Inset: Following the trend: The modern church

One of the most extraordinary aspects of the public’s attitudinal shift toward homosexuality has occurred in the religious community, particularly among believers who claim to draw their teachings from the Bible. Religion has traditionally provided an anchor in the middle of such moral turbulence. But today, the church has put up its sails, raised its rudder, and is riding the wave of social change. Nothing establishes the credentials of a church as “progressive, inclusive and relevant” more than joining the cause by ordaining homosexual priests and conducting same-sex “marriages.”

Essentially, these churches have made societal norms their standard, rather than the Bible—something Jesus Christ specifically condemned (Mark 7:9).

In May 2003, the Church of England nominated as bishop the openly homosexual Jeffrey John, who supported the campaign for the Anglican Church to bless same-sex “marriage.” (The appointment created such a row among Anglicans that, finally, after six weeks, he was asked to resign.) Soon after, the Episcopalian Church in New Hampshire elected Gene Robinson, its first openly homosexual bishop. The moderator of the Church of Scotland announced he would be “utterly untroubled” by the appointment of homosexual ministers. Then the Uniting Church in Australia (a union of Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches) passed a resolution to accept openly homosexual ministers, with more than 75 percent of its national assembly supporting the measure. One voting minister explained, “The Catholic Church has ordained homosexuals, the Anglican Church has ordained homosexuals, they’re just not honest about it. We’ve struggled with this reality for many years and here we are” (Heidelberger Leader, July 30, 2003).

In 2007, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada voted on a resolution that would allow diocesan bishops to authorize the blessing of same-sex unions. It narrowly failed, but in 2010, the body “acknowledge[d] diverse pastoral practices as dioceses respond to their own missional contexts.” This verbiage allowed local dioceses to make the decisions, and since then, several dioceses have responded to “their own missional contexts” by endorsing same-sex “marriage.” The list grows longer every year.

For many denominations, there is no longer a debate on the question. The Episcopal Church of the United States, the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalists, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the Mennonite Church in the Netherlands, Affirming Pentecostal Church International and the Global Alliance of Affirming Apostolic Pentecostals are among the churches that perform same-sex “marriages” with pride. They represent millions of people who are purportedly following the teachings of Jesus Christ.

In May 2013, Bishop of Salisbury Nicholas Holtam argued that legalizing same-sex unions would be a “very strong endorsement of the institution of marriage.” People who oppose homosexual “marriage,” he says, are like Christians who once used the Bible to justify owning slaves. He praised the departure of churches from biblical standards, saying, “Sometimes Christians have had to rethink the priorities of the gospel in the light of experience.”

These religious leaders claim to get their religion from the Bible. Many are not entirely comfortable with the push toward homosexuality, but they have realized they simply do not have enough power to resist it.

As a result, many high-level religionists are in the position of having to reconcile the idea that God supports homosexual relationships with numerous passages of Scripture that plainly show that He does not.