I realize that since the people of Arizona voted yes on prop 102 that this blog is in large part moot. However, I am convinced that one day homosexual marriage will be legalized. Whether same sex marriage is ever recognized by the state or not take my musings for what they are worth.
I have just switched jobs. The last three years until February 16 I had been with the company called youth development institute. I supervised a level 2 group home for sex offenders. I did have to face certain challenges with regards to the homosexual issue e.g. several of my kids and their parents were openly homosexual. Still, the issue did not really bear upon my job in any real compromising fashion. Now I am a case manager for one of the agencies under one of the major federally funded behavioral health providers/funding sources in Arizona. Last week the person that I am shadowing mentioned her same sex partner that she married somewhere that it was legal. I was not surprised per se, and I still thoroughly enjoyed working with her. Her revelation did get me thinking about some things. I used to think of gay marriage as nothing more than a concept; a proposition whose truth and moral value were to be reasoned about and decided upon. I realize now, though, that if homosexual marriage were to ever be legalized there would be some things that would impact me on a very personal level. I would have to provide my services to families that were characterized by two moms or two dads. I would have to be working toward a goal of reunification with these parents.
So now I have some questions that I keep asking myself because I honestly do not know the answers to them yet. Do I quit if I am forced to work with homosexual parents? Part of me thinks that if this were to ever happen I would be morally obligated to quit, but don't I have a moral obligation to provide for my family? Furthermore, is it not better for a child to be in his house instead a group home or residential treatment center even if the child has homosexual parents? Furthermore, I realize that my only reasons for believing that marriage is between one man and one woman are based entirely upon the Bible, but yet I do not agree with the principle of theocracy (at leas not until Christ comes again) so am I really consistent in voting for prop 102? Should we really be concerned if the state supports homosexual marriage as long as the church opposes it? I really do not have answers to these questions, but I know that I live in a day when I seriously have to start asking myself these questions.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
When Homosexual Marriage Comes Home
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Brother it is not easy. I have spent time in shoes fitting the same as yours, working with folks of different orientation and children and parents of different orientation. I got bugged one day when a judge told a kid that his parent’s homosexual orientation could not be helped.
When this blog first started in March of 2008 I addressed these issues.
“There are several ways a faithful Christian can respond when professional expectations limit the ability to apply Christian teachings.
• One option is to leave the profession. After all, when Jesus called his first disciples, they left their nets and followed him (Mark 1:16-20, Luke 14:26).
• Another option is to stay in the profession but ignore those professional guidelines that encroach on religious teachings. Indeed, the apostles preached the gospel despite strict orders from the Sanhedrin. Peter claimed, "We must obey God rather than men!" (Acts 5:29).
• A parallel option is to stay in the profession but promote Christian teachings discreetly so as not to cause friction with supervisors who would disapprove if they knew
• Oh. Yes; stay in the profession and agree to practice according to its own guidelines and standards. A person in this role can look for opportunities to promote reconciliation between religious teachings and professional stipulations. (Romans 13:1).
The best option will often vary according to circumstances.”
“The last of human freedoms: the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances.” Viktor E. Frankl
Ephesians 2: 8-10 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His work-manship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
This verse, printed in my Baptismal Certificate booklet over sixty years ago, gives clear indication to me that I am saved to serve. It was not and will not be easy, nor will your choices be easy. Therefore, to say that my faith matters means that in the workplace I have a responsibility to minister with prayer, to provide social transformation and to evangelize. It is the greatest of places to come along side a person and minister. You can either claim Christ or defame Christ.
The truth “we are saved to serve.”
It is not easy brother.
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