her."^[60] Still, the lack of legal validity notwithstanding, there is a consensus among modern historians that same-sex relationships existed in ancient Rome, but the exact frequency and nature of "same-sex unions" during that period is obscure.^[61] In 342 AD Christian emperors Constantius II and Constans issued a law in the Theodosian Code (C. Th. 9.7.3) prohibiting same-sex marriage in Rome and ordering execution for those so married.^[62]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_marriage

So using the example that same sex marriage was common both in Ancient China and Ancient Rome and had the same legal standing that marriage between a Man and a Woman is not valid and indeed erroneous.

I said earlier that our understanding of issues and our bench mark for all practices should God’s Word the Bible, for example if The Bible supported the idea that the Marriage Union between a Man and a Man and a Woman and Woman was equal to the Marriage Union between a Man and a Woman it would say so, in the Bible there is only one definition of Marriage and that is between a Man and a Woman or a Woman and a Man.  So if we believe that the Bible is God’s Inspired Word we Christians shouldn’t support or agree to a Marriage Ceremony or Union that doesn’t involve a Man marrying a Woman or a Vice a Versa, lets us examine some scriptures on Marriage.

All Scripture Verses are from the English Stand Version unless otherwise stated.

Genesis 2:20b-24

But for Adam^[g] there was not found a helper fit for him.²¹ so the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made^[h] into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”^[i]

²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Jeremiah 29:6

 ⁶ Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.

1 Corinthians 7:2B

, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Ephesians 5:31-33

³¹ “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³ However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

There are of course many scriptures referring to the marriage between a Man and a Woman, which space wouldn’t allow me to add, I’m sure that the above scriptures will serve as a start to your own personal study.

Further Reading:

1.     Will Churches be forced to conduct Gay Marriage?

2.     The Archbishop of York says don't force through Gay Marriage

3.     78% of the British Public say don't force through Gay Marriage

4.     The Christian Institute

5.     Christian Concern

6.     The Coalition for Marriage

Blogging leads to Libel Investigation (from BBC Website, dot.rory blog by Rory Cellan Jones)

Seismic Shock: When blogging meets policing


Rory Cellan-Jones
08:22 UK time, Tuesday, 26 January 2010



Anyone who writes - or reads - blogs will know that they are not necessarily the place for reasoned and good-natured debate. All too often, they descend into vulgar abuse and name-calling - and on occasion, these disputes end up in the libel courts. But would you expect a blogger involved in one of these so-called "flame wars" to get a visit from the police?



That is what happened to the author of Seismic Shock, a blog which, in its own words, is "a voice for those dedicated to exposing and opposing modern anti-Jewish religious attitudes". The blog launched repeated attacks on an Anglican vicar, Stephen Sizer, accusing him of anti-Semitism.



The priest has campaigned against Zionism, has accused the Israeli government of war crimes and has called for the Church of England to sell its investments in companies associated with the occupation of Palesetinian territories. Mr Sizer has strenuously denied accusations on the Seismic Shock blog that he is anti-Semitic or that his pronouncements have given comfort to Holocaust deniers.



So far, so typical in the rough-and-tumble world of the blogosphere. But then, on 29 November, Seismic Shock's author received a visit from two West Yorkshire police officers. The blogger has been anonymous until now, but when I spoke to him, he agreed to reveal his name. He is Joseph Wiseman, a Leeds University graduate student, and it appears the university was unhappy with his blogging activities.



He told me that the police officers who came to his home told him they had received a complaint from Stephen Sizer and from another person - and both had objected to being associated with terrorists and Holocaust deniers. So how had they found him?



"Someone had traced my IP address to Leeds University and the police had spoken to the university and retrieved some files of mine, none of which contained anything which I hadn't made public. The police then relayed a message from the head of ICT department that I shouldn't be using university property in such ways."

The officers asked him to take down his blog, which was at that time being written partly on a university computer, and he agreed to do so. "Why?" I asked him. "I did it because I felt intimidated," he said. "I felt had to co-operate with the police."



So why did the police or Leeds University get involved in this argument? The university offered no comment, except to say that the person who knew about this issue was away on holiday. But West Yorkshire police sent me this statement:



"As a result of a report of harassment, which was referred to us by Surrey Police, two officers from West Yorkshire Police visited the author of the blog concerned. The feelings of the complainant were relayed to the author who voluntarily removed the blog. No formal action was taken."

I was unable to speak to Stephen Sizer, who is out of the country at the moment, but a parish worker told me the vicar had felt threatened by the contents of the blog.



But the whole incident raises interesting questions about the limits of free expression on the web, and the role of the police in pursuing complaints about the contents of a website.

To boldly go, where no-one has gone before !

When I was growing up, my parents and grandparents would take me and my two sisters on holidays to Ifracombe on the North Devon Coast, and more often or not we would go by the MV Balmoral, which would sail between Swansea and Ifracombe in the Summer months, and while there go for boat trips which would sail from Ifracombe harbour, I have more many happy memories of going there as child and early teenager, because of these memories I enjoy spending time by the Coast, although I have not been on a boat trip for a while, I'm fascinated both by boats and the Sea.

I remember a few years ago, while on holidays in Porthleven, Cornwall, spending time in the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth and had an interesting and enjoyable time there, although one thing I noticed more than others that the boats on display, none of them were in their original context , it was fascinating looking at these boats and reading all about them, but all them weren't doing the job they were designed and build for, yes, being on the water. Porthleven is a lovely, fishing village situated near Helston, and has a very picturesque harbour and I noticed that all the boats were doing the purpose they were designed and build for. Like other seaside holiday destinations, Porthleven has several shops selling goods to tourists, some of these shops sell model ships, they look exactly like the originals, but they could never do, the same job as the original ! they were just for display

For centuries Great Britain has been a maritime nation, and many of our national heroes have been sailors, from the historic figures like Sir Francis Drake, Horatio Nelson, Captain James Cook, to the fictional heroes such as Horatio Hornblower, many of our wars and the battles that we fought have involved fighting on Sea, from fighting the Spanish Armada, The Battle from Trafalgar, The Battle Of Jutland, The Battle of the River Plate. Most of our imports and exports travel by sea, the sea has important part to play into our history, present and future as Great Britain. The sea routes used today both for business and pleasure had to be discovered, and the ships that travel those routes use sea-charts to show them where they are going and how to get there, from the smallest cabin cruiser to the mighty container ship. Yet someone had to go out and navigate the sea in order for these sea-charts to be produced. Many of these men, such as Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook, stand tall throughout our history.

We see in our Bibles, countless references to sailing and to sea, from Noah's Voyage, to Jonah and we know that the Lord's Disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John were fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and many of the early missionaries such as Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Mark, Timothy and Luke often travelled by sea to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Salvation to the people of the known world. In Ephesians 4:12, one of the meanings of the Greek Word we translate as equip is prepare a ship for voyage (one of the other meanings, is to set a broken bone).

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries many people left these shores and other shores to travel the world, to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Salvation, following the example of men like William Carey, John Wesley and George Whitfield, I remember growing up in small Pentecostal Church in the South Wales Valley's, and hearing about many men and women who went forth as missionaries, and being inspired by the reports that came back from our missionaries in places like Nigeria and India, I had the privilege not only of having a retired missionary as one of the Sunday School Teachers, and having two former missionary couples as my Pastor and his wife , but also being related to one of the earliest Pentecostal Pioneers from the United Kingdom to Nigeria, who in his later years inspired me to seek and serve God. While a student in Bible School, several of my lecturers had been missionaries, and I know how much they inspired me and my fellow students.

In the early part of the 21^st Century, many of us may not have the same opportunities to travel to other lands following in the footsteps of our brothers and sisters who went before us, there are still opportunities we can take, perhaps in short-term mission trips, we have advancements in technology they didn't have like the Internet, I remember being in School in the 1980's and never thought then I could not talk to people in places like America and Australia via a computer and a phone-line but to count them as friends as well. On the other hand we don't have to travel to other lands to be a missionary, we can be missionaries in our villages, towns, suburbs, cities but most importantly in our communities. I know that in the coming days, the Lord will inspire many of us to become missionaries on other towns, cities and regions throughout our own lands but other lands as well.

In the last 12-18 months, I have been greatly inspired by the writings of people like Alan J Roxburgh, Alan Hirsch, Neil Cole, Martin Robinson and Floyd McClung, especially when it comes to being Missional and being challenged by the concept of mission dei or God's Mission. I may not have the opportunities to travel to other lands to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Salvation, but it doesn't mean that there are no opportunities here in the United Kingdom. I've just read something that David Cameron, the Leader of the Conservative Party here in the UK, said about Broken Britain and Social Recession. (If you would like to read more about Missional, I strongly recommend (Introducing the Missional Church by Alan J Roxburgh). Both my prayer and desire is to see God raise up His People here in the UK and other lands to see the spiritual needs in our own lands, and be willing to follow His direction either to pray, support or go, hopefully to do all, some of us He will send to our neighbours, some of us He will send to our streets, some to our towns and cities, but all He asks are we willing to go to those He will send us ?

Some of us in coming days, He will ask to be Pioneers, and to go where no-one has gone before or for some time, to break into new territory or to go and re-claim territory. I'm now going to share some Scriptures with you, and my Prayer is that God will use these Scriptures to challenge you for the first time or to challenge for you for the thousandth time, and follow his direction, which will not only impact your own live, but impact the lives of others, those who is sending you to.

If you're wondering if my title sounds familiar, it's from Star Trek, the days ahead will be days of challenge, courage and grace but most importantly of opportunity, and I pray that we take the courage and the grace, to take the opportunities those challenges will present to us.

Isa 6:8-9a TNIv

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
       And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" ⁹ He said, "Go and tell this people

Matt 28:19-20 TNIv

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in ^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Romans 10:14015a NCV

 ¹⁴ But before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them;¹⁵ and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent.

Yours by His Grace

Blair Humphreys

Defining Missional | LeadershipJournal.net

Defining Missional LeadershipJournal.net

Waiting

Waiting.

I wonder how many of us enjoy waiting ? I know that I rather do something else, well I’m a man, and most men, and if not a lot of women will hopefully agree with me that men aren’t particularly good at waiting!


We seem to spend so much time in the day, waiting, perhaps it’s waiting for the Bus or Train, which always seem to be running late, if you’re anything like me, you keep checking your watch and the timetable, or if you’re desperate, sending a text message to the local Bus company timetable service, who then sent you a text message for the time of the next bus!


One of the leading Supermarkets, here in the UK, Tesco some time ago launched a self checkout service rather than a check out operator scan your goods, customers can now self-scan, it’s suppose to make things easier for customers but if you like me, you spend at least twice as long self-scanning than you would do at a more conventional check-out ! Maybe it’s a man thing !.


In the so-called Western or developed world, we seem constantly rushing or hurrying, trying to get places quicker or faster, we have Instant Coffee, Express Checkouts, Online Banking, Online Shopping, which is really cool, because you don’t have to queue and it’s delivered, sometimes even the next day.


,I’ve had many moments where God has either spoken into or touched my life, I remember when God moved in my life as a somewhat angry, self centred and annoying teenager, a few of you  will remember me like that! Of all the years, I’ve prayed and sought God’s face, wept, read my Bible, keep going, nearly give up dozens of times, been disappointed, hurt, felt rejection.


Throughout the years despite all that has happened, I’m still here, still have questions that I can’t answer, lost friends and family, been confused over so many things, and at least several times lost for words, failed, Yet Jesus still loves me, still cares for me, and is still by my side.


Some months ago, I went through a time of hurt and rejection, and although I didn't give up on my relationship with the Lord.  I had stopped going to Church. I was angry and confused both with myself, others and the Lord.  During this time, I had two significant dreams, in one dream one of the elders from a church I used to attend, and had left some years was praying with me in  his office, and the second dream was coming here to Southport,(there will be a post on my time here in Southport, coming soon)


It has and will involve change on my part, but the only true option I have is to move forward, it means moving on and standing strong, It means giving my full attention to all the things God has spoken into my life and done in my life, it involves letting go of some things so that I can lay hold of other things, it’s means pain and sorrow, but also means joy and fulfilment. It means moving on from where I am to where God wants me to be.


Change is coming.


It’s taking longer than I expected, and although there seems to be a delay, these things come in God’s Timing and not ours. Yes I’m moving forward and staying focused, I don’t know the actual date I’m moving on and when God will fulfil His promise, I’ve nearly given up a few times, even in the last week, I don’t know how and when, or how long the journey will be, but I’m taking it one day, and one step at a time, and know in God’s timing I will arrive.


There are two scriptures that God has spoken into my life this last week. These are Habakkuk 2:3 and Hebrews 10:35-36


Habakkuk 2:3 Niv


3 For the revelation waits an appointed time;


it speaks of the end


and will not prove false.


Though it linger, wait for it;


it [c] will certainly come and will not delay.


Hebrews 10:35-36 TNiv


35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.


36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.




Yours in Him


Blair Humphreys

Todays Word, Eph 3 NKJV

Ephesians 3 (New King James Version)

New King James Version (NKJV)

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Ephesians 3

The Mystery Revealed

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

Purpose of the Mystery

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship[a] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;[b] 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Appreciation of the Mystery

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[c] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Footnotes:
Ephesians 3:9 NU-Text and M-Text read stewardship (dispensation).
Ephesians 3:9 NU-Text omits through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:14 NU-Text omits of our Lord Jesus Christ

Todays Word, Eph 2

Ephesians 2 (New King James Version)

New King James Version (NKJV)

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Ephesians 2

By Grace Through Faith

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christ Our Peace

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.