Maybe I'm like the guy who just bought a new Hot-mobile. Before he mortgaged the next seven years of his life for the new set of wheels, he hardly ever saw a Hot-mobile on the road. Now every time he goes out he sees half a dozen. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like I see a lot of posting on blogs and social media directed at Evangelicals and other conservative Christians that basically says, "Just keep quiet about the recent SCOTUS decision on Gay Marriage.
Generally the writers of these pieces carefully skirt the question of where they stand on the issue. At this point they are heeding their own request--they are keeping their mouths, both real and cyber, shut.
The gist of their commentary goes something like this: "Evangelicals have done a really poor job teaching about what the Bible says about divorce, social-justice, racial-reconciliation, gluttony, caring for the environment, (the list goes on); so they have no credibility in speaking out with any objections to the rightness of radically redefining our culture's oldest institution--marriage." If I discerned, in these rebukes against speaking up, a real attempt at a wholistic opposition to sin, I would be more interested in signing on. I don't see that. What I do see is a recognition that a group of people have been hurt--such recognition is commendable, but should not necessarily be the controlling issue--and a realization that continuing to maintain the standard the church has held for two millennia is a really non-trendy, uncool, old-school, won't-get-me-invited-to-the-fun-parties kind of position. Since I'm an Evangelical, and I go on record as telling my fellow-believers to just be quiet, maybe I won't have to wrestle with the tough issues, and will get the invitation to the cool party.
A three pack a day smoker may neutralize his friend's criticism of his habit by shaming him for his fondness for, and over-indulgence in, chocolate cake, but when we attend their funerals--one having arrived by means of lung cancer and the other via clogged arteries--we will observe that the truly loving thing for our chocolate loving friend to do would have been to admit his sin and confess his own fault, but to, go on and point out that his own admission in no way changes the destructive force of tobacco addiction. The wise thing for both would be a plan to work on their problems together.
Galatians 6:1 indicates that being one who is "spiritual" is a qualification for seeking to correct another. We know from the rest of the New Testament that that does not mean "you who are perfect."
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass,
you who are spiritual, restore such a one
in a spirit of gentleness;
each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
(Galatians 6:1)
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