Lonnie Wilkey
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
I continue to mourn the decision made by five Supreme Court justices on June 26. Those five judges redefined marriage as society has known it since creation.
God made it clear in Genesis that marriage is between one man and one woman. That’s the definition I have known for 57 years and I don’t plan on changing it now, no matter what the Supreme Court says.
Let me clarify. I don’t mourn for myself or my generation. I’m old enough and ornery enough that nothing will ever change my mind about marriage. I am actually angry that my generation and those before me sat back and allowed this to happen. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
My greatest concern is for my grandchildren and friends who have preschoolers, children, and those just entering their teenage years.
This current generation is going to be bombarded with the new definition of marriage.
Our children and grandchildren are going to now be reared in a culture that has totally rejected God’s definition of marriage. Those who believe in marriage as only between a man and woman will face increasing ridicule. I also believe they may be the generation that faces the greatest risk of persecution for their beliefs.
Culture began embracing same-sex marriage long before the Supreme Court validated it with their decision. It’s only going to get worse.
Same-sex couples and homosexual relationships are already portrayed on television and in the movies. It’s only going to get worse.
Today’s generation also will be bombarded by advertisers who promote this lifestyle. There will be no escape from it.
What’s the hope for today’s children and grandchildren?
Of course our primary hope can only be found in Jesus Christ.
But we also must pray and hope that the church will continue to be the church.
Churches must “buckle down” and teach the truths found in God’s Word as never before.
Now is not the time to cut back on discipleship training and Bible study. The only place we can depend on our children and grandchildren hearing the truth is in our homes and in our churches.
Our grandchildren and children are going to be bombarded with a false definition of marriage from now until Jesus returns. We must teach and disciple our children with the truth of God’s Word.
At the end of this article you will find what Southern Baptists believe about marriage and family. Everything found in Article XVIII comes directly from Scripture. This needs to be drilled into our children and grandchildren so they will not be fooled or brainwashed by society.
I have heard it said over and over that the best way to identify counterfeit money is to study real money until you’re able to quickly spot that which is fake.
Society is sending out a counterfeit message about marriage and family. We need to prepare today’s generation (the leaders of tomorrow’s churches) on how to spot those fake messages and how to rely totally on the Word of God.
I challenge churches to rise to the occasion. If not, we risk losing our children and grandchildren to the culture they’re living in.
May God have mercy on us if we allow that to happen on our watch.
Baptist Faith & Message 2000 Article XVIII: The Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.
The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; I Timothy 5:8,14; II Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7.
