Gay Marriage and the Gamaliel Moment

May 16, 2011 by Tim Muldoon

Continued from Page 1

Christians need to witness to a model of sexuality, marriage, family, and community that more fully satisfies the human heart. The root of the gospel about sexuality is represented by Jesus' words about marriage: "what God has joined together, no human being must separate" (Mt. 19:6; Mk. 10:9). Seen through the lens of human history, sexuality is both a destructive force (especially toward women) and a profoundly constructive one. Jesus' words suggest a radically hopeful proposition: to allow sexuality to be the glue through which God re-unites the broken halves of the human family. To enter into the model of marriage proposed by Jesus and those who follow him is to be a prophetic sign, a sign of reconciliation between men and women for the sake of peace.

My thesis is that Christians ought to let go of the legal argument about what states should call "marriage," and simply model the radical call of Jesus to live "what God has joined together."

Our Gamaliel moment toward gay marriage is this: if it is a response to our social sickness about sex, then we must let it be. I believe that we are called not to address the symptoms of our social sickness, but rather the root cause: the lack of love that gives rise to false desires for sex.

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About Tim Muldoon

Tim Muldoon holds a Ph.D. in Catholic systematic theology and is an award-winning author and Catholic theologian of the new evangelization.

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