By Hank Hanegraaff

At present, two communities are heading toward each other with blinding speed: one that finds its Life in God and Biblical Truth (LGBT) and the other comprised of LGBTQ activists who are pushing for a radical redefinition of marriage and gender, a church remade in the image of the culture, and greatly expanded government filling the void of a once-vibrant church. There are essentially three building blocks of civil society—marriage, church, government—resting atop the foundation of human life. Of the three, none is more significant than marriage. As such, it is instructive to spell out the ABCs of marriage redefinition.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL REALITY. According to a consensus of socio- logical metrics, women and men enjoy strategic complementarity. As such, both are essential in the rearing of children. Fathers challenge their progeny in developmentally vital ways that mothers cannot, and mothers provide care and nurture in ways that fathers cannot. Social science statistics unambiguously support the strategic significance of “gender-differentiated parenting.” Neither mothers nor fathers are replaceable in the process. Moreover, to assuage the dangers inherent in same-sex parenting due to exceptions is singularly short-sighted. The fact that some smokers outlive nonsmokers does not negate the danger of cigarettes. Likewise, the fact that some same-sex marriages are better than some heterosexual marriages does not mean that the public should not be warned of the dangers inherent in same-sex relationships.

BIOLOGICAL REALITY. The biological reality is that sexual repro- duction requires male and female. It does not take a budding theologian to recognize that every organ in the human body is self- sufficient to perform its intended function—except for one. Natural reproduction always, always, always requires a coupling of male and female. As Dr. Jay Richards insightfully noted, “Marriage protects, reflects, and reinforces this powerful complementary, reproductive part of our natures.” As such, marriage “is a comprehensive union of body, mind, emotion, and soul, a proper end of which is children.” The fact that not all marriages produce children is hardly an effective counterargument. Not all soccer games produce a victor either.

CIVIL REALITY. For the health of a civil society, both mother and father are necessary. As Barack Obama famously said before succumbing to the PC thought police: “We know the statistics—that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools; and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.” It is not too much to say that redefining marriage opens Pandora’s box and spells the death knell to civil society. Moreover, redefining marriage erodes the rational basis for rejecting aberrations ranging from group marriage and polygamy to incest. Enshrining a false definition of marriage in our laws is like flooding the economy with counterfeit money. Everything is ultimately devalued.

In the end, the US Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage has not only undermined the foundation of human civilization but has opened Pandora’s grizzly box. Given the court’s reasoning, it’s hard to imagine how polyamory, polygamy, polyandry, even pedophilia will not likewise be blessed by the court. If there is no special virtue in opposite-sex marriage, is there any magic in the number two? And why arbitrarily assign eighteen as the magical age of consent? Once we abandon the biblical definition of marriage, there is no limit on where our unsanctified passions may lead us.

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 1:27; 2:24

ANTHROPOLOGICAL REALITY
BIOLOGICAL REALITY
CIVIL REALITY

For further study, see How should Christians respond to the LGBTQ+ community? (G-A-Y) and Jay W. Richards, “To Defend Marriage, We Should Learn a Lesson from Apologetics,” Christian Research Journal 35, 04 (2012).

***Note the preceding text is adapted from The Complete Bible Answer Book: Collector’s Edition: Revised and Expanded (2024). To receive for your partnering gift please click here. ***

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