September 1 2017

“Why I will vote No.” – Rev Neil Chambers

The following is a pastoral article written by Rev Neil Chambers to the congregation of Bundoora Presbyterian Church.

It is reproduced here with his permission.

Also, it is worth noting that if I, Simon Camilleri, was to write an article explaining why I will be voting no, I might use different points or articulate them in a different way. I have simply shared Neil’s article below because I feel he has articulated his position well and his biblically wise and pastoral words are worth our reflection.


“Why I will vote No.” – Rev Neil Chambers

The postal plebiscite on same sex marriage will, barring a successful High Court challenge, take place in November. The plebiscite, as far as we know, will be seeking voters to indicate whether they approve or disapprove a change to the legal definition of marriage, removing the current requirement that marriage be between a man and a woman and replacing it with a requirement that marriage be between two people. Such a change would allow a marriage to be between two men or two women, i.e. open the door to same sex marriage. Such a vote has been a possibility since the last election, and as a congregation we have been preparing for it by looking at the issues of same sex desire and same sex sexual activity when we looked at Romans 1 [March 2016], considering what the Scripture says about gender and marriage when we looked at Genesis 1 and 2, and finally thinking about our attitude to those in authority and our obligation to love our neighbours [and how the law informs that love] when we examined Romans 13.

I have called this piece ‘why I will vote no’ and not ‘why you should vote no’ very deliberately. I am sharing with you the considerations that will inform my vote to help you inform your own vote. But it is your vote, to be made in good conscience before God out of your own faith in Jesus. Other reasons than those listed here may occur to you and move you to vote differently, or you may give different weight to those listed here. You may even decide not to vote. Just make sure that what you do proceeds from faith and a good conscience, not from fear or laziness.

 

  1. I will vote.

You may not like the idea of a plebiscite, or the way it is being conducted, or the way it has shaped the conversation. In fact I hope your conversations about this focus on Jesus, and not on a vote or the very restricted options that will be presented to us.

But we do have a plebiscite which has conferred on us a democratic responsibility to cast a vote in a way that will best serve our society. Participation in the plebiscite is part of loving our neighbour as this plebiscite concerns a fundamental building block of our society which shapes both individuals and society as a whole. It will have long term repercussions for good or ill. As I think the normalization of same sex sexual activity and the eroding of the understanding of marriage, which would follow the endorsement of same sex marriage will be harmful to both individuals and society as a whole [regardless of whether they are believers or not] love requires me to vote to prevent, if I can, that harm – both to those who make up our society now and to those who will come in the future and inherit the society we have made.

Further, there are those who have exposed themselves to public abuse and ridicule by seeking to maintain what I understand to be marriage as it has been instituted by our Creator, and to give me a say on this matter of long term significance. I may not agree with all they say or do, but to fail to vote would be to fail to love them and further undermine them in public life. So I think love of neighbour tells me I should vote.

 

  1. I will vote no because I should oppose moves to normalize sin, and same sex sexual activity is sin.

Same sex marriage is the normalization and affirmation of same sex sexual activity. Decriminalisation of same sex sexual activity is one thing, but endorsement of same sex sexual activity is another. Same sex sexual activity is sin, that is, forbidden by God [Leviticus 18:22, 20:13 Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10. For more extensive treatments see Kevin DeYoung What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality; Sam Allberry Is God Antigay?; Steve Morrison Born this Way. Making sense of science, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction, or listen to the March 6th 2016 sermon on Romans 1:24-27]. I believe God is good, and what He forbids, He forbids for the good of His creatures, to promote their flourishing, not to hinder it. I believe God rules; His standards are absolute, and sin provokes His judgment – and that is not just on believers, but on all. It is not love to normalize behaviour that will bring upon others God’s judgment. Further, laws have a role in instructing consciences. It is not helpful to others to have laws that endorse behaviour God condemns. It will further harden their hearts in their sin, make it more difficult for them to accept the Gospel’s verdict on their lives.

Same sex sexual activity is, of course, just one sin amongst many. But its promotion should not be acquiesced in where we have opportunity to resist it just because there are many other sins.

 

  1. I will vote no because incorporating same sex relationships into the definition of marriage reduces marriage to the social endorsement of love between two people.

Marriage given by God is so much more – an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman for life which becomes the context for sexual expression, the begetting and nurture of children, and the formation of a new family. The complementarity of a man and a woman, expressed in sexual union, is at the heart of the gift of marriage in Genesis 2. Family, and the transmission within families of virtues and helpful habits, is at the heart of a stable society.

While not all male-female marriages produce children all are in principle open to that. This move is a further step in the erosion of the significance of gender distinction, a further step in the separation of sexual activity from procreation [one of the attendant blessings of sexual activity as God has ordained it, and one of the purposes of marriage], and the separation of sexual activity from marriage. This may seem paradoxical where more are seeking to enter marriage [i.e. have their unions recognized publicly as lifelong commitments], but that recognition is independent of exclusive sexual union. It is an endorsement of love, a love which by its nature is not open to the begetting of children which are the product of that union. Reducing marriage to an endorsement of love, rather than strengthen the institution of marriage, as some claim, will weaken it and further destabilise marriages for human love waxes and wanes.

 

  1. I will vote no because we should not put instruments into the hands of those who may want to further restrict Christian freedom to teach the Scriptures and bring up our children in the faith.

We have not seen the bill, we have not seen the protections of freedom of speech, we have not seen the safeguards to our freedom to bring up children in the discipline and instruction of the faith. Despite the demands of some that we should just focus on whether we want same sex marriage or not, our current experience of the use of anti-discrimination laws to harass those teaching Christian doctrine [e.g. in Tasmania], and the experience of Christians in jurisdictions overseas where same sex marriage has been endorsed, suggest that such a change will further expose Christians teaching Chris-tian doctrine or maintaining it in public debate to harassment through anti-discrimination laws. It is not enough that ministers be protected from being compelled to participate in solemnizing same sex marriages, or that church buildings can be prevented from being used in same sex marriages. There needs to be protection for Christian schools in their employment and teaching, Christian adoption agencies, Christian hospitals, Christian groups on campus, protections that allow them to operate as Christian institutions and organizations in accord with Christian teaching. We must be able to continue a distinctively Christian corporate witness. A large no vote will encourage politicians to engage with the need for those protections.

 

  1. I will vote no because these changes, unless they are wedded to further measures, will not achieve their goal and I want to prevent those further measures.

The change to the marriage law is not designed to achieve a freedom, but an endorsement and acceptance. Same sex couples are already free to live together, free to adopt children, free to be acknowledged in wills. They have equality in civil law. This change is about same sex couples being accepted as equals with male-female marriages. But a change in the law will not achieve that as it does not address the reasons people reject same sex couples as equivalent to male-female marriages. Those reasons are not only religious. Some have a deep commitment to family and to children without any religious motivation. Others have a respect for the wisdom of past centuries. None of these reasons are addressed in a change in the definition of marriage. And some, like me, will still consider same sex sexual activity as sin, and therefore relationships, however longstanding, that are built on same sex sexual activity as sinful. A change in the legal definition will not address that. And so for acceptance to be achieved, and that is the goal, it is logical that this change will be accompanied by restrictions on the expression of disapproval, and an attempt to prevent the transmission of world views that do not endorse same sex sexual activity [or a demand to be able to teach our children the alternate view with-out any input from of notification of parents]. Already the justifications for such moves are being developed – e.g. presenting the change in the definition as a preventative health measure. This lends further weight to the concern expressed in 4 above.

 

  1. I will vote no because I should not support the promotion of sub optimal parenting contexts.

While I believe most same sex couples with children will be conscientious and loving parents, I also believe what David Popenoe [a sociologist] has written “Few propositions have more empirical support in the social sciences than this one: compared to all other family forms, families headed by married, biological parents are best for children.” [Quoted in a “Medical Critique of the AMA Position Statement on Marriage Equality, July 2017]. The fact that already many children are being brought up with varying degrees of success in families that are not headed by married biological parents [e.g. a mother and father] is not a reason for the government to support the establishment of another sub optimal context for the nurture of children to satisfy adult desires. It is still less of a reason to suggest same sex families are equivalent to the optimal context – children living in families headed by their biological parents [father and mother] in a stable, low conflict, permanent relationship.

 

  1. I will vote no because I should not endorse false arguments.

I have found many of the arguments given to support same sex marriage unconvincing at best. It is not good for society to be swayed by arguments that are specious. Here are a few:

 

‘Equal Love’.

In what sense equal? While I understand the longing for faithful love, you cannot make unequal things equal by changing definitions. You can redefine a circle to include triangles, but a circle and a triangle will still be different. A relationship between two men or two women will never be the equivalent of a relationship between a man and a woman. This drive for victory by redefinition is the outcome of the feminist view that language shapes reality. That is only a half truth, for some aspects of reality are intractable to our linguistic shaping, and further blinding ourselves to the differences will not help us live together as men and women.

 

‘Born that way’.

Much of the sympathy for same sex marriage as a human right has been created by the assertion that people who are same sex attracted are born that way and therefore can only find satisfaction in same sex sexual relationships, and to deny them that is to deny them their humanity. This is an oversimplification at best. There is a genetic component to most human behaviour, but it is only one factor amongst many. Your genes do not fully explain same sex sexual attraction. Further, desire does not need to find expression, and our humanity is not defined by our sexual activity. Sometimes our humanity is more fully expressed by resisting desire.

At worst, born that way is a trap, a form of biological determinism that robs people of volition and the possibility of finding satisfying relationships outside of same sex sexual activity. It may in itself be a cause for despair.

 

‘A Human right to marry whoever you love’.

There is no internationally recognized human right to same sex marriage. Further, there have always been boundaries on whom you can marry – e.g. certain close relatives, and in our society age boundaries, and a restriction on marrying more than one person at a time. Love alone does not establish a right to marry.

Perhaps the most dangerous argument is the one that seeks to make society, and especially those who oppose same sex marriage, responsible for the mental health of same sex attracted youth. This acknowledges that there is a greater psychological disease burden amongst the same sex attracted population, but seeks to anchor responsibility for this not in the conflicted heart of the individual or in the activity, but in society’s attitudes. We should all speak kindly to all and never have anything to do with bullying – in fact we should be kind people with whom the other feels safe, but it is a dangerous and unfair step to make people responsible for something they cannot control – the inner workings of the mind of another, and to suggest to individuals they are not responsible for the one thing they alone can control – their own reactions to the words of others. It also leaves other causes of the psychological distress unexamined. It is hard for others to remove the shame of something someone feels is intrinsically shameful, and there may well be a perceived unnaturalness to same sex attraction [because of our bodies] that unsettles those who feel it whatever the views of others. Further the evidence is that many teens who experience same sex attraction will not go on to practice same sex sexual activity. It is therefore debatable whether moving rapidly to endorse or normalize same sex attraction in a teen will be helpful to them in the long run.

—–

These are all the reasons why I will vote, and why I will vote no to same sex marriage. In the end, I do not believe it is love of neighbour to endorse and normalize a practice [same sex sexual activity] God calls sin. But these reasons will not be the substance of my conversations. The root problem is idolatry, in this case the idolatrous claim to be able to remake humanity in our own wisdom while we reject the Creator, the worship of our autonomy. The conversation I want to have is about Jesus – that He is Lord, that He loves us and can be trusted to tell us what is best for us, and that He will be our judge at the last day.

So, when you are talking to others don’t get lost in having arguments about the consequences of the change, or about the fears you may have about the change. Be honest – tell them that you think Jesus can be trusted and the life of human flourishing is found in following Him. Our goal is not to win an argument, but to commend a Saviour. And He will be Lord whatever way the vote goes, in the plebiscite and in parliament.

 

 

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Posted September 1, 2017 by Simon in category "Christianity", "Marriage", "Politics", "Sex", "Society", "Theology

7 COMMENTS :

  1. By Susan on

    I read your reasons and subsequently read this http://www.bible-researcher.com/women/suffrage.html
    Your arguments are very similar. I have been very interested in recent times in the church’s inability to self-reflect. We are quick to say that we have thought deeply about an issue that concerns judging others but we appear unable to think deeply on issues that would result in judgement of ourselves. With recent awareness of how badly the church has failed in looking after children and women (in recent weeks, not 100 years ago)and evidence that the church can’t seem to tell right from wrong on these issues, I wonder why many are so confident that voting no is the right thing to do? Perhaps if people saw us truly penitent for these sins they might be more prepared to listen to us about other things. Although I suspect if we were truly penitent our approach to other issues would be very different.

  2. By Pieter Berkelaar on

    The conversation I want to have is about Jesus – that He is Lord, that He loves us and can be trusted to tell us what is best for us, and that He will be our judge at the last day.

    So do not be distracted by the winds of time and their aim to bring in the Rule of Anarchy

  3. By Steven Benbow on

    A few notes to back up Neil’s “sub-optimal” application of scripture.

    – Romans 1:24-27 – This passage is addressing lust, not love.
    – Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13 – The application of Leviticus in general is a curly one. Does anyone take Leviticus in its entirety at face value anymore? I’m not saying it is irrelevant, but there is obviously an application of it that is difficult to understand in today’s context. For instance, Leviticus 20:13 is saying homosexuals should be killed, which is not something the church advocates. Is Neil advocating we kill homosexuals?
    – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – The term here for homosexuals actually has been translated to that in more recent accounts of the Bible. The oldest version of the Bible that I can access is KJV, where the term is “abusers of themselves with mankind”, which in my opinion is a rather vague term that doesn’t clearly refer to homosexuals.
    – 1 Timothy 1:8-10 – Again, the KJV reads it differently. Instead of homosexuals, it refers to “them that defile themselves with mankind”, which I would again argue is a term that is a bit of a stretch to simply apply as homosexuals.
    – Genesis 2 – God never suggests man & woman need be the ONLY context for marriage. He makes a suitable helper because he doesn’t want his people to be lonely. For a homosexual, a suitable helper is another homosexual.

    The suggestion that having children is a fundamental part of marriage negates heterosexual couples not intending on having children, and is simply insulting to those couples who for whatever reason physically cannot have children. Should we oppose old people from marrying? Should we oppose adoption?

    While I applaud the writer for encouraging people to vote according to their own conscience, his attempt to back up his views with a biblical argument are deeply flawed.

    Homosexuality is not a sin. God doesn’t hate homosexuals.

    On the other hand, if we advocate gay marriage, we have a chance to involve God in gay relationships. If we have gay couples coming to our pastors and asking for God to be the third strand in their relationship (Ecclesiastes 4:10-12), isn’t that building up the kingdom?

    If we look at Jesus’ teachings on loving our neighbour (of which there are many), we have the classic example of the Good Samaritan. A man has been beaten & robbed of his humanity. The priest and the Levite looked the other way. But the Samaritan sought to restore the man’s humanity. We currently have laws and attitudes that see homosexuals as being less than heterosexuals, and seek to ensure they don’t have the same rights. Their humanity has been taken. At best, we aren’t doing anything to restore it, when we are the ones who should be petitioning parliament to give equality to homosexuals. And this is our biblical mandate, to love our neighbour.

    All said & done, advocating for rights for homosexuals will not harm the integrity of scripture or God’s word one bit. Instead it will make homosexuals feel welcome & supported by the church, the family of God. And that’s a good thing in sharing the gospel with them.

    The church has a tremendous opportunity at the moment to swallow our pride and advance the kingdom of God in an area that has been unnecessarily bound for too long now. Or we could keep defending a position that the Bible doesn’t advocate.

    To oppress homosexuals and treat them as less than yourselves is unbiblical, unnecessary, unloving, embarrassing, and very mean. What kind of Christian will you be?

  4. By Dan on

    Steven:

    Leviticus – Lucky we are not under the old covenant then. Doesn’t change the fact that it is sin.
    1 Cor and 1 Tim – why just choose your favourite version and not go back to the original text – Arsenokoitai – meaning “man” and “bed” hmmm or see where koitai is used in other passages
    Genesis 2 – “never suggests man & woman”. Let me double check – “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh”. Do tell if another version says otherwise.

    Under the same premise of how you think the church should be inviting non-believers, then we should extend that to all sins and just tell everyone that it is ok to sin and encourage them to do so, in order to make them feel welcomed at church? Unfortunately, I believe that it is rather the conviction of sin that brings people to church, that they recognise their depravity and the need of Jesus Christ to save them of their sin. What pride then does the church have to swallow but to recognise that we are all sinners and that Jesus is the only way?

    Also, what laws sees homosexual individuals being less than heterosexual individuals? Sex Discrimination Act and Family Law Act has made everyone having equal rights regardless of sexual orientation. What we are voting for is about union of different couple compositions, not the individual. And there is currently no law that suggests inferiority in anyway of any couple relationships.

    One thing I agree with you is sharing the gospel with them and not just them but to all. We are all sinners regardless of sexual orientation, or in fact any background (not sure why LGTBI always have to single themselves out), and we need a saviour to purify us of our sins.

  5. By Steven Benbow on

    Dan,

    If the best you’ve got is to take my Genesis comment out of context, I can see why you think the Bible is opposed to homosexuality. Context seems to be a problem for you. I guess cherry-picking is easier.

    As for Arsenokoitai, scholars don’t universally agree on it’s application. Some argue that it’s used to apply only in the context of homosexual prostitution, not ordinary homosexual relationships. It’s unclear either way, so best to look at it in the light of the over-riding message of the Bible & the Gospel – That God is loving and wants to be in relationship with us.

    I’m sure you’ll happily ignore that context to back up your personal bias.

    As for preferred translations, I commented that it’s in more modern translations that homosexuality in itself is considered a problem, due to a modern agenda of the church.

    But if you want to think yourself clever with half-arsed arguments, I can’t stop you. Bravo.

    On the subject of sin – Exodus 20:7, Exodus 20:16, 1 Corinthians 13. Perhaps remove the log from your own eye before trying to find splinters in others. (Matthew 7:3-4)

  6. By Jimmy Henning on

    Wow! What a complete, lucid and compelling statement speaking to the issue that is tearing churches and peoples apart. Thank you for taking this position and supporting it so well.

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