Is it OK for Christians to attend same-sex weddings? Al Mohler answers
Christians shouldn't attend same-sex wedding ceremonies, as attending would be to an inherent show of support, according to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr.
In an episode of Mohler’s “The Briefing” podcast that aired Friday, the Evangelical theologian was asked by a listener about what to do if one is invited to a same-sex wedding ceremony.
Mohler responded by noting that the “whole context of the wedding as a public event is the public exchange of vows and the public declaration of the rightness of this relationship.”
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“Remember that the traditional word used of those who are attending a wedding is that they are celebrants," he added. "They are there to celebrate the wedding. It is virtually impossible to go to … a wedding of a same-sex couple and go and smile and not give affirmation to what you believe to be fundamentally contrary to nature and injurious to human flourishing.”
Mohler went on to say that “if you are consistently biblical in your thinking, you simply can't go to a wedding that actually isn't a wedding, for a marriage that you don't believe is actually a marriage.”
“One of the principles that has guided the Christian church through the centuries is that the Church cannot sanction and Christians should not celebrate weddings that are illicit or unlawful according to Scripture.
“Now that can include some situations in which it would be a man and a woman standing at the altar, but we would believe there are biblical reasons why they should not be joined together, why it would not be a biblical marriage, it is not a rightful wedding. You extend that to the LGBTQ revolution and we have a whole new set of complexities, but in reality, this isn't a new question.”
Mohler tackled other listener-submitted questions in the podcast episode, including, when is a child too young to have a conversation about transgender ideology.
“The one thing we must always do is say what is true,” Mohler replied. “But understanding how much to say and how much to explain at any one moment to any given child, well, that is something that only faithful parents can actually well understand.”
“There's a difference between age 4 and 14. But it is parents more than any experts nor anyone outside the home who will have the best understanding of how and when to have certain discussions with children.”
Tim Wilkins of the conference “More Than Words” penned a column in 2018 that was reposted by The Christian Post in which he tackled the issue of Christians attending same-sex weddings.
“I do not believe a Christian should attend such a wedding for this basic reason ... this is not a ‘get-together’ or a social event,” wrote Wilkins, in an opinion piece that was originally published on Cross Ministry. “God Himself is being called on to oversee this solemn event and those in attendance are ‘witnesses’ of it.
“Having said that, I am not opposed to inviting the couple to a dinner at a local restaurant sometime later where I treat them to a meal. Why? There is no theological conflict here and such a meal would provide an opportunity to enjoy the meal and conversation.”
