Part 3: Crossing the Line
It has been a long time since I have read a book that has been as thought-provoking as The Naked Gospel. I appreciate being able to sit down and read something that challenges my beliefs, yet isn't insulting. I like to think that I'm a pretty liberal Christian, but I find that this book pushes even my limits, which is awesome. The Naked Gospel is causing me to grow in so many ways and I'm questioning previously unchallenged beliefs and coming away with strengthened resolve in some things I currently hold close, and with new ideas that are helping me grow in other areas of my faith.
There are a number of main points in Part 3 that Farley uses to further illustrate the point that we should be saying "out with the Old and in with the New" all while backing it up with scripture.
Farley starts off Part 3 by laying the foundation that Jesus' teachings were for Jews, not Christians, and that the new covenant came with the death of Jesus, not his birth.
This idea has the potential to drastically change the way Christians read and interpret the Bible. To say that Jesus' teachings are for Jews, and not instructions on how Christians are to live is a pretty major deviation from traditional Christian theology, and not one that I'm quick to accept. I do like that Farley backs up everything that he says with scripture, but then scripture can be interpreted to say almost anything you want, so I'm still not 100% sold. It is definitely an interesting idea, and something that deserves more thought than I've presently given it.
Following those initial foundational points, Farley goes on to say that while the Old isn't necessarily abolished, it has no place in the life of a Christian and that we shouldn't be making our own covenant that is a mix of Old and New. Creating a mix allows us to avoid the "suffering under the stringency of the entire law," but it also means we don't "enjoy the bliss of unconditional favour." Without giving ourselves fully to the guidance of the Holy Spirit within us, we will always find that there is something missing.
I'm one of those people that finds his Christianity to be a mix of the Old and New. And while I don't suffer from any of the guilt associated with not being able to meet the expectations of a perfect law, neither do I think that we can just throw it all away. Many of the laws from the Old Testament create the very moral fabric of our society, and I don't understand how the Holy Spirit wouldn't guide us along similar paths. I don't understand why we can't keep some of the old laws, without the guilt associated with not living up to them.
The final main point to this part is Grace. "Grace isn't just a treatment for sin; it's actually the cure for sin!" Farley does an excellent job with his description of grace in this section. He explains that grace isn't necessarily a response to sin, but rather something much greater. Grace was what allows "Jesus to produce through us what's needed in the moment." Grace is the opposite of guilt. Grace doesn't leave room for guilt, or inadequacy, nor is it merely nothing more than mercy. Grace is the Holy Spirit inside of us. Grace is the New Covenant. Grace "deactivates our pride and when we remove the law from our lives, our self-effort is no longer prodded to control behaviour."
Farley ends Part 3 with a section that is meant to give us a sense of comfort; that it is okay to feel shaken and uneasy by all of these new ideas he is putting forth. But also don't feel like just because you've read it, that it makes it true. He reminds us to keep an open, yet critical, mind as you read, and keep an open dialogue with God through prayer; allow Him to speak to you as you read and grow. There are some amazing ideas in here, but I don’t think we should adopt them just because they are a cool new thing. Try them on for size, see how they fit, but don't just accept them outright because someone wrote them in a book. Growth is a very important part of Christian life, and Farley puts forth some great ideas to get the brain thinking.
Now, despite my reservations about some of the idea's Farley puts forth, I'm loving this book and would recommend it to all Christians. It is something that needs to be read with an open mind, and if you don't agree with everything, that's fine, but just opening your mind to the possibility can bring so much growth. It will expose your weaknesses so that you may better explore them, and help to strengthen your beliefs.
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I was taking part in this group blogging project about the book, Servolution by Dino Rizzo. First off, I want to say, what an amazing book! It's exactly what I need right now. It's easy to read, clear, concise and to the point, but it's the content that really got my attention. Oh, and today was my day, where I wrote a bit about chapter 14 and the importance of community and serving with others.
For the past few months I've been looking for a way to get more involved in my church, but I've been unsure of the path to take. I expressed an interest in joining the board (elders), but they are in a sort of transition in the way the board is doing things and the way membership works so that will have to wait awhile. I play bass twice a month, but that isn't enough. They are also putting together a building team to do work on the church building as they are hoping to get some building maintenance done this summer.
I feel the need something more.
Then along comes this amazing book, and instantly I know what I need to do, serve. So now that I know what I need to do, I need to figure out how I'm going to go about doing it.
I'm going to read through the book again and see if I can glean some more information from it and figure out what I want to do. I'm really excited to get out there and start a servolution. And if you haven't read it yet, please hit up your local Christian bookstore and get a copy and read it. Then let me know what you think. :)
For the past few months I've been looking for a way to get more involved in my church, but I've been unsure of the path to take. I expressed an interest in joining the board (elders), but they are in a sort of transition in the way the board is doing things and the way membership works so that will have to wait awhile. I play bass twice a month, but that isn't enough. They are also putting together a building team to do work on the church building as they are hoping to get some building maintenance done this summer.
I feel the need something more.
Then along comes this amazing book, and instantly I know what I need to do, serve. So now that I know what I need to do, I need to figure out how I'm going to go about doing it.
I'm going to read through the book again and see if I can glean some more information from it and figure out what I want to do. I'm really excited to get out there and start a servolution. And if you haven't read it yet, please hit up your local Christian bookstore and get a copy and read it. Then let me know what you think. :)
I used to think I could go through life with Simon and Garfunkel’s “I Am a Rock” as my theme song.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.
This was how I thought I could live my life. I figured I could get by doing everything alone, relying on others as little as possible. I had a very private faith, and I didn’t think I needed to go to church every week. Christianity is about a personal relationship with Christ, right? What did I need other people for?
Then God introduced me to the woman who would be my wife. Through her, he started to show me this amazing thing known as “community.” I learned that life is better when you aren’t alone. That life is easier when you aren’t alone. When you have someone to high five during the good times, and to support you during the bad, living, and by extension serving, becomes much easier.
We’re not made to go through life alone. We’re social creatures, some more than others, but we all require social interaction to some extent, and this need increases when we serve. Serving isn’t always easy. Serving isn’t always rewarding. But it is a whole lot easier when we have someone with us.
In elementary school, my teacher picked up a small stick and easily snapped it in two. She then grabbed a handful of sticks and attempted, unsuccessfully, to break them. This lesson may have been to illustrate how physical objects are stronger in groups, but it is also a lesson we can apply to many areas of our life, including serving.
Through the first 13 chapters, Dino lays out the various aspects of a servolution: what it is, how to do it, and what to remember, along with a ton of great advice and interesting stories. One constant that came up numerous times and stood out to me: his wife, DeLynn. DeLynn was there to support him from the very beginning; she shared in his joys and supported him during the tough times.
For Dino this support network started with his wife, and as Healing Place Church grew so did his support network of friends, family, staff, volunteers and so on. They are there to keep you going when things get tough. They are there to keep you accountable. They are there to bounce ideas off of and to help your reach greater heights than you could on your own.
Jesus’ ministry wouldn’t have had the impact it did had he tried to go at it alone. Sure, he would have amassed quite the following, and he would have had people flocking to him hoping to be healed or to see one of his miracles, but imagine what a lonely journey that would’ve been? Jesus understood the importance of serving with others.
He also understood the importance of choosing the right people for the job. All of Jesus’ disciples were somehow connected to one another, and they formed a tighter, stronger web than if he had picked 12 random dudes off the street. It’s much easier to get through the tough times when you have people who understand the importance of solid committed relationships.
From the very beginning, God destined us to be with others, “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” (Gen. 2:18) So build up that support network and get out there and serve. As Dino says early in the book, “whatever, whenever.”
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.
This was how I thought I could live my life. I figured I could get by doing everything alone, relying on others as little as possible. I had a very private faith, and I didn’t think I needed to go to church every week. Christianity is about a personal relationship with Christ, right? What did I need other people for?
Then God introduced me to the woman who would be my wife. Through her, he started to show me this amazing thing known as “community.” I learned that life is better when you aren’t alone. That life is easier when you aren’t alone. When you have someone to high five during the good times, and to support you during the bad, living, and by extension serving, becomes much easier.
We’re not made to go through life alone. We’re social creatures, some more than others, but we all require social interaction to some extent, and this need increases when we serve. Serving isn’t always easy. Serving isn’t always rewarding. But it is a whole lot easier when we have someone with us.
In elementary school, my teacher picked up a small stick and easily snapped it in two. She then grabbed a handful of sticks and attempted, unsuccessfully, to break them. This lesson may have been to illustrate how physical objects are stronger in groups, but it is also a lesson we can apply to many areas of our life, including serving.
Through the first 13 chapters, Dino lays out the various aspects of a servolution: what it is, how to do it, and what to remember, along with a ton of great advice and interesting stories. One constant that came up numerous times and stood out to me: his wife, DeLynn. DeLynn was there to support him from the very beginning; she shared in his joys and supported him during the tough times.
For Dino this support network started with his wife, and as Healing Place Church grew so did his support network of friends, family, staff, volunteers and so on. They are there to keep you going when things get tough. They are there to keep you accountable. They are there to bounce ideas off of and to help your reach greater heights than you could on your own.
Jesus’ ministry wouldn’t have had the impact it did had he tried to go at it alone. Sure, he would have amassed quite the following, and he would have had people flocking to him hoping to be healed or to see one of his miracles, but imagine what a lonely journey that would’ve been? Jesus understood the importance of serving with others.
He also understood the importance of choosing the right people for the job. All of Jesus’ disciples were somehow connected to one another, and they formed a tighter, stronger web than if he had picked 12 random dudes off the street. It’s much easier to get through the tough times when you have people who understand the importance of solid committed relationships.
From the very beginning, God destined us to be with others, “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” (Gen. 2:18) So build up that support network and get out there and serve. As Dino says early in the book, “whatever, whenever.”
So I decided to leave my comfort zone and do something new. I'm taking part in an online group blogging project over at bibledude.net on Dino Rizzo's book, Servolution. There are 15 of us involved including Dan King, the host and organizer; @bibledude on twitter. When he first posted about it I was excited about it and wrote an email expressing my interest, but I didn't send it. I was full of self-doubt. I figured he'd want people like pastors and ministers and seminary-type students to take part in it, not some IT guy who just wishes he was a pastor. So I didn't send it.
The next day he was twittering about it some more, and I figured, "what the heck, I may as well give it a try. if he doesn't want me then he'll let me know." So I fired off the email I had written the previous day and received a surprising reply, "I was actually hoping that you would see this and be interested!" With that I felt more than a little relieved, and have been super excited about it ever since. We are each assigned one chapter on which we are to write a little review. These are then posted, one a day, for two weeks. I have the honor of closing things out with Chapter 14 on July 2nd. I'm looking forward to the comments that will stem from the reviews we each write, so while the reviews are the meat and potatoes, the comments are where things really have a chance to get going.
I think what has me most interested (other than the content of the book) is the diverse nature of the contributors. We are all Christians, but range from one end to the other on the spectrum, bringing a wide range of viewpoints to the table.
Yesterday Dan got the ball rolling by starting it off with the introduction AND I received my book in the mail! (each contributor that didn't have the book was mailed a copy) I love new books, and so far this one has been awesome (i'm on chapter 2).
Today's post is by Jim Blake who is the National Chairman of Concerned Christians Canada. He does a great job of summing up Chapter 1 and giving us some stuff to think about it.
So come on over and join us and be inspired to go out and live like Jesus did! I'm excited what the coming weeks will bring, and the time following that for those that feel the pull to go out there and start a Servolution.
The next day he was twittering about it some more, and I figured, "what the heck, I may as well give it a try. if he doesn't want me then he'll let me know." So I fired off the email I had written the previous day and received a surprising reply, "I was actually hoping that you would see this and be interested!" With that I felt more than a little relieved, and have been super excited about it ever since. We are each assigned one chapter on which we are to write a little review. These are then posted, one a day, for two weeks. I have the honor of closing things out with Chapter 14 on July 2nd. I'm looking forward to the comments that will stem from the reviews we each write, so while the reviews are the meat and potatoes, the comments are where things really have a chance to get going.
I think what has me most interested (other than the content of the book) is the diverse nature of the contributors. We are all Christians, but range from one end to the other on the spectrum, bringing a wide range of viewpoints to the table.
Yesterday Dan got the ball rolling by starting it off with the introduction AND I received my book in the mail! (each contributor that didn't have the book was mailed a copy) I love new books, and so far this one has been awesome (i'm on chapter 2).
Today's post is by Jim Blake who is the National Chairman of Concerned Christians Canada. He does a great job of summing up Chapter 1 and giving us some stuff to think about it.
So come on over and join us and be inspired to go out and live like Jesus did! I'm excited what the coming weeks will bring, and the time following that for those that feel the pull to go out there and start a Servolution.
Every Wednesday, my wife and I join two other couples where we sit around with snacks discussing the Bible. (snacks are essential) We pick one or two of the lectionary* readings from the upcoming week, and we are also working through Hebrews one chapter at a time.
Last night as we were discussing Hebrews 8, the verse about God's new covenant with us, we got hung up on a question posed by one of the group members.
Why did God need a new covenant?
What was wrong with the first one when He gave the Ten Commandments (and further 600)? His very first covenant with us was in the Garden of Eden, which we screwed up. Then came the 10 commandments. So what was wrong with this covenant that prompted Him to give us a new one?
The previous covenant that God had with His people was all-encompassing, but didn't really have an end. This one seems to (see Revelation), thereby making it seem like we don't need another one, but might we screw this one up too? Did we screw up the last one?
We didn't really have an answer.
*Our church uses the Revised Common Lectionary, where we are in Year B and the Season after Pentecost, also known as Ordinary Time.
Last night as we were discussing Hebrews 8, the verse about God's new covenant with us, we got hung up on a question posed by one of the group members.
Why did God need a new covenant?
What was wrong with the first one when He gave the Ten Commandments (and further 600)? His very first covenant with us was in the Garden of Eden, which we screwed up. Then came the 10 commandments. So what was wrong with this covenant that prompted Him to give us a new one?
The previous covenant that God had with His people was all-encompassing, but didn't really have an end. This one seems to (see Revelation), thereby making it seem like we don't need another one, but might we screw this one up too? Did we screw up the last one?
We didn't really have an answer.
*Our church uses the Revised Common Lectionary, where we are in Year B and the Season after Pentecost, also known as Ordinary Time.
Last year, my wife and her two best friends were published in Geez Magazine when they submitted a sermon to a contest they were having, "Sermons you'd never hear in church."
I think it is a great piece that gives us something to think about and wanted to repost it here as I think it fits perfectly with the theme of this blog.
The big sermon
How small is our faith?
How fast is our time? We are broken into days – places to go, roads to take there, bites of sandwich to choke down at stoplights. Inside, each moment shatters into a million despairs, panics, triumphs, hopes, confusions. How small are the pieces of God that flicker through the cracks? In our days, how small is our faith?
How small are our minds? How closed are our politics? How many articles and clauses and subclauses do we draw up to delineate exactly where we stand? How closely do we measure the degrees that separate our way from our opponent’s? In our world, how small is our faith?
How few words do we have that say holy? How cramped are the boxes we build to keep God in? How sharp are the divisions within congregations, within communities, within denominations, within the Church? How small is our truth? In the great big Church, how small is our faith?
Our faith is small.
But God is bigger.
God is bigger than our state of mind, our static understanding. God is bigger than our small hearts and big doubts. God is bigger than this life. So, grab a mustard seed and keep the faith. Keep the faith.
God is bigger than every good and every bad thing we’ve done. God is bigger than every good and every bad thing that’s been done to us. God is bigger than the poor decisions we made three, five, ten years ago, and bigger still than the consequences we face now. God is bigger than our disobedience and lies, bigger than our addictions – to pornography, to drugs, to media, to television, to sugar. God is bigger than our words and behaviour. God is bigger than our sin. God is bigger than our pain. God is bigger than our happiness too. God is bigger than our right to success and wealth. God is bigger than the things we deserve. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than the people we love. God is bigger than all the conditional, unforgiving, unrequited love of every relationship that has hurt us. God is bigger than our social awkwardness, our need for acceptance, our need to be right, our need to blend in, our need to be loved. God is bigger than our parents’ mistakes and undue expectations. God is bigger than our imperfections, and definitely bigger than the imperfections of those around us. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than our dying soldiers, grieving mothers, fatherless and motherless children. God is bigger than our victimization and vengeance. God is bigger than nationalism and politics. God is bigger than victory, which is already won. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than our voice. God is bigger than our opinions. God is bigger than our hatred of people we don’t understand. God is bigger than our moral authority. God is bigger than sexuality. God is bigger than abortion, and better yet, bigger than the pro-life agenda. God is bigger than any propaganda condemning those who need God most. God is bigger than any human attempt to claim divine authority. God is bigger than all the things we think we’re called to do. We’re probably wrong, but God will get it done anyway. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than all the spirituality in the world, every religion, every faith, every church, including ours. Especially ours. God is bigger than our stagnation. God is bigger than our doubt. God is bigger than our intentional disregard of our brokenness. God is still bigger than our sin. God is bigger than poverty. God is bigger than AIDS. God is bigger than injustice. God is bigger than our inactivity and apathy. God is bigger than all the efforts we waste on things that do not matter because God’s love extends past our feeble, flawed, human hearts. God is love, will be love, will love, no matter what we do.
So keep the faith. God is bigger than this. Do your best. I’ll do mine. And God will still be bigger.
I think it is a great piece that gives us something to think about and wanted to repost it here as I think it fits perfectly with the theme of this blog.
The big sermon
How small is our faith?
How fast is our time? We are broken into days – places to go, roads to take there, bites of sandwich to choke down at stoplights. Inside, each moment shatters into a million despairs, panics, triumphs, hopes, confusions. How small are the pieces of God that flicker through the cracks? In our days, how small is our faith?
How small are our minds? How closed are our politics? How many articles and clauses and subclauses do we draw up to delineate exactly where we stand? How closely do we measure the degrees that separate our way from our opponent’s? In our world, how small is our faith?
How few words do we have that say holy? How cramped are the boxes we build to keep God in? How sharp are the divisions within congregations, within communities, within denominations, within the Church? How small is our truth? In the great big Church, how small is our faith?
Our faith is small.
But God is bigger.
God is bigger than our state of mind, our static understanding. God is bigger than our small hearts and big doubts. God is bigger than this life. So, grab a mustard seed and keep the faith. Keep the faith.
God is bigger than every good and every bad thing we’ve done. God is bigger than every good and every bad thing that’s been done to us. God is bigger than the poor decisions we made three, five, ten years ago, and bigger still than the consequences we face now. God is bigger than our disobedience and lies, bigger than our addictions – to pornography, to drugs, to media, to television, to sugar. God is bigger than our words and behaviour. God is bigger than our sin. God is bigger than our pain. God is bigger than our happiness too. God is bigger than our right to success and wealth. God is bigger than the things we deserve. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than the people we love. God is bigger than all the conditional, unforgiving, unrequited love of every relationship that has hurt us. God is bigger than our social awkwardness, our need for acceptance, our need to be right, our need to blend in, our need to be loved. God is bigger than our parents’ mistakes and undue expectations. God is bigger than our imperfections, and definitely bigger than the imperfections of those around us. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than our dying soldiers, grieving mothers, fatherless and motherless children. God is bigger than our victimization and vengeance. God is bigger than nationalism and politics. God is bigger than victory, which is already won. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than our voice. God is bigger than our opinions. God is bigger than our hatred of people we don’t understand. God is bigger than our moral authority. God is bigger than sexuality. God is bigger than abortion, and better yet, bigger than the pro-life agenda. God is bigger than any propaganda condemning those who need God most. God is bigger than any human attempt to claim divine authority. God is bigger than all the things we think we’re called to do. We’re probably wrong, but God will get it done anyway. So keep the faith.
God is bigger than all the spirituality in the world, every religion, every faith, every church, including ours. Especially ours. God is bigger than our stagnation. God is bigger than our doubt. God is bigger than our intentional disregard of our brokenness. God is still bigger than our sin. God is bigger than poverty. God is bigger than AIDS. God is bigger than injustice. God is bigger than our inactivity and apathy. God is bigger than all the efforts we waste on things that do not matter because God’s love extends past our feeble, flawed, human hearts. God is love, will be love, will love, no matter what we do.
So keep the faith. God is bigger than this. Do your best. I’ll do mine. And God will still be bigger.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about marriage lately. It has become a popular topic recently, due in part to the controversy over same-sex marriage, and the extremely high rate of divorce.
From my perspective as a Christian, there seem to be two types of marriage, though the distinction is often blurred. There is marriage in the eyes of God, and marriage in the eyes of man, or the legal marriage.
In western culture, a man and a woman are joined in marriage in front of a government appointed official and they are said to be married. The proper documents are signed and filed, and a Certificate of Marriage is obtained and that is it. Nothing more is required.
Being a Christian, I wonder if this ceremony is actually necessary. I can't seem to find anywhere in the Bible that two people are to stand before a government approved official and proclaim their intentions in order to be married. Doesn't marriage take place when a man and a woman are in love, true agape love, and have sex? Some would say that marriage requires a covenant between this man and woman and God, but isn't the act of sex a covenant? What about if two people verbally make a covenant with each other and God and then have sex, doesn't that constitute a marriage in God's eyes?
If you don't view marriage as a covenant between two people and God, then marriage is merely a label instead of a state of being. When two people make that covenant with each other and God, they are creating the only bond that is of any worth. A legal document doesn't make you married. Neither does being part of a ceremony before an officiant, religious or otherwise.
One argument that I keep coming across is that we are to follow the laws of this world, therefore the marriage ceremony is required. But I say that is only required if you want to take advantage of the legal benefits of marriage. The law doesn't care if we say we are married and live together and go about our lives as married couples. If you check the 'married' box instead of the 'common-law' box on a government document they might correct you, but otherwise it really doesn't matter. What should matter is that we are married in the eyes of God, no one else.
People are all up in arms about same-sex marriage saying that it is desecrating the act of marriage and turning it into something it is not. Isn't that what 50% of straight couples do with divorce? How is letting two people that truly love each other get married going to ruin the concept of marriage anymore than we are already doing? It's merely a legal label that humans use to keep track of who said what to whom and when. It is not binding with God. God doesn't care about this little piece of paper that we place so much emphasis on.
If same-sex couples want to get married, let them! They say they are in love, they say they want to get married, who are we to stand in their way? If they want to proclaim to the world that they are legally married and can enjoy all the benefits, legal and otherwise, that it brings, then let them! Marriage is a covenant between them and God, not us. We are not fit to judge them or tell them that God won't accept them and their marriage. That is God's deal, not ours. I don't see any difference between a same-sex marriage and that of two non-believers. Though if the same-sex couple are Christians then they would care more if it was accepted in the eyes of God. But that's between Him and them, not us.
Now I'm not saying the man-made wedding ceremony isn't important. God loves us to stand up and proclaim love in His name, and make public confessions before both Him and witnesses, take baptism as an example. I'm just saying that it isn't required to be married in the eyes of God, and that being married in the eyes of man is secondary.
From my perspective as a Christian, there seem to be two types of marriage, though the distinction is often blurred. There is marriage in the eyes of God, and marriage in the eyes of man, or the legal marriage.
In western culture, a man and a woman are joined in marriage in front of a government appointed official and they are said to be married. The proper documents are signed and filed, and a Certificate of Marriage is obtained and that is it. Nothing more is required.
Being a Christian, I wonder if this ceremony is actually necessary. I can't seem to find anywhere in the Bible that two people are to stand before a government approved official and proclaim their intentions in order to be married. Doesn't marriage take place when a man and a woman are in love, true agape love, and have sex? Some would say that marriage requires a covenant between this man and woman and God, but isn't the act of sex a covenant? What about if two people verbally make a covenant with each other and God and then have sex, doesn't that constitute a marriage in God's eyes?
If you don't view marriage as a covenant between two people and God, then marriage is merely a label instead of a state of being. When two people make that covenant with each other and God, they are creating the only bond that is of any worth. A legal document doesn't make you married. Neither does being part of a ceremony before an officiant, religious or otherwise.
One argument that I keep coming across is that we are to follow the laws of this world, therefore the marriage ceremony is required. But I say that is only required if you want to take advantage of the legal benefits of marriage. The law doesn't care if we say we are married and live together and go about our lives as married couples. If you check the 'married' box instead of the 'common-law' box on a government document they might correct you, but otherwise it really doesn't matter. What should matter is that we are married in the eyes of God, no one else.
People are all up in arms about same-sex marriage saying that it is desecrating the act of marriage and turning it into something it is not. Isn't that what 50% of straight couples do with divorce? How is letting two people that truly love each other get married going to ruin the concept of marriage anymore than we are already doing? It's merely a legal label that humans use to keep track of who said what to whom and when. It is not binding with God. God doesn't care about this little piece of paper that we place so much emphasis on.
If same-sex couples want to get married, let them! They say they are in love, they say they want to get married, who are we to stand in their way? If they want to proclaim to the world that they are legally married and can enjoy all the benefits, legal and otherwise, that it brings, then let them! Marriage is a covenant between them and God, not us. We are not fit to judge them or tell them that God won't accept them and their marriage. That is God's deal, not ours. I don't see any difference between a same-sex marriage and that of two non-believers. Though if the same-sex couple are Christians then they would care more if it was accepted in the eyes of God. But that's between Him and them, not us.
Now I'm not saying the man-made wedding ceremony isn't important. God loves us to stand up and proclaim love in His name, and make public confessions before both Him and witnesses, take baptism as an example. I'm just saying that it isn't required to be married in the eyes of God, and that being married in the eyes of man is secondary.
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