Educating to the Demise of Christian Marriage

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Homosexuality is going to greatly increase, and it will change educational focuses after the Supreme Court decision!   In respect to this, the question is asked, “Does education determine sexual identity or does sexual identity determine education?  The contemporary pattern evolving in American education is to spread educational confusion in respect to sexual identities, even going so far as to affirm marriage between same-sex people—in contradiction to the whole concept of Christian marriage!  In trying to accommodate a small minority who might genetically or socially be motivated toward the identity of the opposite sex, we will be finding that instruction, counselling, and pastoring are all going to be slanted toward seeing homosexuality as normal, and thus the demise in the Christian institution of marriage and sexual identity.

Wikipedia in defining Gender Identity says: “It is a person’s objective experience of their own gender. Although the formation of gender identity is not completely understood, many factors have been suggested as influencing its development. Biological factors that may influence gender identity include pre- and post-natal hormone levels and genetic makeup.  Social factors may influence gender identity include ideas regarding gender roles conveyed by family, authority figures, mass media, and other influential people in a child’s life.  Another factor that has a significant role in the process of gender identity is language.  Children while learning a language learn to separate masculine and feminine characteristics and unconsciously adjust their own behavior to these predetermined roles. And as well, Children are often shaped and molded by the people surrounding them by trying to imitate and follow.”

Marriage in our Western Culture, developed from Judeo-Christian laws, teachings and mores, is ideally portrayed as the affirmation and continual development in love between a male and female and is the foundation for the creation and development of families, much of it from the biblical understanding as given in Genesis 2:24 that says: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”  Our Lord Jesus affirmed this as he said as recorded in Matthew 19:5 that:  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

The Lord Jesus condemned homosexuality. The word “porneia” in the text of Mark 7:21 and 22 refers to the condemnation of all types of sex outside of marriage between a man and woman. Christ said, “For from within, out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, thefts murders, adulteries, etc…” The word translated “sexual immorality” here is in the plural in Greek, illustrating that it points to all sex outside the realm of natural marriage between a man and a woman.  Jude used the word “porneia” as well, specifically to point to homosexuality, which he connected to the behavior illustrated at Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7). Also there are at least fourteen references in the Old Testament that can be interpreted as condemning homosexual behavior and at least ten in the New. So promoting homosexuality is in no way biblical!

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled same-sex marriage is legal, and this relates to the education of our youth to not only to accept homosexual marriage, but to applaud it, and even to adopt homosexual styles as an equal alternative life-style. This only amplifies great identity crises of our day, especially the gender identity crisis that will lead to the removal of one of the basic supports of our culture, the God given ordinance of marriage.  We will see our educational institutions educating to the demise—belittling, attacking, and discarding–of Christian marriage, a basic building block of our nation, culture, and land.

All cultures do not see marriage and love as being connected, as we do in America. However, we are observing a progressive thinking that sees our culture in process, one in which the so-called elite minds wish to develop what they see or want to determine to be their Post-Christian world. They wish to change the understanding of marriage from what it has been for nearly two millennia. Without doubt, as brought out by the Supreme Court decision, this is happening, and there is a great destructive shift taking place in the understanding of marriage in our society. Much of this is done under the canopy of education, which is most often sadly accepted by the society without question as to what might be the positive or negative results.

The Christian understanding of marriage is on the chopping block. If progressive thinking succeeds there will be polygamous marriages to accommodate the Muslims and all other types of civil unions built to suit the parties involved.  The door is opening to basically change our society. This CHANGE is not only amplified, but mortifying, as it can be the death bell!

The progressives have classified Christian marriage– a life-long commitment between a male and female–that dates back about two millennium as archaic.  Their way can ultimately develop into serial sex partners, which is common in male homosexual communities, and it can remove sexual restraints in our society, which are in God’s plan instrumental in the protection of the family.

Permitting homosexual marriage opens a Pandora’s box of illicit sexual behavior. As marriage is no longer confined to a man and woman with love and commitment, we can well see the legal acceptance of all types of sexual relationships, including bigamy, plural marriage, polygamy, even bestiality, as British woman says she has finally found the true meaning of marriage now that she has divorced her husband and married her female dog in a wedding ceremony attended by 200 people.  (By Joel Landau, New York Daily News, March 11, 2014)

In an article from the PCUSA News Service we see a denomination that advocates and celebrates Supreme Court decision on same-gender marriage, not condemning same it, but promoting it.  The Presbyterian News Service declared that “The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that same-gender couples have a constitutional right to marry nationwide, striking down bans in 14 states…Church leaders believe today’s ruling is a step in the right direction as society’s views have continued to change in recent years…The PC(USA) has advocated for almost four decades for civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons… Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is in keeping with that work,” said Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons…It is always good when the church is at the front end of a movement such as this and catches the spirit in the wind of where people are attempting to move society and give voice to those who have long been silenced,” said the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness.” This is heart breaking to other Presbyterian denominations!

There are many who promote homosexual marriage the even try to use the Scripture to affirm their stands, reminding me of how Satan used Scripture during Christ’s time in the wilderness. They misinterpret Scripture, suggesting such things as the relationship between Johnathan and David (I Samuel 18:1) or even Jesus and John were involved in homosexual relationships (John 13:25).  All this makes me think of II Thessalonians 2:11-12 that says, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

We are living in crucial time, and this Supreme Court decision only amplifies the threats facing ministers, educators, and counselors as they seek to uphold the teaching of Scripture about marriage. To be faithful to the teaching of Christ, the Church must proclaim the truth about human sexuality and marriage. This includes the facts that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and that true marriage is possible only between a man and a woman.

Pastors have been prosecuted for preaching sermons on this subject in some places. Christian ministries, no matter how mildly and charitably they phrase the truth about homosexuality, have been targeted and are targeted for violating “hate speech” law.

Individual Christians have been arrested under the same “hate speech” laws. Schools have been forced to teach children that homosexual marriages are as acceptable as heterosexual ones and that homosexual activity is morally permissible. Adoption agencies have been forced to place children with homosexual couples—or to cease operations.  Ordinary Christian business people have been prosecuted for refusing to provide services to homosexual couples.

Marcia Walden was fired from her counseling job with Computer Sciences Corporation after she referred a homosexual patient to another counselor for same-sex relationship advice (“Counselor Fired over Christian Beliefs,” OneNewsNow, July 18, 2008).

Jennifer Keeton was told by Augusta State University in Georgia that she would have to change her Christian beliefs or be expelled from the school’s graduate counseling program (The Christian Post, July 22, 2010).

A federal judge ruled that Eastern Michigan University was within its rights to dismiss a graduate student, Julea Ward, from its counseling program “because she chose not to counsel a homosexual patient” (“Christianity, ‘Gay Rights’ Clash,” Baptist Press, July 30, 2010).

Disturbing clouds are coming over our land! Will ministers be able to proclaim what the bible teaches about homosexuality and marriage? What about counselors and educators? We see a pattern unfolding, as school curriculums are geared to teach that homosexual unions are normal and should be affirmed, where from the teaching of Scripture it is very evident that this will be a great detriment to our society.

“Does education determine sexual identity or does sexual identity determine education? Our land is seeking to educate our society into a mass confusion in respect to our sexual identities. Just think of the divorce explosion with same-sex marriages that will take shape and the ultimate demise of Christian marriage unless things change. Education has a greater influence on sexual identity, I believe, than sexual identity on education, so much so that there will be a virtual population explosion of the homosexual community. It is a sad picture, unless we can change it!

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by Joe Renfro, Ed.D., Educational Columnist, Radio Evangelist, Retired Teacher and Pastor, 5931 West Avenue, Lavonia, Georgia 30553,  706-356-4173, joerenfro@windstream.net

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