Opposing Same-Sex Marriage Is Just Like Opposing Interracial Marriage

You’re in a conversation about marriage and someone says, “Opposing same-sex marriage is just like opposing interracial marriage. Christians used to oppose that as well.” What Would you Say? The church’s history on interracial marriage is imperfect. Some who claim to be Christians have done things that are simply evil. Others opposed those evils, helped eliminated the slave trade, and led the march toward racial equality. Does the fact that some Christians have changed their position on interracial marriage mean that we should expect the church to change it’s position on same-sex marriage as well? No. And here are 3 reasons why. 1. The Bible determines the Christian position on everything. If you want to know the speed limit, look for a speed limit sign. Don’t just match the speed of the next driver to come by. Why? Because some people break the law. In the same way, if you want to know what God thinks, look in the Bible. Don’t just watch people who claim to be Christian. While the goal for every Christian should be to model Christian behavior, in a world with billions of people claiming to be Christians at various levels of commitment and maturity, it isn’t the best way to know for sure what God says. When we look to the Bible, the difference between interracial marriage and same-sex marriage becomes clear. 2. People opposed interracial marriage despite what the Bible says. The simple fact is, the Bible says nothing forbidding interracial marriage. Moses, one of the Bible’s great heroes, was in an interracial marriage and his sister Mariam was punished by God for her apparent racism. Rather than condemning interracial marriage, scripture is full of reminders that race does not make one person better than another person. People calling themselves Christians have opposed interracial marriage despite what the Bible says, not because of it. Therefore, when they changed their opposition to interracial marriage, they become more aligned with scripture. But that isn’t always the case, which leads to the third point. 3. People oppose same-sex marriage because of what the Bible says. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is clear that God intended marriage to be a relationship between a man and a woman. Yes, the Bible records many bad examples of behavior within marriage, but there are no examples of same-sex marriage. However, the Bible is clear and consistent that same-sex marriages are outside of his design. Therefore, opposition to same-sex marriage is completely consistent with the biblical understanding of marriage. The difference is clear. Study the Scripture and you’ll discover that God condemns racism in all forms. There’s no Biblical case to be found to oppose interracial marriage. Study the scripture and you’ll also find there is no Biblical case to be found to support same-sex marriage. Therefore, if someone drops opposition to interracial marriage, they become more aligned with scripture. However, if someone drops opposition to same-sex marriage, they become misaligned with scripture. For Christians, the goal is not to be conservative or progressive, left or right, popular or unpopular. Those labels change, depending on the time and the place in which we live. We shouldn’t change for the sake of change, or refuse to the change for the sake of tradition. Our goal is always to be Biblical. We change when scripture demands it and we refuse to change when scripture won’t permit it. And on these issues, the Bible is clear. So next time someone tells you that the church is certain to change its position on same-sex marriage because they changed their position on interracial marriage, remember these three things. First, the Bible, not people’s behavior, determines what the Christian church believes. Second, people opposed interracial marriage despite what the Bible says. Third, people oppose same-sex marriage because of what the Bible says. For “What would you say?” I’m Brooke Boriack.