Can you imagine a law passing unanimously in the House of Representatives and with a 97-3 majority in the Senate? It happened in 1996. That law was the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which legally codified the definition of marriage as one man married to one woman. President Clinton signed the law, settling the issue once for all—or so we were told.

The Supreme Court upended that legislation with their decision finding the right to same-sex marriage in the Constitution. Now, to avoid any threat to that interpretation, our national legislative bodies are poised to adopt the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), recognizing and protecting same-sex marriage as a national norm.

To make this law politically palatable and gain the necessary votes, it includes some protections for leaders, churches, and organizations which oppose it on religious grounds. Those protections were included to placate wavering politicians, not grant anything new to religious communities. And, if past patterns hold, they will be gradually eroded by court decisions as opponents challenge them over the next few years.

When this new law is passed, nothing will change the next morning in America. But what will the impact be in the next 25 years? It only took 25 years for LGBTQ-influenced political leaders to nullify DOMA, by gaining cultural support for their position unthinkable just a generation ago. The cultural changes this new law will initiate will redefine our country in a myriad of ways.

One impact will be on churches as they navigate this cultural upheaval. While churches can legally refuse to perform same-sex marriage, that is only one small part of developing a ministerial response to these families. Even drawing a line at church membership does not solve all the issues. Churches are supposed to reach people in their communities—including persons in same-sex marriages who need to hear the gospel. Finding ways to accommodate these families, without accepting their lifestyle choices, will be a thorny challenge.

These challenges will be compounded by the relational issues involved for many Christians. A stately gentleman, a pillar in his church for 50 years, recently asked me, “How do I relate to my granddaughter who just married a woman? She grew up in our church. She claims to be a Christian. I love her. How do I relate to her and her new wife?”

The pain in his eyes and the tears on his cheeks reveal how personal these issues are. We have some serious work to do to help Christians find their way through these uncharted waters. Church leaders and churches have a responsibility to uphold the biblical standard for marriage. We also have an obligation to preach the gospel, welcoming people from every background and with every imaginable problem to hear the good news we offer. And, when people are converted from whatever background, addiction, or family constellation—we must disciple them, standing with them through the changes and challenges of living their newfound faith.

We have some significant work to do living with the tension in these missional mandates. May God give us wisdom to find a way forward and patience with each other as we do.


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Perspective: SBC 2023

Dr. Iorg discusses what unites the SBC in light of next week’s annual convention.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Intentionality

 The greatest problem in our world is lostness. The only solution to lostness is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

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Lead On Podcast
June 4, 2023

“Life is Curriculum”: How Leaders Grow after Seminary

Dr. Iorg encourages leaders to continue growing after Seminary. He identifies seven ways to cultivate and work towards spiritual maturity. 

Lead On Podcast
May 28, 2023

Dealing with Angry People

There is a lot of anger in the world right now and a lot of that anger is spilling over into the church. This week Dr. Iorg discusses different ways to engage with and disciple angry people in your ministry.


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Spirituality of Jonathan Edwards | JEC at Gateway Seminary

Dr. Chris Chun hosted a digital symposium with Dr. Michael Haykin and Dr. Robert Caldwell to discuss Edwards’ spirituality, devotional life and theological impact in American Christianity.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

Faculty Dialogues: Dispensationalism or Not

In this episode of Faculty Dialogues, Dr. David Rathel and Dr. Paul Wegner held a live discussion on their views on dispensationalism.

David Rathel
Associate Professor of Christian Theology
Dr. Rathel is the associate professor of Chrisitian Theology at Gateway Seminary. Prior to Gateway, Dr. Rathel supplied pastoral care to churches in the United States and Scotland, served as an Adjunct Professor of Theology and Philosophy for the Baptist College of Florida, and provided teaching assistance for the University of St Andrews.

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