John Uschold

Date published: 9/4/2006

Constance Fletcher Smith's letter ["Can you explain whom marriage amendment helps?" Aug. 17] ] laments that the proposed marriage amendment does not help gay couples.

It's not intended to recognize gay couples as being married, since the gay zeitgeist of expressive individualism relating to marriage ignores matrimonial laws reflecting biblical and natural-law understandings uniting the spouses as a single procreative unit, an opposite-sex institution.

This is not a civil rights issue, i.e., discriminating against people because of what they are. The issue involved in homosexuality is one of licentious behavior. It is not about who people are but about what they do. Nor does it have anything to do with intolerance.

Homosexuality is a relational dysfunction condemned by Scripture as contrary to God's revealed intent for man's sexuality. Whether homosexuality is the result of developmental causes or other characteristics, it is not the result of an act of creation by God.

Homosexual behavior and other sinful acts (e.g., adultery) are not God's fault. The orientation God gives us is "self will."

However, maybe we as Christians have shown a greater zeal for defeating the political goals of gays while showing less concern for their eternal well-being.

Perhaps their homosexuality should not be our main concern, but rather the state of their souls.

Jesus did not say, "go and make heterosexuals," but "go and make disciples." And probably no one has ever been argued out of homosexuality or into the kingdom of God. Christians are admonished to "hate the sin but love the sinner" and to remember God is the judge.

We as sinners are not loved into salvation without repentance. By the spirit of God, Christians have a wealth of comfort and strength--not ours, but the strength of the lord who said to the penitent woman, "neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more."

John Uschold

Spotsylvania

Date published: 9/4/2006