Stabbed in the ‘Heartland;’ gay marriage legal in Iowa

 

Stabbed in the ‘Heartland;’ gay marriage legal in Iowa

Thanks to the Iowa Supreme Court, the evil of state-sponsored homosexualism has become a reality in “The Heartland of America.” In an insidious ruling April 3, Iowa’s high court unanimously ruled that Iowa’s ban on homosexual “marriage” was unconstitutional, making Missouri’s neighbor to the north only the third state to legalize homosexual “marriage.” This pernicious act of judicial activism makes a mockery of the state’s judiciary and constitutional separation of powers. It ought to serve as the basis for impeachment.

We have come to expect this kind of activist nonsense from kangaroo courts in Massachusetts and California, but this is Iowa for Pete’s sake, a place thought to be the epitome of baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet. Not only does the ruling legalize homosexual “marriage,“ but it also puts Bible-believing Christians in this part of the country “on notice” that their freedom to prophetically stand – much less speak – against the sin of homosexuality will not be tolerated. After all, sexual preference is now a constitutional “right.” This sets the stage for the next step: making it a “hate crime” for anyone to even speak against homosexuality – even from the pulpit. Is it not enough that the statists (to borrow Mark Levin’s term for liberals in his best-selling new book Liberty and Tyranny) are working franticly to cram Godless socialism down our throats without having tyrants legislate such debauchery from the bench?

So much for American “exceptionalism.”

To call this ruling outrageous does not do it – uh – justice. Nile Kinnick is turning over in his grave. These Iowa Supremes have made their state forswear its Norman Rockwell image for a combination of Carmen Miranda and Bozo the Clown.

Behold, Missourians, what knocks at your northern door. To call this ruling evil is accurate. To call it a threat to the traditional family is the truth. To call it judicial tyranny is an understatement. More importantly, God calls what the Iowa Supremes have embraced something else: an abomination.

I realize this column may seem harsh to some. For sure Christians have the responsibility to obey those governmental authorities that God has instituted – unless they force us to go against what God has declared to be wrong. When that happens, we have an obligation – and a constitutional right – to speak out – and in a lawful manner – act when that occurs. The behavior of the Iowa Supremes is no different than the prophets of Baal who confronted Elijah. Both have mocked God.

The Iowa judges have also usurped the role of the legislature by creating new – rather than interpreting existing – law. They have put themselves above the people of Iowa, arrogantly declaring they know what is best. The fact is they do not know what is best (a recent poll shows Iowans favor a ban on homosexual “marriage” by nearly a 2-1 margin).

Swift rebukes of the ruling were aplenty by Christian leaders. Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, warned, “The evil genius of the pro-sodomy movement is that it targets noble institutions like marriage and adoption in the name of ‘rights,’ and then perverts them to normalize aberrant behaviors. Our Creator is pure, perfect and holy, and homosexual behavior is diametrically opposed to His will for people’s lives and His purpose for sex within the healthy boundaries of marriage, for the procreation of children. This same God graciously provides a way out of this sinful lifestyle through His Son Jesus Christ, a path many former homosexuals have taken – including those now living in real (man-woman) marriages.”

Douglas Napier, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said the justices stepped out of their proper role of interpreting law and called for citizens to take action. “The people of Iowa need to vote on a marriage amendment and put it in place and let the Supreme Court know that they can’t speak for them,” he said.

Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University’s Law School, offered this: “These activist judges are no more than proselytizing engines of social change. That’s not the role of a judge. They are to be umpires merely calling the balls or strikes. They don’t rewrite the definition of marriage. The judges in this case crossed the line. This is an example of the kind of judge that should never be on the bench.”

Randy Thomasson, a veteran man-woman marriage advocate in California, offered some sound advice: “Iowans should write a rock-solid marriage amendment, one that is much stronger than amendments in California, Oregon and Washington, which still allowed counterfeit marriages and immoral policies forcing insurance plans and private businesses to subsidize pseudo-marriages. Iowans should also take care to prevent the civil institution of marriage from being someday abolished, and must biologically define a man and a woman to ensure that the distinct, God-given genders of a husband and wife cannot be perverted. Now is the time for courage and foresight, not cowardice or ignorance.”

I agree with all of the preceding observations. When an activist court can so pervert the laws of our land and say that changeable sexual behavior is a “civil right,” the consequences are sure to be disastrous. What is most terrifying is the matter is now on God’s docket.

LaBarbera’s words are particularly important for Christians. While expressing our disagreement with such legal actions, our outrage should be directed only toward the ruling. We must continue to let homosexuals know there is a way out of their sinful lifestyle. Jesus loves them – so we must love them, too. His blood shed on the Cross dissolves the chains of enslaving sin and sets free all those who believe in Him.

This is no time for timidity in the pulpit or in our Sunday School classes. Political correctness has no place in the church. These difficult days call for bold, prophetic voices to speak with clarity based on God’s Word. The citizens of God’s Kingdom must bring a Biblical worldview to bear on public policy, lest we leave such vital work to pagans and reap results like those sown by the Iowa Supremes.