Thousands of believers across the state of California were encouraged and empowered to take a stand against same-sex “marriage” Wednesday through an event that was broadcast live to more than 160 churches in California and countless others across the World Wide Web.
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(Photo: Rock Photo / Brother Joe)Hundreds of California Christians are encouraged to take a stand against same-sex “marriage” at "The Fine Line" rally at the Rock Church in San Diego Wednesday, October 1, 2008.
“When He (God) said in Genesis, ‘Man should leave his mother and father and be cleaved to a woman,’ He didn’t say ‘be cleaved to the same sex,’” Miles McPherson, senior pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego, told thousands of youth gathered for “The Fine Line” rally.
“We need to stand up for righteousness. We need to stand up for what the Bible says. We need to be a voice for America,” he cried out. "I believe we can change America if we do that."
On Wednesday, McPherson hosted “The Fine Line” at his San Diego megachurch – the city’s largest Christian congregation and one of the fastest growing in the United States – as part of an effort to equip and empower young people and their parents to engage on the issue of same-sex “marriage,” and mobilize them into action.
With only one month remaining before Californians head for the polls, pro-marriage advocates have been mobilizing believers to cast their vote for Proposition 8, the Protect Marriage Amendment, which would ban homosexual “marriages” in the state.
In front of an energetic crowd of Christian youth, McPherson reminded potential voters of their commitment to love God and to love their brothers and sisters – the greatest commandment – and also what it truly means to love.
“If I want to be blessed, I obey God. If I want you to be blessed, I help you obey God. And if I love you – if I really sincerely love you – I will help you obey God. If I cause you or influence you to disobey God, that is not love; that is hate,” he said, explaining the connection between true love and obedience.
“Love is not just you feel something and you have an emotion. Love is not based on your emotion. It’s not based on your hormones. Love is based on truth,” he exhorted.
“All you who have ever had a relationship, you know that sometimes you don’t feel it (your love in the relationship). You get into an argument; you have a difference,” added McPherson, who once played professional football for the San Diego Chargers.
“You do that (love) by obeying God. You do that by obeying according to His Word and not your emotion, not political correctness, not your feelings,” he said.
In addition to McPherson, rally participants heard from a panel of experts who offered answers to some of the most common and hard-to-answer questions regarding the marriage issue.
When asked how same-sex “marriage” directly affects each person in the state and even in the country, Christian apologist Sean McDowell quickly shared how “this social reengineering of marriage will have profound implications for every single one of our lives.”
To explain, McDowell took the example of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks seven years ago.
Though most Americans may not have known someone who was on board one of the hijacked planes or in a building that was hit, almost the entire country – and even the world – was affected.
“After 9/11, the world was a fundamentally different place, and that has affected me,” said McDowell, whose father is popular speaker Josh McDowell.
“The change in the redefinition of marriage is the same type of thing. It will trickle down and affect our lives,” the panelist added.
When asked why homosexuals shouldn’t be allowed to marry according to their “orientation” while heterosexuals are, panelist Yvette Schneider of Exodus International said allowing them to marry according to their “orientation,” or more accurately sexual preference, would open the floodgates for those who would want incestuous, pedophilic, or bestial relationships to be socially recognized. Continue >>
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jcn, if young people taking a stand against sin is bigotry then I guess God is the biggest bigot of all.
The kids think they are standing for righteousness but what they do not realize is that the word homosexual does not exist in Scripture. What they are standing up for is tradition and the church has grown by breaking with the traditions that have existed.
It is interesting that these young kids know nothing about what it means to be gay or lesbian (and yet many do but won't adnmit it). I can guarantee that in that crowd there are hundereds who are wrestling with this issue and are just afraid of the reaction of their peers and their church. Down the road they will come out and see how misinformed they were.
Why are people afraid of two people of the same sex loving one another? Is that not possible in many peoples eyes or is it that gay men are only about sex? God has called us to love and to love one another. Where in world has this unjustified bigotry come into play in the church and into politics. Oh I get it it's the politics of fear.
I dont have another personality. Sorry.
Wow, now Prophet is talking to his other personality...yup, he's lost it.
Please keep the insults out of the discussion, please.
Prophet, its not a disorder, which you'd also know.
I put you down because the way you present yourself leaves so much material! You then try to crack on me, but its on things that make no sense, such as saying my responses don't make sense, when in fact you are actively trying to not understand them. Its quite pathetic and silly.
And who are you to call it a disorder? Homosexuality could be called a genetic disorder.
Not really. They are both sins.
Porphet, you claim you are a Christian, but you are actively looking for things to put me down on, things that are really quite inconsequential. I also think its funny that you crack on things I have already pointed out are your weaknesses, which again prooves my point that you thrive off the ideas of others.
Incest and homosexuality are 2 very different things which you will not let yourself understand. I have explained it plenty of times, and if you bothered to do any research into incestuous relationships compared to gay relationships, you would see the differences in terms of incestuous relationships being disordered in terms of brain chemistry.
Mike,
You said "I cant stand when a straight person says "well isn't your love enough?"
Well, I can't stand it when a homosexual says that their relationships are about love, but an incest couple relationship isn't.
Mike,
Incorrect again. I said it could happen. You said "Its not illegal to speak out about homosexuality."
I know it's not illegal to speak out against homosexuality. But someday it may. If you notice my post said "Here's another scenario that is quite possible in time."
So, again you show that you do not read what is written...you read what you want to read. That is why I asked you to re read it, but you were content to remain wrong. That's your choice, and it affects only you.
arit, I flagged you for using offensive language. To answer your question, I look at another man and think he is attractive, just as any married straight men does, but I would never want to act on it because I am in love and committed to my partner, and know that what we have as a connection could never be matched by anyone else.
In your previous post you said it will happen. I said it won't, and explained what the circumstances were in Canada (which, by the way, I don't agree with.) Prophet, of course marriage is about a bond for life! Its a shame many couples cannot pull themselves together to do that, but there is the symbolic understanding that when you are married, you make a vow "until death do us part." Yes, marriage provides 2,400 benefits which will protect me, my partner, and our future children in terms of health care, legal rights, inheritance, etc. but actual marriage is a bond that "domestic partnership" just doesn't offer. I cant stand when a straight person says "well isn't your love enough?" as if throwing us a bone to keep us quiet. Isn't love just enough for you? Why do you need to get married? You could have children with your partner outside of marriage. The answers are the same..."Because we know we're the ones for each other, because we want the legal protections."
"If anything, allowing gay marriage will strengthen morals in the country because it is giving more to the bond of love for life instead of having multiple partners for life."
When Satan tempted Eve he said (paraphrased) "Eating of that tree won't kill you, it will make you like God."
I see he still uses the same lie today. And what does marriage have to do with remaining faithful? That's the only way homosexuals can remain with one partner is if they are bound by something other than their own love? Love isn't good enough to keep them together? I know, I know...gays want the same "financial" perks that come with being married. Why don't you say that instead of saying that being married will keep homosexuals from "multiple partners" (which is a false statement). Marriage has no more to do with keeping homosexual couples together than it does with keeping heterosexual couples together. The divorce rate among homosexuals would equal that among heteros.
Mike,
You said "Its not illegal to speak out about homosexuality."
Can you please tell me where I said it was illegal?