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Today the following notice appeared on the website for the Marriage Bureau of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia:

NOTE: Pursuant to the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, A18-248, effective March 3, 2010, same sex couples may apply for marriage licenses in the District of Columbia.

Yes, the notice is in red font. The color seems to highlight the alarming content. As of today, Wednesday, March 3, 2010, our country’s showcase city–the seat of American culture, politics and influence in the world–takes a huge step backward, to a morally primitive time. It is not “progress,” as the proponents of same-sex legal pairings assert; it is the opposite. It recalls a period in human history where sexual behavior was indiscreet, unbridled, animalistic and injurious.

The revelation of God’s moral law on Sinai and the subsequent charge to mothers and fathers to model and instruct their children in right and wrong behavior was the cure to an otherwise self-destructive impulse. Research has shown that the human drive towards sex is stronger than the drive for food–and it’s not terribly discriminating. A big part of “civilization” has to do with curbing, controlling and steering this “power” into positive, constructive and ethical directions.

I’ve been engaged for a long time in the conversation and debate on same-sex sexual relationships–and the attendant proposals for publicly sanctioning them with laws and certificates. The argument goes something like this, “There’s no difference between heterosexual and homosexual relationships, therefore gay and lesbian people should be allowed to express their love just like straight people do.” I agree–to a point.

Men should not only be allowed to love other men, but encouraged to do so. In fact, the Bible says this is the only way we can know for sure that we are “saved,” part of the redeemed; indeed, that we are Christians at all, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.” (1 John 3:14) Obviously, the same is true for women. Love between men and men and women and women is part of the experience of knowing God, who is Himself “Love.” (See 1 John 4:7-11) However, this love of God, and by extension, this “love of the brethren,” is not expressed sexually. In fact, most love bonds do not–or at least should not–have a sexual component. Love for children, for example, is never to be expressed sexually. The same is true of love between siblings.

“Well, of course not!” I hear the celebrants of today’s same-sex marriage licensing saying. “Everyone knows that!” Well, not true. Sadly, there are plenty of people in the world–even in our own country–who don’t respect these moral boundaries on sex. Recent headlines bear that out. Sexual predation of children is on the rise and often includes unspeakably horrible acts, including torture and brutal murders. We think of these things as frightening aberrations, but that’s only true of human culture in the recent past. For example, in ancient times–in fact, in Bible times–pederasty and incest were rampant; inbreeding was practiced as a genetic purifier for royal family lines; and girls were routinely seized and held as sexual slaves by much older men.

Religious, moral and legal governors of sexual behavior are relatively recent innovations. They are only a few thousand to a few hundred years old, and there are plenty of places left in the world where they either remain unknown, non-practiced or are ignored. Just yesterday I sat in on a heart-breaking briefing on the current state of world-wide human trafficking, much of it driven by the sex-trade. My wife, Cheryl, is in training now to be a counselor to victims of child sexual abuse. She’ll tell you just how devastating and life-long these injuries are to soul, mind and body.

All this to say that human sexual behavior cannot be left to simple impulse. Human beings are built for a certain kind of sexual interaction. The body’s architecture alone makes that quite plain, but the soul and psyche even more so. Children are not built for sexual interaction with each other or with adults; and men are not built for sexual interaction with men, neither are women with women. And that grand result of God’s exquisite sexual design, the conception and bearing of children, can only happen between a male and female, wether through intercourse or in a test tube. It’s simple yet profound: It takes a daddy and a mommy to make a baby.

Let me remind everyone that there’s nothing new about what happened today at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Marriage Bureau. In fact, it’s very old. Thousands of years ago, the world at the base of Mount Sinai looked very much like Indiana Avenue, NW, the street outside the Marriage Bureau office. Actually, it was far worse. On the Day of Pentecost, when the Christian Church was born at Jerusalem, Greco-Roman athletes competed in the nude and engaged in homosexual acts to titillate insatiably wild crowds. Worse, Roman men of stature kept wives to sire children by, but young boys as sexual play toys. Temple prostitutes were used and abused as an act of worship.

It was into this kind of moral abandon that the Jews first taught God’s moral code and Christians later were called to evangelize. Both remain our challenge today. It was this kind of sin-sick, miserably wretched, often shockingly coarse and even frightening world that “God so loved,” and to which He “gave His only begotten son.” (John 3:16) This is the solution to the backsliding of human culture. It’s not to cower, shrink back, denounce or scold, but to love with the love of God; it’s to make known the Truth that alone can “set you free.” (John 8:32)

If there’s anything to be disappointed about today here in the Nation’s Capital, it’s that we thought human progress had come so far, but, in fact, it has regressed. Should that surprise us? The preacher in Ecclesiastes doesn’t think so: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) This is why the wise Apostle would later write to us, “[L]et us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9)

With the help of God, let us get on to the work at hand . . .

Rob +

What the Bible Says on Health Care Reform

Charles B. Nestor, M.Th., D.D.

In 1964 as a High School junior I was a member of the debate team, participating in the Washington, D.C. citywide forensic tournament, held at the George Washington University. My role was to present the pro position of the national debate topic. For that year the proposition was, “Resolved: That Social Security benefits should be extended to include complete medical care.” That was 46 years ago and as Yogi Berra once said, we are experiencing “deja vous allover again.” Instead of High School students debating the topic it’s the congress and the president of the United States.

There are few that would argue against citizens of the wealthiest country in history receiving the medical care that they need. The issue is whether it is a right of every person to be guaranteed healthcare and should the government provide it? Further, should every person be required to buy medical insurance and, if they do not, should the government fine them?

Jesus said that sick people need a physician. The Apostle Paul’s missionary companion was Luke the beloved physician. The Scriptures present medical care in a very positive perspective. God’s ancient people, Israel, were given in the law very specific hygiene and medical instruction. The concern of God for the health of His people is clear in the Bible. Jesus himself is none other than the Great Physician, whose ministry was punctuated by healing.

Throughout the twentieth century the extension of government-subsidized benefits is a matter of record. Public education, Social Security, and welfare programs are examples. There has been an incremental advancement toward a European style social democracy in this country. Socialized medicine would be yet another giant step in that direction. Is there a better way?

Employer based health insurance, Medicaid, and other programs provide a substantial percentage of the population with coverage and polls indicate an overwhelming high satisfaction among people who have these plans. The number of uncovered individuals is debatable, but any reform should focus on those persons, who do not have coverage of any kind. Universal government provided socialized medicine is a prescription for bankrupting the U.S. Cost estimates over time soar into the trillions of dollars. This would be disastrous stewardship of the available resources of the nation. The question for Christians is what moral obligation does a society have?

Our society has given attention to healthcare in many ways. Employee insurance, military veteran coverage, public clinics, Medicaid, fraternal insurance pools, and Medicare are all examples. Any extension of government subsidy should focus on the uncovered who have no means of providing for themselves. Many young people have chosen not to buy coverage and some prefer a pay-as-you-go approach to avoid the high cost of some insurance. The government should not assume the responsibility for those who by choice have opted not to provide for themselves.

The chronically ill who cannot afford the exorbitant cost of private healthcare or who are uninsurable can be covered without government taking over the entire industry which represents up to one sixth of the American economy. Compassionate Christians can support this without fear of being complicit in a political solution that lacks wisdom and brings financial servitude upon generations to come.

The Christian faith provides a positive solution. First, adopting a lifestyle which produces wellness, and which includes eating with moderation, the benefits of exercise which does profit a little, prayer with faith for the sick, the use of physicians, when necessary and assuming responsibility for ones own life, are things a believer should do.

Much sickness and many health issues spring from lifestyle choices. Christians can lead the way in fighting the obesity problem, avoiding choices that lead to additive behavior, eating healthy foods, exercising instead of becoming sedentary, and caring for family and friends when called upon out of a loving commitment.

Compassion and love are called for in this debate. Solutions are available and wise counsel can come from responsible moral perspective. The answer is not government bureaucratic institutions with high cost, red tape, and poor outcomes. The answer is personal responsibility for health and healthcare, conduct that promotes health, trust in a powerful God who says, “I am the Lord who heals you,” education by the Church, and responding with public assistance as a stopgap to provide for those who have no other means of care.

There is no reason for Christians to curse the darkness. We have considerable resources and a loving God. With these things in place health can be achieved without bankrupting a nation or living in despair.

The Reverend Dr. Charles Nestor is senior fellow for public policy at the National Clergy Council. Until his semi-retirement due to multiple sclerosis, Dr. Nestor was the pastor of one of the leading churches in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. He is a native of the District of Columbia and holds degrees in history, theology and divinity.

“Because these Family Circle dinners are built on relatively small and controlled groups of our friends, I can say more than I normally do,” said Rob. “In an intimate environment, where we spend a few hours together, my staff and I can know exactly who is in the room.”

Knowing who is in the room makes it safe for Rob to talk about exactly what the prayers and generosity of Faith and Action supporters are yielding in changed lives and changes attitudes among elected and appointed officials. Many of the reports are astounding.

“I regularly hear people say, ‘I had no idea all this was going on.’ It’s really exciting to know your prayers are being answered, particularly at such a stressful time in our nation’s life,” said Rob.

Tickets to the Louisiana Family Circle Dinner can be reserved online. You’re encouraged to bring family, friends and fellow church members with you. Seats are limited so reserve now!