for the past two days i have been reading manuscripts regarding homosexual marriage. at christianbook.com we have decided to run develop a little feature on this issue, because where there is controversy, there is 'kwan.' two of the titles are of the 'chicken little' variety (i.e., they run round and round in circles crying, the family is falling, the church is dying, the nation is decaying!) and they are driving me up a wall.

admittedly, i think that homosexual marriage will have some dire consequences, especially upon children who are raised without the positive influence of either a mother or a father, but i do not think that it is the lynch pin of western society (i.e., "pull the pin and bickety bam the whole stage falls down!"). moreover, i find the steadfast warnings of the james dobsons of the world, who are trying to goad us into action by asking "when will evangelicalism finally take a stand?" and are imploring us to make this our primary focus during these dark days, quite hollow. if these men are so passionate about defending the 'sanctity of marriage' why do they consistently fail to address the issue of spousal abuse, which is wrecking far greater havoc on our institution of marriage. how often have you heard pastors condemn spousal abuse from the pulpit? my guess is that it hasn't been very often. likewise, when are we going to "take a stand" or "go to war" against child abuse? surely this is another seige ramp which has been raised against the citadel of marriage, but we rarely hear a peep about it in the church, either from the pulpit or in our literature (believe me, i've checked!).

i know that i am in danger of preaching one too many sermons on this topic, but i passionately believe that we must address these rampant issues, which are well rooted in the church and abundantly nourished by our shame and silence, before we can expect for the culture of this world to truly hear our critique. in essence, i think that we need to set our own house straight before we set out to subvert the pattern of this world.

okay, enough. i promise that is my last such post for a bit. by the way, if you ever want to check out my work at christianbook.com take a look at the Pastor's Resource Center or the Christian Living Page. Remember, "for every coin in the coffer that clinks..."