Why NOT Same-Sex Marriage, Part 1

This is family policy matter program is produced by the North Carolina family policy Council of profamily research and education organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving the family, and often the studio hears John Rushton, president of the North Carolina family policy Council, thank you for joining us this week. Profamily policy matters. We are pleased to have Dr. Daniel Leinbach with us on the program.

Dr. Maibach is senior professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Baptist theological seminary, has a BS from United States Naval Academy and MA in M.Div. and Trinity Evangelical Divinity school, a Masters in philosophy and a PhD in law, politics, and Christian ethics from Drew University graduate school and he has earned certificates for further study from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy school of government and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute of Government Dr. Steinbock has served as an expert witness before the United States Congress and served two years on the White House staff under Pres. George H.

W.

Bush, Dr. Hahn is written or contributed to over 14 books and has written more than 60 articles and book reviews and he is with us today to discuss his latest book, why not same-sex marriage.

A manual for defending marriage against radical deconstruction in the book he responds to 101 arguments that are being made in favor of same-sex marriage, and while we probably won't have time to discuss all 101 of these arguments. We are extremely excited to talk with Dr. hi Bob today about this very important book in the insights it provides Dr. Maibach walking the family policy matters.

It's great to have you with us regularly. Much of the proposed well as we get started. Dr. Bartel is generally about the book why not same-sex marriage inspired you to write it and what led you to specifically address many of the most popular arguments being made in favor of same-sex marriage in our culture today. It's obviously one of the most pressing issues of our culture today and is is affecting a lot of people in getting a lot of press so nothing else we need to address that and certainly because it is addressing marriage and that such a fundamental social institution and as Christians we know that the marriage is an institution that is only essential to social order, but is very important to the creator as well. I've been working on this book for quite a long time and it results from over 10 years of researching arguments that are being used by advocates to change the way the public thinks on same-sex marriage and and then not thinking very carefully about what is wrong by the various arguments that they making and refuting them in the hopefully in the most effective way and and and a focused shortwave because usually we don't have time to spend a long analysis in responding to truth claims that are affecting the way people think, particularly I've written this book to to be a resource for people like pastors making public statements to the secular media now to help parents who are needed, answer questions raised by their children who are home from college to help youth ministers train young people how to engage the culture in the moral witness in and help young evangelicals needing to separate their empathy for cultural change in cultural relevance from fidelity to enduring truth is fixed by God's God's ordering of reality. I hope some non-Christians will read it as well, but it will certainly equip Christians to engage nonbelievers out in the general marketplace of ideas that is great and that is something that is so important in our culture today. We talked to Christians all the time who feel challenged to present God's truth in a loving and compassionate way. But in a truthful and endearing way to family, friends, even to individuals who may be struggling with a same-sex attraction to help them understand why this issue is so critically important to our culture and for us as Christians to really be salt and light in the culture and to stand up for what we know to be the truth of our God, not Dr. how about you have described your book is both unique and strategic explain. If you would what what you mean by that.

Well, it's unique because no one else has produced a manual to resource for defending marriage against the contemporary soaping made against it.

The people have written books defending marriage on our side but this is not a chapter book is not something you sit down and read from cover to cover. Nor is it something you would even use as a textbook so much in a class.

Rather, it is a resource manual that is designed to resource folks or having to respond to charges send truth claims are being made, you know, maybe in an article, maybe in a newspaper or maybe on a show, maybe in an interview, so I have designed it that way.

That is, so it is organized to respond to different arguments and there are indexes that you can look up different truth claims are being made and then look that up and look to see what can be said, in essence, think clear way why that's not right and why keeping marriage as currently defined in frame is really best for the common good is really strategic as well as any because the battle I think our marriage in our culture is being won or lost, depending on which side can most effectively influence people who haven't made up their minds, or at least not made up their minds strongly enough to to really be committed.

That is there still listening to both sides of the argument in the public square and this needs to be done in the in secular terms because that's where the debate is going on and is about public policy is about the civil law of civil marriage the strategic problem is that our side in the culture has on this particular issue not really been engaging at the other side is been flooding the public arena with false ideas and almost no one on our side is responding to them. For the most part are such been talking to ourselves. That is to people the Lord same-sex marriage is not right should not be allowed… We have been ignoring people who are out in the marketplace who are listening to both sides. In the second marketplace people writing editorials reading editorials read by general reader, secular entertainment, major news channels and do political speeches and so forth and and they have only been hearing one side because our side is not not responding to those claims out where it's been debated so this book I've written to go after the undecided minds are out for the real battles being won or lost. You have stated that the book is is not only written for an evangelical audience per se, but also for those sitting on the fence. Now let's talk a little bit about the book and get into some the questions unfortunately as I mentioned earlier, we probably won't have time to discuss all 101. I wish we did. But I would like to focus on about five of those in the first go something like this. Same-sex marriage should be allowed because marriage is about love and homosexuals love each other as much as heterosexuals, so why should they not be allowed to get married.

How should Christians respond to this equal law of org responded that argument by using the book and also in a way that would help listeners understand the usefulness of the book and how to use it when you hear that argument. Whether it's a conversation with a neighbor across the fence or whether it's you know in a classroom.

The teacher secular university or on the job and saw you talking to non-Christian friend or colleague and they're raising this question and you need to respond. You can personal lookup in the index false claims that are arguing in favor of redefining marriage to normalize same-sex relationships and it's also indexed in the reverse that is truth claims on our side better opposed to that. So in this case that actually is the in the book is number eight.

The idea that marriage is about love and homosexuals love each other as much as heterosexuals so it's only fair to allow them to get married, at least in terms of civil law. I would respond to that by saying that the proponents of that argument, making a specific argument are confusing, valued, though not absolutely essential motive that for mate selection with what qualifies. Marriage is a social institution.

Marriage certainly is more enjoyable for the participants when it's corporate child I feel about one another and how they desire to treat one another, but a marriage still is a real letter that still continues to exist in public terms when participants do not like each other and even when they are to each other rather badly that his love makes the participants in a marriage feel it is worthwhile, but the love I feel for each other is not what warns the public interest in affirming the marriage of the public interest law of affirming marriage is not from the way people feel but has to do with how marriage was individuals toward bridging the male-female divide in favor of procreation, college disciplines, the participants appetites in order to have and raise children and so out of that really if you want to get to the heart of what's wrong with that. I would say that Centrix marriage is wrong because a computer sentiment with what structures marriage as a socialist.

Another popular argument is that same-sex marriage should be allowed because it is better for the children of homosexual couples, or a homosexual to have parents who are married rather than not married. Why is this argument so incorrect. Although it may tug at the heartstrings. I think that you argument a book that it is not a legitimate argument right also one of the arguments that I do it in the book and if you go to square that is dealt with. You can see what I say there that the argument uses misguided pity to get people to accept something that is actually bad for children everywhere. That is pretty for all. Well, no children, no guilt compared to have the gotten married or are have in a homosexual relationship, have nevertheless appropriated children, but maybe a previous spouse and and when the be better for that child to have two parents. Even after both male or female. The fact is that that concern actually would lead to doing something changing the definition of marriage in terms of public law in a way that spent actually is is bad not just for that child. Look for for every child proposes removing the social support that we have a marriage long out of Faber's family structure that is actually best suited for children that is really a combination of of a man and a woman procreating in and raising their own biological children to to remove social support for that structure in order to give a very small number of homosexuals a way of actually using a lot of force others to condone their lifestyle. The number of children actually live full time with apparent was claiming to be homosexuals are less than 1% is about the 2/10 of 1% of the total number of households in the United States, and however those making this argument would have the public abandoned the significant child benefiting reasons and started executing marriage law as it is all for the sake of something that is not likely to help children that they are calling others to pity. So at the heart of it, I would say that this argument is wrong because it assumes that having both a mother and father is irrelevant.

Children which end up actually being a bad for children and I think one of the primary reasons for that is that the same-sex marriage household just by its very nature denies that child the child's natural mother or father. And clearly that is not the ideal situation for the productive art raising of that child in relation to that that you know there folks might not dispute that they was better for child have about two parents and to have one parent and that the gender relationship with a gender identity of those prepared doesn't is irrelevant to the welfare of the child, but there are significant studies that prove otherwise and idea. I include the references to those for those who are interested in backing up… Unfortunately, nearly out of time for this week working on listeners go to get a copy of your excellent new book, why not same-sex marriage get it best I get is to go to Amazon or the Barnes & Noble website where you can order it or you can go to local bookstore folks or in the Carolina in the Raleigh area were relocated.

They could come to the bookstore at Southeastern Baptist theological seminary and their available-for-sale there. Or you could go to any local bookstore and the book through them. Excellent, excellent, thank you so much for your time today improving with something the policy not much on six family policy matters is information and analysis feature of the North Carolina family policy Council discussion on policy issues affecting the family. If you have questions or comments. 919708 visit our website