Our Senator and Gay Marriage

The American Family Association reports that my United States Senator, Evan Bayh, is poised to vote against the Marriage Protection amendment.

My perspective and response to issues like this one changed quite a bit several years ago after reading Cal Thomas' book Blinded by the Might. Thomas devoted a big part of his early career to working with Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority. His basic thesis is this: after devoting decades and millions of dollars, the religious right has essentially failed to make substantive change via the legislative process. The only real change is made one heart at a time the way the church has been doing for hundreds of years - through evangelism.

I think I agree. We're not going to change hearts through legislation. Having said that, I think it is the right and the duty of each citizen to engage their political leaders. We should contact Senator Bayh. I did so some time ago on this issue, and he wrote me to say, essentially, that he was "studying the issue" and had yet to make up his mind.

For me, then, the response is one of engagement as a citizen, but in a limited way. My real efforts need to be directed at reaching people for Christ. This is hard because political power is a real siren song. I relish being involved in the process and have often thought I would like to one day run for office. What change could I make, though? Eternal change is only made by engaging in eternal pursuits. Where such visceral issues as homosexual marriage are concerned, legislation will never change the minds of those who oppose it, and protest will never change the minds of those who support it. The only thing that will ever change either of those positions is the regeneration that comes from having the mind of Christ.

That is harder than writing our Senator, but then again it is Christ doing the work and not me.