Sunday, July 13, 2008

The Gospel according to Rob

Rob Russell, Democratic candidate for Tennessee's first Congressional district gives a clear answer to a question about same-sex marriage citing the the Gospel according to St. Luke:

Do you support a Constitutional ban on gay marriage, and should such a ban be extended to civil unions? Explain.

I do not support a Constitutional ban on gay marriage. “Do unto others as you would have them do to”—this phrase from Luke sums up my feelings on the subject of same-sex marriage. I wouldn’t want the government telling me who I could or couldn’t marry; as an American citizen, I have the right to marry who I love. Only a few decades ago many states prohibited mixed-race couples from marrying, and discriminating against someone because of who they love is just as wrong as discrimination on the basis of race or gender.

He faces an uphill battle. But his answer to this question not only shows courage and conviction, it concisely puts the case in terms that people can understand, whether they agree or not. It goes beyond the stale values debate to the very meaning of the good news of his faith. It is not coded. It is direct. It confronts the reader with the meaning of the Christian faith and the proper role of government as well as what it means to be an American.

No comments:

Post a Comment