My friend and colleague Andy Comiskey is pointing to the good of marriage being what it has always been … (my thoughts after the jump.)
The Greater Love Story
September 27, 2008 by Andy Comiskey
Marriage is pre-political. It did not originate in any one nation, under any one government. It was born in the heart of the Creator. He created humanity as male and female and described them together as manifesting His image upon the earth. God dared to represent Himself in the union of one man for one woman.
That is audacious! Knowing our propensity for misusing power in the name of love, God entrusted humanity to manifest who He is in how man honors woman, and how woman honors man. Marriage is the main and plain of that manifestation; it is the window on earth of something akin to God, the Creator Himself!
But creation is only the first part of how significant marriage is in the divine plan; redemption rounds out the powerful good of man for woman and woman for man.
Jesus describes Himself as the bridegroom who gave Himself up (His death on the cross) for His bride, the Church. He will come again in order to become one with her. In the meantime, He as the bridegroom is serving and loving us, His bride, in order to make us ready for His return. That return is the consummation of Godâs plan of redemption that began on the cross.
Marriage matters: it conveys the essence of who God is, and how He is towards us, His people. Theologian Christopher West writes in The Love that Satisfies:
The Bible begins in Genesis with the marriage of the first man and woman, and ends in Revelation with another âmarriageâ: the union of Christ and the Churchâ¦The whole story of our salvation is contained between the love initiated by the bridegroom and the response of the brideâ¦These nuptial bookends area key for interpreting all that lies between. (p.12)…
[From 40 Days of Devotion]
I am so happy that Andy is writing from this perspective. He started that blog for this sole purpose (highlighting marriage) and is going to be blogging in support of Proposition 8 (California) all the way up until the election.
Often in the various "marriage" meetings I have had the honor of participating in, I will bring up that it isn't just "gay" marriage that's at issue. A lot of heterosexual people have absolutely no clue or no understanding of the depth, beauty and mystery that God had intended for marriage. In fact, the most "pernicious" threat to marriage has been the devaluing of it in the culture by those who are heterosexually inclined. The gay redefinition of marriage is just a continuation of decades worth of deconstruction of what marriage has always been. I am glad Andy is taking on the challenge of trying to "go there" and explain the beauty and mystery of marriage from a redemptive spiritual perspective.
He's going to catch a lot of heat for this so I will stand with him in prayer and otherwise.
Also, for those of us who are single … don't feel left out. Join me in rejoicing for those who are married around us. Let's let the beauty of their witness bless us. Likewise we can turn the singleness of our devotion to Christ into a blessing for them. In Christ, we are all complete. In Christ we are one community on level ground at the foot of the Cross.
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Randy,
Just got an eMail news item forwarded to me by my brother that I thought you might be interested in seeing if you hadn't already.
Google opposes anti-gay marriage measure.
Really frustrates me because I use google for so much and I'd like to untangle myself from them in the light of this news.
*sigh* Frustrating alright, It's hard to think I was such a 'just use google for that' advocate….our 'Intentionally-Christian' college even uses them as their email provider.
The eMail thing is the hardest for me to untangle from. I've had business cards printed up and business contacts reach me through that eMail address, etc. I love a lot of their products because they've really produced some wonderful apps. but it kills me to be aligned in the light of this news.
I'm going to have to pray about it. It's served me well, ..perhaps we
can pray for the people at Google, that perhaps someone influential
might be touched by someone dealing with this issue personally, and
get their company to withdraw their support.
I am in the middle of writing a lengthy letter and other work. I will not be boycotting google and I will explain with a blogpost later tonight.
I'm not advocating a boycott, I'm generally not big on them, but I do
feel as though when corporations start making stands like this it's a
slippery slope in the political realm.
I will await your blog post later, as I consider my response.
Yes, I found out about it last Friday when the official google blog announced it. I thought it very odd since 22 other states have already done this and two other states are doing this (this go around) aside from California. I bet that a lot of their investors are in California and either embrace a gay identity or support gay efforts.
I think prayer and possibly an email or letter would be good.
I agree to a certain extent … more later
.
Hey Randy,
Just got an eMail news item forwarded to me by my brother that I thought you might be interested in seeing if you hadn't already.
Google opposes anti-gay marriage measure.
Really frustrates me because I use google for so much and I'd like to untangle myself from them in the light of this news.
A shout out to all your blogger Randy… If you want to see an excellent movie about a marriage covenant to your spouse and God, Fire Proof is the must see movie. I rate the movie a perfect 10!
We must support Christian movies. The movie took in over 6 million the first weekend.
remember the name Wayne Floyd, he's hilarious
*sigh* Frustrating alright, It's hard to think I was such a 'just use google for that' advocate….our 'Intentionally-Christian' college even uses them as their email provider.
The eMail thing is the hardest for me to untangle from. I've had business cards printed up and business contacts reach me through that eMail address, etc. I love a lot of their products because they've really produced some wonderful apps. but it kills me to be aligned in the light of this news.
I heard that this movie was pretty good. I will try to check it out soon. Thanks for the shout out
.
I'm going to have to pray about it. It's served me well, ..perhaps we
can pray for the people at Google, that perhaps someone influential
might be touched by someone dealing with this issue personally, and
get their company to withdraw their support.
I am in the middle of writing a lengthy letter and other work. I will not be boycotting google and I will explain with a blogpost later tonight.
I'm not advocating a boycott, I'm generally not big on them, but I do
feel as though when corporations start making stands like this it's a
slippery slope in the political realm.
I will await your blog post later, as I consider my response.
Andy Comiskey Blogs about Marriage In Support of Prop 8 http://tinyurl.com/5yeyso
Yes, I found out about it last Friday when the official google blog announced it. I thought it very odd since 22 other states have already done this and two other states are doing this (this go around) aside from California. I bet that a lot of their investors are in California and either embrace a gay identity or support gay efforts.
I think prayer and possibly an email or letter would be good.
I agree to a certain extent … more later
.
A shout out to all your blogger Randy… If you want to see an excellent movie about a marriage covenant to your spouse and God, Fire Proof is the must see movie. I rate the movie a perfect 10!
We must support Christian movies. The movie took in over 6 million the first weekend.
remember the name Wayne Floyd, he's hilarious
I heard that this movie was pretty good. I will try to check it out soon. Thanks for the shout out
.
[...] Andy Comiskey Blogs about Marriage in Support of Proposition 8 [...]
Since we want to follow the scriptures, I think we next should start a proposition to stop divorce couples from remarrying. Once divorced the bible teaches that remarrying is another form of adultery and punishable the same as homosexuality. Both are forbidden. But divorced and remarried couples far outnumber gays wanting to get married. This too should be outlawed. For centuries it was; it was traditional to outlaw divorces. Of course now it is acceptable and maybe it is time for gays to marry too. After all, they are only asking that you “Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.”
I am thinking that creating a straw man argument that compares the gay redefinition of marriage to divorced heterosexual couples isn't the best route to go in order to make your point.
The Lord does allow for divorce in the instance of sexual adultery but other than that, I don't know if a constitutional amendment is needed but I am all for making divorce a lot harder to accomplish. When it is simply another option for people to not keep their vows, it is just as detrimental as redefining marriage because it does the same thing … it redefines marriage out of “holy” matrimony and makes it into only a policy benefit to opt in or out of.
I may be mistaken in my information that in one or two instances that divorce is allowed but remarrying is not.
Also “Holy” matrimony is a matter of interpretation. Quakers, now the Society of Friends, believe that sitting quietly and listening to God speak to your heart is a vital part of their religion. If God tells you it is okay to marry a same sex partner, that would be considered “Holy”. A number of religions are okay with gay marriage and marrying the couples. Why should your belief dominate over theirs? Thus taking this question out of the religious community and putting it up there with equal rights, in which the original decision was judged.
Donald, moral relativism never works with public policy as we will surely find out if “logic” like yours continues to reign (and it is indeed rising in power and that is scary.) It's not about dominating, it's about what's best for society as a whole and if redefining marriage is what your heart says we need to do because different people have different prayer practices … than you must allow people who have the “heart” to marry multiple or underage partners.
… among a myriad of other possibilities. Marriage is already in chaos as a social benefit. I don't thinking ruining any semblance of what marriage has always been is the answer.
You also make the mistake of assuming that we are all “hearing” from the same god and/or confusing our own thoughts as the will of God.
To be more direct, if “God” told you it is ok to redefine marriage … with all do respect … we do not serve the same God.
And just like you, I have a right to exercise my freedoms and engage the process. “Why should your belief dominate over theirs?” is a false argument because it isn't about that. Even though it is tempting to ask you the very same question.
Plus, my “belief” is backed up by thousands of years of world history and even scientific studies that say children are best raised with a Dad and Mom in the context of a lifelong committed marriage.
It is about participating in democracy to hopefully shape public policy in a way that is best for us all. You do what you have to do and I will do what I have to do. At the end of the day, we will still be fellow citizens trying to make it in this world.
Since we want to follow the scriptures, I think we next should start a proposition to stop divorce couples from remarrying. Once divorced the bible teaches that remarrying is another form of adultery and punishable the same as homosexuality. Both are forbidden. But divorced and remarried couples far outnumber gays wanting to get married. This too should be outlawed. For centuries it was; it was traditional to outlaw divorces. Of course now it is acceptable and maybe it is time for gays to marry too. After all, they are only asking that you “Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.”
I am thinking that creating a straw man argument that compares the gay redefinition of marriage to divorced heterosexual couples isn't the best route to go in order to make your point.
The Lord does allow for divorce in the instance of sexual adultery but other than that, I don't know if a constitutional amendment is needed but I am all for making divorce a lot harder to accomplish. When it is simply another option for people to not keep their vows, it is just as detrimental as redefining marriage because it does the same thing … it redefines marriage out of “holy” matrimony and makes it into only a policy benefit to opt in or out of.
I may be mistaken in my information that in one or two instances that divorce is allowed but remarrying is not.
Also “Holy” matrimony is a matter of interpretation. Quakers, now the Society of Friends, believe that sitting quietly and listening to God speak to your heart is a vital part of their religion. If God tells you it is okay to marry a same sex partner, that would be considered “Holy”. A number of religions are okay with gay marriage and marrying the couples. Why should your belief dominate over theirs? Thus taking this question out of the religious community and putting it up there with equal rights, in which the original decision was judged.
Donald, moral relativism never works with public policy as we will surely find out if “logic” like yours continues to reign (and it is indeed rising in power and that is scary.) It's not about dominating, it's about what's best for society as a whole and if redefining marriage is what your heart says we need to do because different people have different prayer practices … than you must allow people who have the “heart” to marry multiple or underage partners.
… among a myriad of other possibilities. Marriage is already in chaos as a social benefit. I don't thinking ruining any semblance of what marriage has always been is the answer.
You also make the mistake of assuming that we are all “hearing” from the same god and/or confusing our own thoughts as the will of God.
To be more direct, if “God” told you it is ok to redefine marriage … with all do respect … we do not serve the same God.
And just like you, I have a right to exercise my freedoms and engage the process. “Who are you to dominate over my beliefs?” is a false argument because it isn't about that. Even though it is tempting to ask *you* the very same question.
It is about participating in democracy to hopefully shape public policy in a way that is best for us all. You do what you have to do and I will do what I have to do. At the end of the day, we will still be fellow citizens trying to make it in this world.
I am shocked, apalled, & awakened! First of all, I am black and proud of it. Obama was equally elected for president of the USA by the will of the people. Now, there are only few folks who want to overturn the legal passaged of proposition 8 by an illegal act of force! Proposition was legally passed by the will of the people, for the people, & by the people! Why don't they also just overturn OBAMA'S legal election that was won by the will of the people? In addition, being gay is fully 100% free CHOICE that they are making for themselves. They are crying to the world for more special rights and treatments for their act of choice. They are NOT born gay or lesbians. They are choosing to live a UNnatural sexual lifestyle. Yet, they want us to give them more special rights. They are already have millions of dollars in their bank accounts! Gays drive the most LUXURIOUS cars. They are actors, singers, movie stars and they want more special treatments! Give us a break! We had enough of their rich spoiled life. We around the world are struggling to make ends meat while they are spending over 70 MILLION dollars in no prop 8 for more special protection of a free CHOICE of sexual living that they are making for themselves! Why don't they give some of their $$$ millions of dollars by helping the poor? Why don't they help homeowners pay off their mortgages? Why don't they help create more jobs? Why don't they donate millions to childrens hospitals? Why don't gays come out to donate more of their money to inner citys? Instead, they keep buying more toys, more gold, more mansions & more mercedes while we americans are suffering in these hard economic times! I say we had enough of their tricks, manupilation, & perverted lifestyle and special treatments! They never had fallen under the discrimanatory act because they werre not BORN that way. They made a choice of being gay! Therefore, we shouldn't pay, and support their choice of unnatural lifestyle. We should start a new proposition that prohibits gays from adopting babys too! And we are tired of their nonsense! They must stop comparing themselves with black americans. And start waking up to their foolishness! We want a better economy! we want common sense! We want truth! We want purity for America!
It is time for America to wakes up! & Defends her little childrens!
yes, i do to support yes on 8. being gay is a nothing but a personal choice and they should not keep getting special privilidges. They are not born gay!
Methinks Richard isn't who he says he is. His IP Address is the exact same as Nancy's below and her “email” has Rich, a familiar name for “Richard” in it.
The IP finder also says that they/him is located in the Los Angeles area. The exact same area of LA that a couple of my online stalkers usually post from. Coincidence? … maybe.
Anyway … I suspect the comment is just someone trying to create a firestorm here so I will not get into it in any depth and will moderate comments coming from this/them.
I will say this, stop trying to stigmatize those who identify as gay. Many of them do help the poor, pay their mortgages, give comfort to the hurting and help inner city kids. And some of them may be rich as all get out but when I was gay… I was homeless for a while and never lived the life you describe.
… and … having same sex attraction is NOT a choice. How we deal with them, or what role they have in our lives is an empowered choice a person can make if they determine that is what they want. I don't know a single person who “chose” to be gay. I know plenty of people who chose to not allow same sex attractions determine who they are, what they do or what their goals in life are.
::: watching :::
See my comment above to Richard.
I am shocked, apalled, & awakened! First of all, I am black and proud of it. Obama was equally elected for president of the USA by the will of the people. Now, there are only few folks who want to overturn the legal passaged of proposition 8 by an illegal act of force! Proposition was legally passed by the will of the people, for the people, & by the people! Why don't they also just overturn OBAMA'S legal election that was won by the will of the people? In addition, being gay is fully 100% free CHOICE that they are making for themselves. They are crying to the world for more special rights and treatments for their act of choice. They are NOT born gay or lesbians. They are choosing to live a UNnatural sexual lifestyle. Yet, they want us to give them more special rights. They are already have millions of dollars in their bank accounts! Gays drive the most LUXURIOUS cars. They are actors, singers, movie stars and they want more special treatments! Give us a break! We had enough of their rich spoiled life. We around the world are struggling to make ends meat while they are spending over 70 MILLION dollars in no prop 8 for more special protection of a free CHOICE of sexual living that they are making for themselves! Why don't they give some of their $$$ millions of dollars by helping the poor? Why don't they help homeowners pay off their mortgages? Why don't they help create more jobs? Why don't they donate millions to childrens hospitals? Why don't gays come out to donate more of their money to inner citys? Instead, they keep buying more toys, more gold, more mansions & more mercedes while we americans are suffering in these hard economic times! I say we had enough of their tricks, manupilation, & perverted lifestyle and special treatments! They never had fallen under the discrimanatory act because they werre not BORN that way. They made a choice of being gay! Therefore, we shouldn't pay, and support their choice of unnatural lifestyle. We should start a new proposition that prohibits gays from adopting babys too! And we are tired of their nonsense! They must stop comparing themselves with black americans. And start waking up to their foolishness! We want a better economy! we want common sense! We want truth! We want purity for America!
It is time for America to wakes up! & Defends her little childrens!
yes, i do to support yes on 8. being gay is a nothing but a personal choice and they should not keep getting special privilidges. They are not born gay!
Methinks Richard isn't who he says he is. His IP Address is the exact same as Nancy's below and her “email” has Rich, a familiar name for “Richard” in it.
The IP finder also says that they/him is located in the Los Angeles area. The exact same area a couple of my online stalkers usually post from. Coincidence? … maybe.
Anyway … I suspect the comment is just someone trying to create a firestorm here so I will not get into it in any depth and will moderate comments coming from this/them.
I will say this, stop trying to stigmatize those who identify as gay. Many of them do help the poor, pay their mortgages, give comfort to the hurting and help inner city kids. And some of them may be rich as all get out but when I was gay… I was homeless for a while and never lived the life you describe.
… and … having same sex attraction is NOT a choice. How we deal with them, or what role they have in our lives is an empowered choice a person can make if they determine that is what they want. I don't know a single person who “chose” to be gay. I know plenty of people who chose to not allow same sex attractions determine who they are, what they do or what their goals in life are.
::: watching :::
See my comment above to Richard.