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Dear Church,

On February 7, 2012 when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Proposition 8 – which banned same-sex marriage in California – violated the U.S. Constitution, newspapers all over America offered considerable articles detailing the pro-gay agenda’s accomplishment.

The pressure to affirm same-sex marriage has been and continues to be relentless. We are bombarded by the media, from some politicians and certainly from the pro-gay agenda camp themselves who plead and argue for everyone to see their point of view.

When same-sex marriages are legalized, religious freedom will have to give way to constitutional law. Personally, I am already hearing – “All people have a constitutional right to marriage, in whatever gender arrangement they desire; the Church, therefore, is breaking the law in denying people their constitutionally guaranteed rights.”

Is it true the pro-gay agenda, if taken to its full extreme, will certainly seriously inhibit the Church? Is gay marriage just a matter of civil rights? Is same-sex marriage just one more of those issues that we should learn to tolerate in a free and open society?

While the word “marriage” is being redefined, we as a Christian community seem to be asleep, maybe believing there is not much we can do, given the moral climate of our times. However, the simple fact is that if we are not salt and light now, then when?

I would be the first to admit there is no quick fix to stop the advancement toward same-sex marriages. But we, The Church, can still have impact. Indeed, there are many viewpoints on to what extent Christians should engage in the political arena. Some believe that Jesus completely ignored the political and we should follow His example. Others believe that we as Christians are obligated to affect the world around us. Whatever we decide to do, our motivation must be one of love rather than to destroy.

Presently, I believe there are two dangers The Church must avoid at this hour. The first is to retreat because we believe that in the end gay marriages will be legalized, and thus “whatever will be will be.” The second danger The Church must avoid is to become so involved in the same-sex marriage debate and crisis that we forget that the primary message we have for the world is that Jesus died on the Cross for sinners. We, The Church, must extend a balance of both truth and grace and we cannot let the present cultural revolution obscure or deny our primary calling.

All Christians are absolutely called to minister with grace, yet we are each called to be completely faithful to God’s absolute truth. Therefore, in dealing with homosexuality and the many related issues, it means The Church must oppose the gay rights movement’s social and political agendas because of the call of God’s truth, while remembering each individual who faces same-sex orientations and practices remains a person who deserves the ministry of God’s grace.

Personally, I wonder what would happen if millions of believers would set aside their schedules to seek God on behalf of this nation regarding same-sex marriage…

Ultimately, I have no doubt The Church will continue to fulfill its responsibility of representing Jesus Christ in the world. Over and over and over again The Church has had to cope in a hostile culture with virtually no freedom. The Church has and will continue to both survive and thrive because The Church is in the hands of Jesus.

Pastor Phillip Lee
Executive Director
His Way Out Ministries
1412 17th Street, Suite 313
Bakersfield, CA, USA 93301
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