No Union More Profound

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. The judgement of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed. It is so ordered.

Twelve months ago today, we as a nation affirmed a truth that was outlined in our founding documents almost 250 years ago — that all men are created equal. Now, the same institution that once vehemently defended this truth — the church — is actively working to dismantle it. No union is more profound than marriage, and the marriage between Christ and the Church is the most sacred of all; but right now, that marriage is under attack from those within the church who claim love, but practice hate.

Four months ago, I was kicked out of my church for the inexcusable, unpardonable, and disgusting sin of having the audacity to live outside of the closet. As I left the pastoral offices that day, betrayed by a church that had been my home for almost 6 years, I was confronted with the reality that the greatest threat to Christians in America wasn’t secular governments, or progressive agendas, or radicalized terrorists — it was our churches. The same proponents of an intolerant belief system that once used scripture to advocate for racism are now using the same aberrant interpretation to propagate homophobia on Sunday mornings.

In a few hours, I’ll be lining up to march in the OKC Pride Parade with a different kind of church — one that believes love for all people is not only compatible with scripture, but at the center of it. A church that welcomes, affirms, and enables people to live without fear or shame. A church that not only understands the gospel, but lives it.