Let Marriage be Honored Among All
Bishop Eric Menees
In the first century, the Church catholic was under attack
from every side: the Roman pagan government viewed Christians as a
non-conforming oddity; Jews viewed Christians as sacrilegious pretenders; and
within the church there were struggles between orthodox believers and
proponents of Gnostic religions who were trying to insert themselves into the
church.
In the midst of that struggle, God brought forth brave men
and women to lead the church and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. The
author of the Epistle to the Hebrews was inspired by the Holy Spirit to
instruct and encourage the Church to be strong, faithful, courageous, and
loving.
In this morning's Bishop's Note we continue our examination
of Hebrew's Chapter 13:1-9, and take up the issue of marriage. Hebrew's states:
"1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those
who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated,
since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and
let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and
adulterous."
While written in the first century, this exhortation for the
church to honor marriage and to maintain biblical sexual morality is absolutely
vital to the life of the church and our society. We live in an environment that
is increasingly like that of the first century. Marriage is challenged in the
courtroom and in the classroom. The political and social emphasis is on
acceptance and affirmation, rather than on honoring marriage and biblical
morality. The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Diocese of San
Joaquin oppose these innovations, and even though the courts legalize same sex
marriage, I will not permit a priest in this diocese to preside at such a
service.
However, that being said, the greatest threat we have to
marriage is not from homosexuals challenging the laws of the land -- it is from
the Church’s own failure to maintain the sexual morality that we've been called
to practice. Recent studies sadly point out that American Christians have
nearly the same divorce rate as do non-Christians. (March 2008, Barna Research
Group) The number of people having extra marital affairs is nearly the same for
Christians and Non-Christians, and the same holds true for the number of men
who regularly look at internet pornography. George Barna, who conducted the
divorce study, said: "There no longer seems to be much of a stigma
attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage."
Interviews with young adults suggest that they want their initial marriage to
last, but are not particularly optimistic about that possibility. There is also
evidence that many young people are moving toward embracing the idea of serial
marriage, in which a person gets married two or three times, seeking a
different partner for each phase of their adult life."
While not taught in the church, this statement reflects a
growing attitude among Christians in the church. If we want to honor marriage
and practice biblical sexual morality, we need to get serious about biblical
teaching in the church. We need to empower parents to teach their children, in
word and example, the importance of marriage as a gift from God, meant to be
lived out in a life long relationship between one man and one woman. Christians
are to remain celibate prior to marriage, and chaste within marriage.
We will see a mighty strengthening of the church when we
begin to practice what we preach!
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