July 23, 2015
There is no doubt that the recent SCOTUS decision has sparked heated conversations among Christian communities. There are many Christians for whom the Supreme Court’s decision feels like a loss of something very important, something they feel is essential to their understanding of the world.
In today’s link, pastor and Patheos contributor, Chuck Queen, highlights what, exactly, has been lost by Christians opposed to marriage equality. He discusses how some people are calling for “equality advocates” to be sensitive to what has been lost by some believers, their point being that Scripture requires we express empathy for those who disagree with the decision.
For his part, Queen suggests that it is a misappropriation to apply the Apostle Paul’s directive that we mourn with those who mourn to the recent SCOTUS decision in favor of marriage equality.
“What has been lost other than the right to deny same-sex couples the same rights, privileges, and protections under the law that heterosexual couples have long enjoyed?
“Is this something Christians should empathize with and grieve over?
“Can you imagine one of the classic Hebrew prophets who railed against Israel’s unjust leaders and their followers for enslaving the poor and depriving the most vulnerable of basic needs, calling for empathy toward the oppressors simply because they were all one people in covenant with God?
“What does it mean to be a conduit of grace in such a context? For healing to occur the disease has to be confronted. Empathy is not what is needed. Liberation is what is needed. The demon has to be named and exorcised.”
Read Chuck Queen’s pointed essay here: Marriage Equality – What Have Christians Lost?
posted by Corbin Lambeth
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