News-Record.com

I think that this is the right way to handle the situation. I expect that even when there are couples who will experience some refusals for this service, there should be some clergy around who won't mind.

I expect that a few interracial couples still run into the same problem even today...

The true "hate crime" would be for a man of God to perform a so-called gay marriage or civil union. One must hate God and His revealed Word to perform such a heinous and perverse thing. As men of God declared two millennia ago: "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." And the psalmist: "Ye that love the LORD, hate evil!"

This whole affair is a perfect example of where we are headed as a nation: rule by the anti-biblical Inquisition. I wouldn't have been suprised at all to hear that the judge ruled that ALL authorities who can perform marriages MUST perform the legalized unions. I can only guess that they knew that the public outcry would have been so great that it would have foiled their stealth tactics. But unless this whole course is altered we are headed for national judgment and destruction. But we have a generation of God-hating judges and law makers, intent on forcing perversion down our throats. God help us!!

"I wouldn't have been suprised at all to hear that the judge ruled that ALL authorities who can perform marriages MUST perform the legalized unions."

As they say, expect the worst and all your surprises will be pleasant, eh? So I suppose you're not capable of being happy that at least this level of religious liberty was supported by the courts?

Happy? How can anyone who loves God's Word and sees the prospect for a nation that even considers "marraige" or "unions" between two men or two women, happy? Relieved temporarily, maybe; but that's all. Acceptance and even advocacy of perversion is one of the last signs of an apostate nation and church. The rotten moral climate and practice so prevalent in our country is already having terrible consequences: SDT's, AIDS, divorce, abortions, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, school yard massacres, failing schools, et al. Happy?! I suppose you're happy we're mvoing in this direction? Or perhaps the handwriting on the wall is written in invisible ink for humanists.

"Happy? How can anyone who loves God's Word and sees the prospect for a nation that even considers "marraige" or "unions" between two men or two women, be happy?"

Well, if you prefer to dwell on things that will make you angry, that's obviously your call. I'm just saying that it ought to be pleasing to see that the government of New Jersey at least respects those who have religion-based objections to the extent that they won't try to force that issue on them.

If not... well I hope your anger makes you happy somehow. :)

"Relieved temporarily, maybe; but that's all."

O.K., I'm not happy. I'm saddened and appalled. As I said, there can be only temporary relief that they didn't go as far as they could've; but happiness - no. I was attempting to put my displeasure in the larger context of a social environment that is spawning a variety of judicial and legislative initiatives intent on enshrining Gay culture in the new humanist legal Pantheon. Yes, I’m angry; but not in a merely visceral way. One who honors God’s Word and has the Holy Spirit living within partakes, even as the prophets did, of God's righteous and holy anger at sin; even one's own, seeing it as the destructive, anti-life thing it actually is.

Any idea that I should be happy or grateful because some passing human institution transgressed God's Law/Word and “allowed” religious people a brief reprieve is sheer nonsense. Humanistic government and law is mere shifting sand; we must build our social edifice on the Rock, or the storms of judgment will wash away our rebellious house. (Matt. 7)

Government and judicial rulings are only viable to the extent that they reflect God’s Law/Word. Otherwise, Christians must throw in their lot with the Apostles in declaring that their first loyalty is to God.

I’m not in the least saying that Christians should forcibly or violently change the government or Constitution now in place, but that we should work legally and ethically to change the law or policy we oppose, as all citizens may.

Revolution is a counter-productive, humanistic effort to force change from the top down. Iraq is a good example of the futility of trying to “build” a nation from the top down. Whoever heard of erecting a house by putting up the roof first? Godly transformation must be a grass roots phenomenon, achieved by preaching the Gospel, establishing biblical churches and teaching the Word of God - and voting in free elections.

"Government and judicial rulings are only viable to the extent that they reflect God’s Law/Word. Otherwise,".............

nikos i completely agree...dare i add :

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

it appears that God ordains governments, vs.4 goes as far as to say that governments officals are ministers of God, for our good. this stuff ought to give us food for thought.

Buz, I’m not exactly sure what you are saying by “give us food for thought.” But I’ll give it a try. I agree with you and Romans 13. This is a general principle of divine establishment: that government, as such, is ordained of God for the purposes outlined in the passage, but is not a requirement for Christians to support, i.e. approve, of particular expressions of government. It should take a very bad situation of murderous oppression for Christians to take part in an effort to overthrow a government.

It is most often the case that the forcible overthrow of a government proves more problematic than the version that existed before. There are exceptions, perhaps, but it is not in God’s will to take part in the violent overthrow of an established governmental authority. Not only is the cure, by and large, worse than the illness, but it sets a precedent for further revolutions down the road. Government is such a sensitive, organic thing that violent revolution is like cracking an egg (Humpty Dumpty, I guess); it is virtually (i.e. almost) impossible to put it back together again. Of if the attempt is made, it ends up looking like a Frankenstein egg (Cuba, Soviet Union, North Korea, etc.) The American “revolution” was not a violent revolution within a sovereign state, but a well organized state (albeit a colonial “possession”) separating from another sovereign state.

As Christians, it is our duty, under the principles of establishment laid down in the Scriptures (Romans 13, et al.) to try to bring our particular national or state government as closely in line with the Kingdom of God as possible – by legitimate, Constitutional means. True biblical change in this area requires, time, faith and patience. In the meantime we engage in spiritual warfare with all our might. Christus Victor!!

Nikos, for an "allegedly" heterosexual man, you sure do spend a lot of time worrying about, caring about and writing about gays and lesbians.
Sometimes we think thou doth protest a bit too much...

Alice

You know he's getting real excited when he start spouting Latin. {;-)