I heard a commentary on Christian radio recently concerning
the Supreme Court decision which struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. The focus of the broadcast narrowed to the
right or wrong of same sex marriage. The consensus was that America has reached
a paradigm shift in moral and spiritual matters.
The speaker had the unmistakable air of an angry prophet now
expecting persecution from the new barbarians. He is convinced the “good old
days” were better and more wholesome. I have a pretty good memory. I assume
that my childhood, by his accounting, must have represented the good old days
of morality – back when the United States was a godly nation.
Well, I can recall being invited out for a fun evening with
a group of white teenagers on what was called in James Island, S. C. a n_____
kill.bOther nights they talked ofba queer bashing. Even though this talk, in my
experience, was always offered as an outlandish joke, it still displays an
ugliness that was part of the social scene. I never met anyone who actually
participated in such hatred and violence but it always hung in the air like an
urban legend.
Such as this was not normal but it was part of the social
picture in the old days. Almost everyone had heard of it. Most expressed disapproval,
even outrage. Nevertheless it fit within the social collage that was the
American South in the 1960s. I lived in the north in the 1980s and must sadly
interject the South had no proprietary hold on prejudice. Sadly, there is no
area or ethnic group that is free of this.
It is problematic to generalize that today’s culture is
worse that yesterday’s. That today is Sodom and Gomorrah and the good old days
were so upright and righteous. Yes, there were more virgins on their wedding
day. However, gays, racial minorities, the handicapped and women had very
limited access to political rights, education, a decent career path and
economic wellbeing.
It is pointless to baptize our patriotism and our political
persuasion in Christianity. More important than making America Christian is to
somehow return Christianity to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is built
on love. I heard no love in the commentator’s narrative. What I heard was a
Pharisee denouncing the new Sodom.
It may be true that the Bible clearly denounces certain
behaviors. Yet our government has now decided that some Biblical traditions are
not in sync with modern life. What are we to do? For many of us it is not the
same country we grew up in. However, love is always in sync with life.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is recounted in Genesis 19.
In this story we find people who are sexually obsessed, who have an extreme
sense of entitlement, no impulse control, and no respect for personal boundaries.
We find there a frenzied quest for immediate gratification.
Such people exist today. Everyone is certainly not that way. There has
been much bad behavior in every generation. Every reasonable person, whether
Christian, Buddhist, gay, Muslim, or Jew is opposed to bad behavior,
particularly of the kind in this old story.
This day has indeed been called by some the post-Christian
Age in America. How do we face this paradigm shift? We can choose to be complaining
self-righteous misanthropes or we can try to be good and loving and gentle. As individuals
we must observe our own moral codes as presented by our faith without despising
or judging those who do not share our beliefs. We must love everyone.
We are not called to be Pharisees in Sodom but “little
children” intent in following the narrow path of our Father’s love. We are in
sales not management. The prophet Amos told his people to seek peace, love
others, do well and live humbly. Good advice for today. Let’s fill our own personal worlds with joy
and peace and let God sort out the rest.
Louis Templeman
