Stand for the Family or Anti-Gay Rally?

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This evening Two Rivers Baptist Church here in Nashville, TN will hold a "Stand for the Family Rally" featuring Dr. James Dobson. This rally is to persuade Tennesseans to vote in favor of the proposed amendment #1 to our constitution that reads:

"The historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of one man and one woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state. Any policy or law or judicial interpretation, purporting to define marriage as anything other than the historical institution and legal contract between one man and one woman, is contrary to the public policy of this state and shall be void and unenforceable in Tennessee.

If another state or foreign jurisdiction issues a license for persons to marry and if such marriage is prohibited in this state by the provisions of this section, then the marriage shall be void and unenforceable in this state."

Egalia at Tennessee Guerilla Women, among many others, is calling this event an "anti-gay rally" and a "hate rally". Others have organized a peaceful protest of the event. On the protest event site, there is a phrase that states, "This is meant to be a loving event. There will be no anger represented here. We will mostly remain silent unless spoken to. We want to send a positive message, not propagate the negative ones surrounding us already." I really respect such a stance and it stands in stark contrast to the statement on Two Rivers' web site that reads, "Get equipped to fight for the critical issues that will protect the family!"

Having grown up in a conservative southern baptist church, I've been programmed to automatically take a stand against gay marriages. However, I've begun to realize over the past year or so that there is no Love shown through such...well...bigotry. I say that, lumping myself into that category for the majority of my life, and not to point fingers at others in condemnation.

I don't understand why churches stereotypically (and yes, this is a hasty generalization) pick one or two issues to deem "extra dirty" and proceed to relentlessly protest and stand against those things. I mean to say that I think more damage is done to each other, our country, society, and the world by lying then by gay marriage (and I'm not even sure that gay marriage even has a negative impact on society at all, by the way), but I don't see anyone banning together to take a stand against that. Why? Because everyone lies. There would be no choice but to point the finger at ourselves if we were to take a stand against such a thing as common as lying, and that, my friends, is too personal. No, we as a culture would rather use the ten foot plank in our own eye as a tool to beat the festering splinter deeper into someone else's, rather than helping each other, in love, come to a better grasp on the Love of Christ within us.

So for me, I choose to Love--regardless of differences. Yes, I fail to act in such Love on a daily basis, but its my choice to strive for those short comings to become less and less frequent. The only thing that will change people, and hence, the world, is for the Love of Christ to live through us...and for the record, protest, fighting, hate, and the like, are not conducive to that reality.

Tags: two rivers baptist church, james dobson, family, gay marriage, love, hate