Last Friday night, actor Kirk Cameron appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight. The evangelical Christian was asked what he thought about gay marriage. He replied, “I think it’s unnatural. I think that it’s detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.” He said of marriage, “One man, one woman for life till death do you part. . . . So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don’t.”
Neither did Paul. In fact, the apostle’s statements on homosexual activity were even bolder: “God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion” (Romans 1:26-27; see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 1:8-11).
My point this morning is not to discuss the biblical teachings on homosexuality, a subject we’ve explored in the past and on our website. Rather, it is to respond to the response to Cameron’s statements. The gay rights group GLAAD immediately slammed them as “outdated” and said, “Cameron is out of step with a growing majority of Americans.” Other celebrities were even more critical of Cameron. And Alan Thicke, who played Cameron’s father on the sitcom “Growing Pains,” tweeted, “I’m getting him some new books. The Old Testament simply can’t be expected to explain everything.” I would like to get Mr. Thicke some new books, including the New Testament.
Our culture increasingly believes that Scripture is outdated on a variety of issues, from gay marriage to abortion to objective morality. Those who take this view need to know the essence of their position: they are right and God is wrong.
I admire Kirk Cameron for speaking biblical truth when he knew he would be criticized for his convictions. When Paul was in Corinth, one of the most sinful cities in the world (“to Corinthianize” mean to commit immorality), he also faced great opposition. One night the Lord said to him: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). When Elijah thought he was the only true prophet left in Israel, the Lord showed him that he had seven thousand like him in the land (1 Kings 19:18).Today you will have the opportunity to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) to people who deserve to know God’s word for their lives and problems. You may feel alone in the land, but you’re not. Oswald Chambers was right: “When we choose deliberately to obey him, he will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all his almighty power.” There is only one solution for our Corinthian culture: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Search
