Words of Wisdom
“Government is downstream from the culture, which is downstream from the church, which is downstream from the people, and all of which are downstream from God. If any section of this stream becomes corrupt, all levels below are also corrupted.” (Rakazzi)
“On the sixth day, God created man in his own image, male and female. … He blessed them and said unto them: Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. … Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and he shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis1:27-28; 2:24)
“Have you not read what God has done in creating man in His own image, as both male and female? … Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” (Jesus: Matt. 19:4-6)
“Even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. They dishonored their own bodies among themselves, changing the natural use of their bodies into that which is against nature.” (Romans 1:21-26)
“The greater battle is not one that our temporal opponents can make us lose; it is won if we stay on the field, and lost if we flee.” (Sherif Girgis)
A Review of Ch. 1-7: Restoring America’s Soul
This weekend on Crossroads we move into Chapter VIII of Rita Dunaway’s book entitled Restoring America’s Soul. However, as usual we begin with a quick review of the ground we’ve covered so far.
In Chapter One, Rita set out to counter some of the negative perceptions about conservatives. She describes a true conservative as one who works to “conserve” from our rich heritage that which is good, speaking out about what we are FOR as much as for what we are AGAINST.
In Chapter Two, she emphasized the importance of maintaining a civil tone in our conversations and debates, particularly when we get into hot button issues of politics, religion, and morality. That also includes the need to listen carefully to others if we want them to listen to us.
In Chapter Three, she talked about the importance of promoting virtue in our culture and of making decisions based on what is true and good rather than just on our “feelings”. Therefore, we must avoid falling under the spell of catchy phrases like “Just listen to your heart”, and “If it feels good, do it.”
In Chapter Four, she stepped back in time to examine how political conservatism is directly connected to the strong influence the Bible had on our early settlers and Founding Fathers, and which helped shape a limited federal government in keeping with the enduring principles embodied in our Constitution.
In Chapter Five, she examined the popular notion that liberals care more for the poor than do conservatives because of their support for big government handouts. However, a study by Arthur Brooks shows that conservatives are actually much more generous than liberals in their private giving. “Liberals who accuse conservatives of being greedy or lacking compassion are just dead wrong.”
In Chapter Six, we talked about the need to defend our Religious Liberty from attacks by LGBT and pro-abortion activists, secular humanists, and Democratic Party policies and personnel. So, when our Constitutional “rights” come into conflict with their “rights”, who wins – and why does it matter?
Finally, in Chapter Seven, we took on the challenge of conflicting rights between an unborn baby’s Right to Life and the mother’s so-called Right to Choose. What can we do to help change the culture so that all babies will be welcomed in life and protected by law?
Ch. 8: The Slippery Slope to a Crisis for Marriage
That brings us to Chapter Eight this week and once again, as in the last two chapters on Religious Liberty and the Right to Life, it involves several conflicting choices, this time on the issue of marriage.
Up until the early 1960’s, marriage was clearly understood to be the natural and permanent union of one man and one woman designed by God for the purpose of partnership and procreation. It was known as Holy Matrimony that contributed to the stability and the enrichment of society as whole.
However, growing pockets of our culture became dismissive of Biblical authority and its clear teaching about morality and marriage. In the process, it began to separate sexual activity from the institution of marriage, leading us down a slippery slope that has had devastating consequences on our society and for our nation. The damage can be seen through the lens of the following three choices.
First is the choice of whether to cohabit sexually before marriage. Second is the choice of whether, once married, to remain married. Third is the more recent choice of whether we can actually “marry” someone of the same gender – a man with a man and a woman with a woman.
In other words, marriage soon became “Optional” through the growing acceptance of cohabitation before marriage. There was no longer a need to get married; it was just free sex with no commitment.
It also became “Disposable” through easy, no-fault divorce. When marriage no longer made one “happy”, one could just take off and let the family pick up the broken pieces.
Finally, these incremental devaluations of natural marriage left it vulnerable to becoming “Redefinable” in 2015 at the hands of LGBT bullies and a compliant Supreme Court in its terribly misguided decision to recognize and to legalize same-sex “marriages”.
A Confluence of Attacks on Our Core Values and Freedoms
Not surprisingly, these three streams of “Choices” have come together in a virtual tsunami that has had devastating effects on our families, on our culture, and on our nation. One wrong choice inevitably led to another, and another, and another.
For example, the growing acceptance of cohabitation outside of marriage has led to many “unplanned and unwanted” pregnancies. That in turn resulted in more than 60 million unborn babies being sacrificed on the altar of abortion since 1973, victims of the misguided “Freedom of Choice” mentality that is used to justify these executions.
Similarly, the demands of LGBT activists who led the charge to redefine marriage and to legalize same-sex unions have had a corresponding effect on our religious liberties where people of faith are persecuted and prosecuted if they are unwilling to support or to participate in same-sex “wedding” ceremonies that violate their deeply held religious beliefs.
Pro-Marriage Responses to False Marriage Arguments
In the face of these intense attacks on Natural Marriage, on the Sanctity of Life, and on our Religious Liberties, we cannot give in and we can never give up.
Rather, we are called on now more than ever to persuasively carry the banner of truth for God’s design for marriage. To do that, we must be prepared to respond to three false arguments by LGBT bullies and their intimidated supporters.
First is the argument that same-sex marriage simply “expands” marriage. That is false because marriage is uniquely designed for procreation. If two people do not possess the male/female characteristics necessary to perform that function, it is not a marriage.
Second is the argument that same-sex “marriage” is all about ending “discrimination” and achieving marriage “equality”. That too is a fallacy. For example, we discriminate by awarding medical degrees only to those who qualify by passing their exams and completing their course work. Similarly, when we say that people of the same gender cannot “marry”, it is about their clear biological “differences”, not their “inequality”.
Third is the argument that by limiting marriage only to members of the opposite sex, we are “telling people whom they can love”. That too is false. Just because two people “love” each other does not qualify them for marriage. For example, a father’s “love” for his daughter – or his dog, for that matter – does not qualify them for marriage. A “marriage” certificate is not a “love” certificate.
Rita’s Elevator Speech: Making the Case for Natural Marriage
To put all of this into perspective, Rita offers what she refers to as her “elevator speech”, in which she summarizes the importance of defending God’s Design for Natural Marriage, as follows.
“Marriage is the most foundational relationship of society, so how we view and define it is incredibly important. The reason for government-regulated marriage is to encourage stable, permanent families in which, whenever possible, children are raised by both of their biological parents. This has proven to be best for children.
“Our culture and public policies have undermined marriage for a long time by sanctioning sex outside of marriage and by facilitating quick, easy divorce. Changing the definition of marriage to enable same-sex couples to ‘marry’ also damages the institution by severing it from its purpose of creating a permanent bond between a mother, a father, and their children.
“While I understand the desire of same-sex couples to have their relationship endorsed by government, the toll this takes on society – which is the beneficiary of children being raised by both of their natural parents – is just too high.
“By destroying the special stature that society once reserved for mothers and fathers committed to raising a family together, we devalue the great benefit this particular arrangement confers upon society, thus making it less likely that mother and father will make the sacrifices required to stick together and serve as a stabilizing influence for their children and for society as a whole.”
How to Order Her Book
If you would like to review this and earlier issues that we’ve been discussing on Crossroads, and also to prepare for our final two programs from Rita’s book, you can order it online at www.ritamdunaway.com or from Amazon at www.amazon.com/Restoring-Americas-Soul-Rita-Dunaway/dp/1643074172.
Crossroads: Where Faith and Culture Meet
To hear more about all of this directly from Rita, please join us this weekend on the following Valley stations: WBTX (1470 AM and 102.1 FM), today (Saturday) at 4:00 p.m. and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., followed by WSVA (550 AM and 92.1 FM) at 8:30, ESPN (1360 AM and 106.9 FM) at 9:00. You can also listen to this and earlier programs by clicking on the Crossroads menu available on our home page at www.valleyfamilyforum.org.
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