Just a brief point I wanted to make on this latest bit of news.  I did not see the contest live, but have read of the controversy all across the internet.  Miss California, Carrie Prejean, had made it into the top-3 finalists for the Miss USA pageant on Sunday.  When it came to the interview question, Miss Prejean was asked, by openly gay gossip blogger Perez Hilton, whether she felt the other states should follow Vermont’s latest decision to legalize same-sex marriage.  Miss Prejean followed with this answer, “Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other.  We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.  And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.  No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman.  Thank you very much.”

Wow, what a setup question.  There was no answer that she could’ve given other than to support gay marriage if she had hoped to win.  But thankfully she had the courage to stand up for her beliefs regardless of the outcome.  The guy that asked the question, Perez Hilton, later slammed her on his blog for her answer, even calling her a “stupid b—–”.  Classy. 

Here’s what I find amazing and what’s hidden beneath this controversy; this young lady has been vilified for her beliefs.  She had not only a judge from the contest call her out, but the pageant organizer, Keith Lewis, released a statement saying that he was “saddened” and “hurt” over her answer and former Miss USA and pageant co-director, Shanna Moakler, expressed similar sentiments.  Multiple morning shows and news outlets have had interviews with both sides yesterday and today, but I’ve yet to see anyone support her for standing up for what she believes and Miss Prejean deserves that.

I hope you understand what’s going on here with this issue.  The homosexual agenda is being used as a divisive, polarizing topic that would seek to separate people from their moral beliefs.  If you stand up for your beliefs you’re called insensitive or sectarian.  This issue is transcending politics as we’ve seen recently with the outpouring of support by Meghan McCain and a top McCain advisor for gay marriage.  As I’ve pointed out on previous posts, the issue is dividing particular church denominations almost daily. 

If we compromise on 1 truth of the Bible, we’ve compromised the whole thing and that’s what’s happening now.  Christians need to reemphasize the importance of marriage being a lifelong commitment to one person (man and woman), not a commitment easily broken by a divorce attorney.  When we devalued the importance of commitment, we opened ourselves up to attacks like this one that we’re not soon to overcome.  Once the devil has a foothold, only God can remove him.

Don’t be fooled into thinking the Bible doesn’t speak out strongly against this, take Genesis 19 for example, when two angels visited Lot in Sodom (why do you think it was called this?) “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom-both young and old-surrounded the house. ⁵ They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”  ⁶ Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him ⁷ and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.” Genesis 19:4-7

II Peter 2 recounts this story, “if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men ⁸(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) II Peter 2:6-8 

This is enforced yet again in Jude 1:7 ⁷In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

The matter is simple really, it’s not an issue of hate or anger, it’s a matter of compassion towards those that chose this lifestyle.  Compassion because they cannot recognize the lifestyle that they’ve chosen is in contradiction with the Word of God.  As Christians, our role is to love everyone regardless of what sin they might be facing and to encourage those who may be lost in a particular lifestyle to seek the truth and light that they might ultimately receive Jesus as their Savior and that in this role, we must never compromise our beliefs.

Leviticus 18:22 Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

Matthew 19:4-6 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’⁵and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Mark 10:6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’

Romans 1:26-27 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

I Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

I Timothy 1:9-10 KJV knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰ for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine