Shire Syndrome

In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings he describes a beautiful homey place that is green and safe for small people known as hobbits. The shire is simple. The shire is far away from the cares of a bigger, busier world.

I think one of the problems in the church today is that many have what I call "Shire Syndrome." Shire Syndrome comes from a particular scene in Peter Jackson's movie of Tolkien's classic where there are hobbits gathered at the local pub in the shire discussing world events over some ale. And one of the older wiser hobbits speaks up about all the "strange goings on" and says that it isn't any concern of a hobbits about what goes on in middle earth. Hobbits need to simply care about what happens in the shire.

That is Shire Syndrome. People in the church quit really caring about the subtle inroads that the homosexual community had been making in the political sphere and in the cultural sphere. They hadn't made any inroads in the church, that's all that matters.

Well, now they are in the shire. We cannot stay silent and dumb any longer. The homosexual agenda is not satisfied with mere acceptance and tolerance any longer, the end goal is silence and a complete dismantling of the Christian religion. And if the church doesn't wake up, get up and speak up we are going to be replaced by God with those who will.

Who would have ever thought that marriage could have a new definition in the culture? No one really. But it does now. The culture views marriage as a simple civil act affording anyone who wants it legal rights and privileges. But marriage is not a simple civil act. Marriage is a SACRED act.

Marriage is one man and one woman making a covenantal commitment that lasts a lifetime before a Holy God ( Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6 ). There is NO OTHER definition. Not one. And culture, courts and popular opinion do not get the privilege to rewrite, redefine or revise it.

Same-Sex Marriage in Iowa

Let me begin by saying this, I believe wholeheartedly that under no circumstance should any Christian attack the character of a person who claims to be homosexual. People who make trite, offensive comments like, "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" only work to close down the dialogue that needs to take place on this issue.

What we see from Scripture is that Jesus showed grace and truth in all He did ( John 1:14 ). We need to follow Jesus' example. We are to demonstrate grace to a person who claims to be homosexual, but we should also have the courage to speak the truth in love about homosexuality.

Solomon said that a "friend loves at all times" ( Proverbs 17:17 ). He also said that "wounds from a friend can be trusted" ( Proverbs 27:6 ). This is the kind of friend that a Christian needs to be to the person who says he or she is a homosexual.

Currently there are four states that have sought to legalize same-sex marriage. Iowa was the third state in that list. No matter what rogue Justices decide on a bench as they revise and reinterpret state constitutions, Marriage has always had one uniform definition. It is a religiously and civil sanctioned union between a man and a woman.

Biblically, marriage is a divinely ordered institution designed to form a permanent union between one man and one woman for the purpose not only of bringing blessing to each other but also of procreating or propagating the human race ( Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5 ). Obviously the Biblical definition is not only impossible, but ultimately wrong in a same-sex marriage.

Jesus Himself only understood marriage in a heterosexual way ( Matthew 19:4-5 ).

Traditional marriage has a stabilizing effect on society and provides an optimal and healthy environment for raising children. Same-sex marriages, by contrast, have a destabilizing effect on society and do not provide an optimal and healthy environment for raising children. Research has proven that in countries that grant marriage rights to same-sex couples, traditional marriages decline, out-of-wedlock births increase, and the family unit suffers injury.

What happened on Friday, April 4th here in Iowa with the ruling by our State Supreme Court has sent our state into an out-of-control tailspin. The majority of citizens of this state have been left without a voice and without representation in their legislature.

This is NOT a political issue. This is an issue of right and wrong. Either marriage is what the Bible says it is or our Courts are right. I choose to believe the Bible over the pirates who have taken hostage our State's constitution to rewrite and revise it in order to fit in with our current slouching toward Gomorrah.

What this decision means, if left unchallenged, is that someone like me (a Pastor) may in the future face criminal prosecution for not being willing to perform a same-sex marriage. This issue is very important.

Again, every homosexual person deserves our respect and no one should ever be demeaned or devalued. We should always treat others with the love and respect that Jesus showed us. But we can very strongly disagree. (It is okay to disagree...you just don't have to be disagreeable!)

Homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle. And it is wrong. Not because I say so or because I hate any people group but simply because the Bible is true.

In this time of increasing darkness we need to know what God's Word says and be willing to stand up for what is right. The issue of marriage is an issue that I personally would be willing to be jailed over in order to fight for the truth. I will never let a judge or a legislator dictate to me what God's Word has clearly spoken on.

Pray for our State and our battle for marriage! One positive result from the Supreme Court ruling is that they have awakened a sleeping giant! There are many who are standing now to defend marriage. The Bible says that marriage should be honored by all ( Hebrews 13:4 ).

Marriage should be honored...

With the cultural climate against any traditional view of marriage, it seems prudent for all of us to understand the renewed significance and importance of the Scripture's view of marriage. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:4 that "marriage should be honored by all."

But from the very beginning of the Scriptures it is undeniably clear that marriage is between a male and a female (Genesis 2:24). I personally don't believe that there is any coincidence in the intent of the language early on in Genesis that you see over and over again phrases such as husband and "wife", and "male and female." In fact, by Genesis 7:16, the phrase "male and female" is used 12 times.

It's almost as if God is trying to imprint the idea that there is a design motif and we shouldn't try to mess that up. But we did. In fact you see in Genesis 6 that mankind's wickedness had become very, very great (Genesis 6:5). There are three hallmarks of this wickedness...1)every thought that man had was only evil all the time, 2)mankind was corrupt [Genesis 6:12] and 3) mankind was violent [Genesis 6:11].

The word translated "corrupt" has a notion of sexual deviancy attached to it. Sexual deviancy and violence. Hmmmm....sound like any culture you know? We have walked so far in a circle that we have devolved ourselves right back to the days of Noah...the very days which made God sad he had ever made man in the first place.

No matter what laws are passed in any statehouse, or declared from any rogue group of justices on any supreme court, the Word of God is true and unchanging. Marriage cannot be allowed to be redefined by any "corrupt" or "violent" group whose thoughts are only evil all the time!

I would challenge you, as we are coming into the month where we celebrate LOVE, to reaffirm your commitment to honor marriage as being between one man and one woman for life! Nothing else but that is what should be.