Friday, January 27, 2012
Building People of Substance for Works of Power
Are you a radical, Friend?
I heard a fascinating story on the radio the other day. A prominent actor was asked about his intentions regarding marriage to his long time live-in girlfriend. He responded that they were seriously considering marriage, though they had previously expressed a commitment to forego marriage until the nation recognized homosexual marriages. Backing off a little from this stance, he said, "But I don’t think we’ll be able to hold out. It means so much to my kids, and they ask a lot.” I was awestruck. Isn’t it amazing that kids who have been reared in a home where cohabitation is the norm are lobbying their parents to get married? Where did they get such a crazy and traditional notion? It certainly didn’t come from their parents or the schools or the media.
The notion that marriage between a man and a woman is the desirable structure for rearing a family is ingrained in the very nature of man. Kids know stuff without being told. How many times have you heard a child of divorce beg his parents to reconcile? How often do we see a child of a single mom look at a male acquaintance and ask, “Are you gonna be my daddy?” These things are built in because we were created in the image of God. The Bible says, “In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. (Gen 1:27 NLT)” Though tarnished by generations of fallen reproduction, the ideal of the God-designed, committed, two-parent family abides in the heart of a child. It requires all the effort of the educational establishment, the entertainment industry, and the so-called mental health authorities to convince a human that their basic desire for stable, heterosexual homes is misguided. Even with all that the culture can throw at them, most kids still know in their gut that they need a mom and a dad who are glued by God.
Scripture Reading: In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman–no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. (Mark 10:6-8 MSG)
Somebody Said: A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice. Thomas Paine
I heard on CNN, that folks who believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and that kids are better off in a two parent home were radical and extreme. OK. I’m radical and extreme, but somewhere in their belly, they know I’m right! That’s what makes them so mad!
pastorvirgil.com 