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FIRST-PERSON: Our endangered foundations


ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (BP) — In Psalm 11:3, King David asked the question: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Whenever a structure’s foundation is destroyed, its eventual collapse is inevitable. It is not a question of “if” it will fall, but only a question of “when.”

When the foundations of nations are destroyed, the eventual demise of those nations is inevitable. It doesn’t matter if it’s ancient Israel or modern-day America, destroyed foundations always are forerunners of a nation’s inevitable downfall.

As the legalization of same-sex marriage looms, it threatens to destroy America’s three God-ordained foundations.

First, it will destroy the home — the first of the three divinely ordained institutions in our land — by undermining both traditional marriage and the traditional family.

Marriage, the God-ordained bedrock of all orderly society, will be defined down until it is all-inclusive, nondescript and offensive to no one. All sexual relationships eventually will be deemed marriageable. As a result, marriage will be reduced to meaninglessness and our society to madness.

The traditional family — the only institution ordained by God for the purposes of procreation and proper childrearing — likewise will be reduced to just one of many modern-day variants. All “modern families” will be perceived as equivalent to the traditional family — two married parents of opposite genders and their biological or adopted children living together in the same home. Traditional families will not be lauded as the least little bit superior or even preferable. In the end, America’s children will be robbed of secure and healthy developmental years.

Second, the legalization of same-sex marriage will result in the reversal of the God-ordained role of government in the United States (Romans 13:1-5). According to Scripture, the purpose of this second God-ordained institution is to punish the evil and protect the righteous. However, once same-sex marriage is enshrined in our law, our government will begin providing its advocates with special rights and protections, while holding over the heads of the righteous the threatening, double-edged sword of civil litigation and criminal prosecution.

Third, the legalization of same-sex marriage could strangle the voice of the church in America. This final of the three God-ordained institutions was founded by Christ to serve as the conscience of a nation — “the light of the world” — and the preserver of our society — “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13-16). Once the coercive power of government has been co-opted, however, militant homosexuals will readily wield it to prevent the church from speaking out for what is right and against what is wrong. Our society will cease to be “a quiet and peaceable” one within which the church freely preaches the Gospel and all Americans have an opportunity “to come unto the knowledge of the truth” and “be saved” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Finally, and more frightening than the destruction of our country’s three God-ordained foundations, the legalization of same-sex marriage will serve as a sure sign of our country’s spiritual reprobation. The apostle Paul clearly teaches in the first chapter of the book of Romans that the acceptance and advocacy of homosexuality is the last step on the road to spiritual reprobation (Romans 1:18-32). Once same-sex marriage is legalized, this sure sign of our nation’s spiritual reprobation will be enshrined in our law. What further proof will we need to prove that our country has finally passed the point of no return with God?

Bill O’Reilly, on his cable news program, took opponents of same-sex marriage to task earlier this year for their lack of compelling arguments to bolster their position. He went on to describe same-sex marriage opponents as inept debaters and Bible-thumpers. Mr. O’Reilly’s “bloviating” left this Baptist preacher more than a little incensed. The problem facing opponents of same-sex marriage is not our lack of compelling arguments, but the widespread condemnation we face from today’s politically correct culture for daring to challenge public opinion.

The gay rights movement already wields the triple threat of reputation-destroying bad press, financially ruinous civil litigation for discrimination, and the possibility of criminal prosecution for hate crimes. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) decision, the gavel of the High Court now has been added to the homosexual arsenal. Far worse than merely declaring defenders of traditional marriage inept debaters and Bible-thumpers, the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision, according to dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia, makes every defender of traditional marriage out to be “an enemy of human decency.”

Contrary to popular opinion, it is not the church that has drawn a line in the sand and declared all-out war on homosexuals, but militant homosexuals who have drawn a line in the sand and declared all-out war on the church. In light of this, how can the church fail to rise in our day to the scriptural admonition to fight for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3)? Furthermore, why should we fear to do so, since God being for us assures us of ultimate victory (Romans 8:31)? The unprecedented events of our day serve as proof that our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).
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Don Walton is an evangelist and pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Zephyrhills, Fla. He is the author of a free e-book, “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: The Compelling Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage,” that can be read or downloaded at www.mynewhopebc.com or www.timefortruth.org. To request a complimentary copy in print, email [email protected] or [email protected].

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  • Don Walton