Polygamy is the next logical domino to fall in the battle of a culture insistent on removing sexual taboos. Those who framed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which the SCOTUS struck down, must have understood this and sought to protect against it by defining marriage as one man and one woman in a lifelong, committed relationship. Logically, if homosexual unions enjoy the protection of the law because they are formed by consenting adults, then three or more consenting adults of the same or different genders should enjoy those same protections. People will argue that nothing in reason or nature calls for the restriction of marriage to two people. Others well certainly point out that there are examples of polygamy in the Bible. The limitation of marriage to two people will be attributed to religious idealism or bigotry. Like it or not, legal and sanctioned polygamy in America is inevitable.
While the thought of polygamy may be tolerable to a large degree, and even desirable among a number of Americans, the idea that pedophilia will one day be embraced by our culture and protected by law seems preposterous. However, the only argument standing in the way of it is that pedophilia differs from homosexual marriage and polygamy because they involve consenting adults while pedophilia involves children who cannot consent. Certainly pedophilia will continue to be the deviant behavior that it is currently thought to be, won't it? Unfortunately, the seeds for change have already been sown. With the recent court decision forcing "morning after" pills to be made available to female persons of any age without parental consent, the door has been thrown open to minors having the right to grant consent to sexual activity and relationships. Once such consent is a matter of personal civil rights, what remains to stop children from entering into relationships, even marriage, with adults?
The consequences of redefining marriage are staggering. In them we find all sorts of actual and potential inevitable outcomes, including a response by Christians in our culture that will very likely be ineffective. Arguably, the immoral shifts we are now experiencing as a nation are the inevitable results of the failure of the American Church to be what it is called to be. Rather than concentrating her energies and resources on being light in the world of darkness and salt to those who are perishing, the Church has taken up political arms and engaged those whom we've been called to rescue from sin and death as enemies to be defeated in legislative halls and courtrooms. We set aside Word and Sacrament ministry to engage unbelievers in the public square with worldly weapons. It was inevitable that the Church stripped of her power would lose such a battle.
If only it were inevitable that the American Church would wake up from her slumber and take up the arms that her Lord has given and engage the world in the battle to which she has been called. Should we rise to this challenge and return to the unique work of the Church on Earth to bring life and salvation to those who are perishing then one more thing would be inevitable: we, the Church, would find neither encouragement nor disappointment in the outcomes of elections, passages of bills, or renderings of SCOTUS decisions, but would stand unwavering in the confidence that Jesus Christ is Lord and that in Him we are victorious, now and forever.
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