Dear Fellow Warriors for Christ,

I realize that you are busy, and always trying to gather sermon material. Sunday morning comes all too quickly, so the idea of coming up with a sermon on the subject of same-sex marriage may seem like a daunting task. That’s why I am providing you with the attached message “Stand for Marriage.” Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 15-16, 2004, affirmed marriage between a man and a woman by adopting the resolution “On Supporting a Federal Marriage Amendment”.

The Senate debate and vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment is scheduled for June 6-7 and the House vote is scheduled for late July. Ideally, this message would be preached by June 4, 2006 in advance of the Senate vote.

Let me offer some seasoned advice before you put this bullet in your gun and shoot it :

1. Pastoral Warning: I have preached messages like this many times and it never fails to offend somebody. In fact, I’ve had people walk out on me during the sermon, and others leave my church membership. However, remember what God told the prophet Jeremiah when He called him: “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.” (Jer. 1:17). There is no substitute for the pastor’s leadership from the pulpit, preaching the word of God without fear or favor, and applying it to burning issues such as abortion, the radical homosexual agenda, judicial tyranny, pornography, racism, gambling, etc. Remember, God’s word offends people. Don’t preach it if you can’t handle the consequences.

2. Legal Issues: Same-sex “marriage” is a moral issue with political implications. There are some legal dos and don’ts for pastors and churches if you want to maintain your tax exempt status. Check out www.ivotevalues.com for details. Here’s the biggie: Don’t get up in the pulpit and tell your people how to vote (e.g., Vote for Candidate A and don’t vote for Candidate B). However, you can confidently preach on moral and cultural issues from a biblical perspective and tell people to do their homework on the candidates without fear of losing your tax exempt status.

3. Practical Matters: You might want to put a “PG rating” on this sermon and allow parents to make decisions about young children hearing some of the content that will be discussed. If you take that route, you might want to provide for childcare beyond nursery/pre-school age during the message. I have found that parents appreciate a heads up and childcare when handling a topic like homosexuality. You may choose to edit the message at that point, but to do so will remove powerful images that could lead your people to take action. Just know that the use of those verbal images will bring feedback. Plan ahead and you can avoid some problems.

4. Perspective: If believers in general and Southern Baptists in particular don’t take action on moral and cultural issues, then we will allow the devil and his people to reign supreme in an arena Jesus commanded us to infiltrate and influence as the salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). That being said, remember that the way to change the world, beginning where you are, is through the Gospel. It is only when a person surrenders his/her life to Jesus as Lord and becomes His disciple that the heart and mind will change when it comes to these issues (Rom. 12:1-2). Equip your people to engage cultural issues from a biblical perspective, but also equip them to share their faith and make disciples, beginning at home. Otherwise, we will be on defense all of the time, and we will lose the battle for America. By the way, that is exactly what the devil wants. The reason? Americans have a unique Christian heritage, and on that foundation we have become the greatest missionary sending nation in the history of the world - a huge reason why I am proud to be a Southern Baptist and a passionate supporter of the Cooperative Program. Let’s make the Great Commission the main thing!

Again, this message is intended to help you equip your people to follow the teaching of Jesus by being the salt and light in the cultural arena (Matt. 5:13-16). I am happy to offer it to you for that purpose, but not for the purpose of having you publish it or sell it as your own. Otherwise, you may forward this e-mail and the message to fellow pastors. Feel free to copy, cut, paste, and prepare your own message as the Lord leads, and then preach the word!

Serving with you under His banner,

Kenyn

Dr. Kenyn M. Cureton
Vice President for Convention Relations
Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention
901 Commerce
Nashville, TN 37203
615-244-2355
kcureton@sbc.net

Stand for Marriage
by Kenyn M. Cureton, Ph.D.

Most of you have seen ABC TV's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where they tear down a house and rebuild it. Unfortunately, there has been another Extreme Makeover happening to the American home. Some are trying to tear down traditional marriage and redefine it.

Bible believing Christians were shocked as we witnessed the so called "Massachusetts marriages" and "San Francisco ceremonies" where two men or two women were "married" and kissed one another for the cameras. Homosexual activists have been very effective in promoting their extreme makeover of the family. From 1990-2000, the number of homosexual households has skyrocketed by more than 400 percent,1 and we are only one Supreme Court decision away from legalizing same-sex “marriage” all across America.

How should Christians respond?  First of all, we need to re-establish the divine pattern for marriage from the word of God. The Bible establishes a fixed standard of righteousness, a fixed standard of moral absolutes, of right and wrong.

The Divine Pattern

What is the divine pattern, God's original intention for marriage and the home? Go back to Genesis. For example, Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  Aren't you glad God created Adam and Eve, and not just Adam and Steve? Thank God for the difference between men and women. In fact, the two genders were meant to complete each other physically, emotionally, and in every other way. Also, both genders are needed for a healthy home. As James Dobson notes, "More than ten thousand studies have concluded that kids do best when they are raised by mothers and fathers."2

In Genesis 2:24, God further declares: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”  When you come to the teaching of Jesus in the NT, you find that Jesus endorsed this divine pattern.  Quoting Genesis, Jesus asked Pharisees in Matt. 19:4: Have you not read that at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female, and said: `For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh?’  So they are no longer two but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.  In both OT and NT, one man and one woman in a marriage relationship for life is the divine pattern.

When a marriage follows God's design, it is good for everyone — men, women, children, the community, the country, and the world. By the way, before taking a public stand for marriage we ought to renew our commitment to live out the biblical principles of marriage. Think about it. Every civilization in history is built upon the institution of marriage. It is the foundation of human social order. The welfare of children, the propagation of the faith, the wellbeing of society, and the orderliness of civilization are all dependent upon the stability of marriage according to the divine pattern. When this God-given pattern is undermined, the whole superstructure of society becomes unstable. Any deviation from the divine pattern invites disaster. Heterosexuality is the divine pattern.

The Deceptive Perversion

Second, there is a deceptive perversion. What is the deceptive perversion? It is any sexual sin outside of the marriage relationship, but for the purposes of this message I want to focus on one sin in particular: homosexuality. The Word of God, which does not err, is brutally clear. Leviticus 18:22 says: You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detestable. Leviticus 20:13 says: If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood is on their own hands. Homosexuality is an abomination to God. This is the strongest biblical word for the denunciation of sin, the proof of which is in God's own version of the Extreme Makeover at Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed in a hail of fire and brimstone (Gen. 19).

Again, why is homosexuality a sin? Because it is open rebellion against the divine pattern, the created order of God. Some say: "Well, that's Old Testament." Yet Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

While the ritual, sacrificial, and ceremonial laws were effectively rendered obsolete by Christ's life, death, and resurrection (see Hebrews 8:13), the principles of moral law remain in force. And that moral law calls homosexuality an abomination. In fact, Jesus basically condemned homosexuality by affirming the divine pattern for marriage as between a man and woman in Matthew 19:4 where he references Genesis 1 and 2. When you get into the letters of Paul (Romans 1:18, 26-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:10), Peter (2 Peter 2:6ff), and Jude (v. 7), there is even more confirmation. Homosexuality is a deceptive perversion.

The Definitive Problem

Third, there is a definitive problem. Homosexuals claim: "We were born this way; it is in our genes; God made us gay." They cite "gay gene" studies predominantly conducted by homosexuals that have been repudiated by credible research.3 Yet these same biased and discredited studies have been widely publicized by the liberal media as true and factual. They essentially practice Joseph Goebel's Nazi philosophy of propaganda, which is basically this: tell a lie loud enough and long enough and eventually most mindless Americans will believe it.4

Get this straight: God did not make anybody homosexual. The Bible declares that the definitive problem is ours: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way... (Isaiah 53:6). Every one of us has a sin nature that twists and perverts God-given desires not only toward homosexuality, but toward all sorts of sexual sin, such as promiscuity, adultery, pedophilia, bestiality, etc. In fact, our sinful nature pulls us down into all manner of evil, not just sexual sin.

Dr. James Dobson says: "I am certain that homosexuality does not result from irresistible genetic influences, as some would have us believe."  Scientifically speaking, there is no gay gene.  Listen, I do not believe that God would not place in your genetic code something that would destroy your immortal soul.  Again, it is our sin nature and its perverted and twisted desires that people give into, just as the Bible says in Rom. 1:24-27.  That's the definitive problem.

The Destructive Program

Fourth, there is a destructive program. While homosexuals only represent a fraction of the total population (2.8% of men and 1.4% of women),5 many have become very vocal, well organized, well funded, and highly motivated.  They have used the political system, the media, movies, and even the schools to "mainstream" their lifestyle choices, and they have been extremely successful in advancing their agenda.  Just consider how the attitudes have changed toward homosexuality from the previous generation.6 

What are the goals of the radical homosexual agenda?  They include universal acceptance of the gay and lesbian lifestyle, gaining special privileges and rights in the laws, "sensitivity training" of our children through public education, silencing critics in the clergy and Christian media, and securing the legal benefits of marriage and parenting for any two people of the same gender.

By all accounts, Homosexual activists have been marching from victory to victory in the entertainment arena, the educational arena, and the legal arena in advancing this agenda. Don't think so? Take a look at the entertainment arena.  Does Brokeback Mountain ring a bell? What about Will and Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? What about "Boy Meets Boy," which has a gay bachelor who must choose one man among 15 other men to be his partner?  What about the new Logo network dedicated to gay friendly programming?  What about the MTV music awards where Madonna gave Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera an open mouth kiss?  Then all three, with fists raised in defiance, shouted: “We’re bored with the concept of right and wrong!”  Nearly every movie, nearly every television program advances rebellion against the divine pattern found in the word of God.

Take a look at the educational arena.  What about books in the public school classroom such as Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's New Roommate?  Several years ago, the conservative news magazine National Review laid out a litany of examples of homosexual indoctrination in New England public schools.  In one elementary school, a transsexual was invited into a 1st grade class to give details of his operation.7  In another elementary school, children were assigned to play gays in a school skit.  Two girls were to hold hands and pretend to be lesbians.  One boy's line was: "Its natural to be attracted to the same sex."8  At a required school assembly, an instructor used four-letter words, described the joys of oral and anal sex, and had children participate in licking condoms. Parents were not notified about this in advance.9  One 9th grade High School health textbook teaches: "Testing your ability to function sexually and give pleasure to another person may be less threatening in the early teens with people of your own sex...You may come to the conclusion that growing up means rejecting the values of your parents."10 

More recently, a Lexington, Massachusetts school “treated” their second graders to a book entitled King and King,  a colorful 29-page children's book in which a prince searches for a wife, only in the end to choose another prince. The story ends with the two princes "marrying" and living "happily ever after." On the last page, the princes -- now kings -- even share a kiss.11  This was read to 7 year olds!  And then there are two recent indoctrination films &