Toleration of Sin

Contrary to what some activists erroneously declare, Jesus taught about the institution of marriage, defining it to the exclusion of what some have re-defined marriage to be. In Mark 10, we find His words:
6 But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'
7 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
8 and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Once, not too long ago, the percentage of Protestant pastors supporting gay marriage was increasing. That number seems to have leveled off, according to a Lifeway Research survey released recently and conducted last year. The survey summary states:

One in 5 U.S. Protestant pastors (21%) say they see nothing wrong with two people of the same gender getting married, according to a Lifeway Research study. Three in 4 (75%) are opposed, including 69% who strongly disagree with same-sex marriage. Another 4% say they aren’t sure.

That is actually a drop from the last survey that Lifeway conducted on the topic, in 2019. The summary relates:

Previous Lifeway Research studies found growing support among pastors. In 2010, 15% of U.S. Protestant pastors had no moral issues with the practice. The percentage in favor grew to 24% in 2019. Today, support is statistically unchanged at 21%.

Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, states: "...the overall number of Protestant pastors who support same-sex marriage is not growing,” adding, “The previous growth was seen most clearly among mainline pastors, and that level did not rise in our latest survey.”

But the difference between "mainline" Protestant pastors and "evangelical" Protestant pastors is striking.  Currently, just short of half of mainline Protestant pastors are supportive of gay marriage - at 46%, which is pretty much stable from 2019, when the number was at 47.

On the evangelical side, never more than 10% has supported gay marriage. Lifeway reports that currently, "7% of self-identified U.S. evangelical Protestant pastors say they see nothing wrong with two people of the same gender getting married." 

And, younger pastors indicate more support for so-called "same-sex marriage," with 27% of Protestant pastors 18 to 44 years of age seeing nothing wrong with the practice. That contrasts with 15% of those over 65. But, McConnell notes: “...the differences we see by age make it noteworthy that the higher numbers of young pastors seeing nothing wrong with same-sex marriage is not yet having much of an impact on overall numbers.”

One must wonder how much the degree of support for this faux "marriage" was affected by pastors not teaching their flock a Biblical view of marriage.  Because pastors are called to be the megaphones of Biblical truth for their churches and for our culture, I think that the data shows that a significant number of pastors joined the chorus of support for gay marriage.  It's not a matter of what two people are doing in the privacy of their homes; sin has its consequences, not only for the individuals involved, but for those around them - consider the cost to taxpayers to fund benefits for this type of arrangements; consider children who may be adopted or produced by a surrogate who are growing up in these homes that are clearly outside the Biblical norm. 

For those who said Jesus did not teach on homosexuality, consider what he had to say about the institution of marriage - one man and one woman in a one-flesh relationship. The Bible clearly expresses God's intention for human relationships. As it's been pointed out, homosexual relations are never put in a positive light; in fact, Romans 1, inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by the hand of Paul, contains a sweeping expose of these unbiblical practices.  We must uphold Scriptural teaching on sexuality, and model God's plan for marriage.