Resurrecting an Old Idea -- The Marriage Project: Knowledge for Unity, Love and Truth

I'm not going to do this.

I threatened to do it just over ten years ago, in 2004.

I wonder if it's time.

Maybe it's past time.

After reading the book "Homosexuality:  Good and Right in the Eyes of God?" by Earle Fox I decided voters in Maine needed to know the marriage status of their rulers.  I sent out an email back then declaring my intent.  I wanted to create a website on which I would publish the marriage status, especially the sexual orientation, of people in the State House.

The charred embers from that firestorm are visible today.  Maine went on to enact the "gay" agenda through public voting.  It wasn't the judges or the politicians that did it in Maine.  It was a majority of the citizenry that voted in 2005 and 2012.  And the political lessons that "gay" activists learned in Maine are being used globally.

Evangelicals (aligned with the Christian Civic League of Maine) in the pine tree state decided in the early 1990s to force "gay" issues to the ballot box.  We reasoned that institutions and the state house were already lost.  We determined that our only hope lay in appealing to the people.

Read it While You Can: This Website is Not Long for This World Apparently

Lingering in the back of my mind is the power of the invisible hand on the switch, so to speak, that can shut off access to this website in an instant.  As the world moves increasingly to communications via electronic means it becomes easier for interests that control platforms like this one to simply turn off speech and ideas with which they disagree.  Google owns this platform -- blogger.  They are a private business.  They have the right to just switch me off.

Writers like me assuage our fears that such draconian measures would emerge by imagining that we live in a free country.  We tell ourselves that this means everybody has the right to speak freely.  For now it feels like this is still true.  But things are changing in the western world.

As the US Supreme Court prepares to issue it's declaration on faux marriage later this month the view from the north is not encouraging.  Canada is further down the road than US.

We would be wise to heed the recently published warning by Dawn Stefanowisz entitled A Warning from Canada:  Same-Sex Marriage Erodes Fundamental Rights.

I want to warn America to expect severe erosion of First Amendment freedoms if the US Supreme Court mandates same-sex marriage. The consequences have played out in Canada for ten years now, and they are truly Orwellian in nature and scope.

Here is the truly chilling section of Dawn's article:

In Canada, it is considered discriminatory to say that marriage is between a man and a woman or that every child should know and be raised by his or her biological married parents. It is not just politically incorrect in Canada to say so; you can be saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, fined, and forced to take sensitivity training.

Anyone who is offended by something you have said or written can make a complaint to the Human Rights Commissions and Tribunals. In Canada, these organizations police speech, penalizing citizens for any expression deemed in opposition to particular sexual behaviors or protected groups identified under “sexual orientation.” It takes only one complaint against a person to be brought before the tribunal, costing the defendant tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. The commissions have the power to enter private residences and remove all items pertinent to their investigations, checking for hate speech. 

The plaintiff making the complaint has his legal fees completely paid for by the government. Not so the defendant. Even if the defendant is found innocent, he cannot recover his legal costs. If he is found guilty, he must pay fines to the person(s) who brought forth the complaint. 

If your beliefs, values, and political opinions are different from the state’s, you risk losing your professional license, job, or business, and even your children.  (Bolding mine)

And since you may not know anything about Dawn here is the opening to her article establishing her bona fides:

I am one of six adult children of gay parents who recently filed amicus briefs with the US Supreme Court, asking the Court to respect the authority of citizens to keep the original definition of marriage: a union between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, so that children may know and may be raised by their biological parents. I also live in Canada, where same-sex marriage was federally mandated in 2005.

I am the daughter of a gay father who died of AIDS. I described my experiences in my book: Out From Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting. Over fifty adult children who were raised by LGBT parents have communicated with me and share my concerns about same-sex marriage and parenting. Many of us struggle with our own sexuality and sense of gender because of the influences in our household environments growing up.

Even if the Supreme Court of the United States doesn't destroy civil marriage later this month we all know it is only a matter of time.  Politics and law FOLLOW culture, they don't lead it.  And all the hints from American culture point toward a quickening -- not slowing -- descent into madness.

And make no mistake, even the best people don't get it.  Most people I know have resigned themselves to the reality of this vicious tyranny that is literally destroying their own families.  They have decided not to go against city hall, even though they admit to me privately that city hall is very wrong on this one.

Maine evangelicals and lay Catholics (very few of them) took a stand against this demon until just recently.  Now it feels to me that the possession of Maine is pretty much established.

The Christian Civic League has been tamed by political forces under the dome.  They were the last institution to slip into the bridle.  The grassroots that carried the torch during the years I led the fight switched loyalties.  They decided to follow a leadership that has more confidence in Paul LePage Republicanism than I would ever have allowed myself.

I rest my hope and confidence in God and I look for leadership that is willing to call a spade a spade.  The words of Jesus convicted me this week.  I read them out loud as part of the spiritual preparation I have submitted myself to as I anticipate joining with other Christians on June 14th on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington D.C.  Here are the words of Jesus from Eugene Peterson's Message paraphrase of the Bible.  This is from Chapter 7 of the gospel of Matthew:

Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.

Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance—isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.' 

Following Jesus is not at all like building a big following for a website, church, organization or business.  Living the gospel can often be about standing alone.  Suffering.  Poverty.

Those are the qualities of saints and prophets.

Ron Stauble admiring the Chariot of Fire.

People like my good friend and hero Ron Stauble, a retired bus driver.  

My tent making work is driving a van for a local non-profit called KVCAP.  I transport people to programs and doctor's appointments in what I call the "Chariot of Fire."  Pictured above, it is the only van in the Augusta fleet that is red.  The rest of the fleet is white.

Yesterday I saw Ron after I dropped a client off at his doctor's office.   I had a few minutes on my way to the next ride.  Ron was dutifully and joyously performing his Thursday morning ritual of displaying victim images of aborted babies (one is pictured in the center of the snapshot) in front of the capitol city's murder center. 

Ironically, Ron was unjustly fired many years ago by a virulent pro-abortion and anti-Christian leader of KVCAP after five years of spotless driving.  The agency even tried to deny him unemployment.  He challenged them in court.  The agency admitted to the judge that the source of the complaint against him was the democratic party.  The disgusted judge ruled in Ron's favor and granted him unemployment.

I assure you I mean no disloyalty to my employer in publishing this article.  I am thankful for the job.  And like any job one obtains in a radically compromised society I see both good and bad in the principles, practices and policies that govern the operation.  I am thankful that the leadership does not today appear to be so aggressive against Christian pro lifers.

The source of a Christian's joy isn't the approval of KVCAP, the Canadian Government or Google.  A Christian will be full of joy in prison, or under the most extreme forms of deprivation, because they have placed their confidence in God alone.

The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament discusses this by naming heroes of the faith and concludes:

I could go on and on, but I've run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets ...Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless— the world didn't deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.  Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours. -- Hebrews 11 from The Message

A Simple Idea

After nearly two decades of public service on social issues, and two statewide public victories on gay rights, a simple idea is synonymous with my name -- gay rights are wrong in every way. 

The leadership of Stand for Marriage, a creation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, decided early on that any public discussion of the morality of homosexuality, homosexual behavior, gay rights or domestic partnership (in a critical way) would significantly risk the campaign.  The YES on 1 television ad that ran most frequently on the final weekend of the campaign promised more gay rights and praised domestic partnerships for homosexuality.  And I'm not the only one with concerns about this tactic.  Click here.

The  powers that be knew something I didn't know even before I knew it.  You can't put that ad and Mike Heath in the same campaign.  It just won't work in a liberal state, or so they think.  Did I need to resign to bring about a victory?  Who knows.  We do know that YES on 1 prevailed on Tuesday.

It was my duty to stand on principle.  That is the duty of every man.

Had the Stand for Marriage Coalition allowed me into the campaign they knew that I would fight them every step of the way on these points.

So where does the pro family movement in Maine go from here?

Homosexual marriage is inevitable, and will be created shortly by the courts or another legislative action.

Christians need to stop being politically correct.  Many evangelical pastors emerged as leaders this year.  My prediction is that you will see them fade back into the woodwork now.  You shouldn't let that happen.

Here is the question that is burning in my heart for all the Pastors and Priests in Maine, "Why not give individuals the right to define marriage for themselves if you're going to concede that society can honor sexual promiscuity by other names (domestic partnerships and gay rights)?"

The answer is that there isn't a good reason to protect just the word marriage.  If the church is going to agree with the decoupling of sex and marriage in the society then the end result is entirely predictable.  Sodom and Gomorrah.

Individual passions must not be allowed to dictate social and moral norms.  Social norms must be derived from something more objective, like religion -- in Maine's case, Christianity.

Some of my Catholic friends in Maine tell me that civil law can honor both marriage and homosexuality, as long as homosexuality isn't specifically endorsed.  That is the reasoning behind Maine's clever Domestic Partnership law.  It doesn't specifically ... in the words of the law ... endorse sex outside of marriage.  EVERYONE, however, knows that 99 percent of domestic partners aren't platonic.  While the argument might be fine in theory it obviously fails in practice.

So, the effect of this compromise on public conduct and thinking is obvious.  Sex outside of marriage is fine in society, it's just not kosher for some churches.  It is fascinating to watch the debate now come fully into God's house.  We aren't just having this debate in the so-called public square anymore.  It is fully engaged inside the sanctuary.

Most Christians I know can't make up their mind anymore about the fitness of homosexuals with respect to heaven.  They aren't fit.  I am regularly upbraided by parents of homosexuals who are faithful church goers.  "How dare I judge, etc."  I understand this from people who aren't in the pews.  I find it bewildering coming from those who are in the pews.  I'm one of the only voices left publicly challenging their loved one on the morality of their lifestyle, and they view me as a threat?  This leaves me wondering what they really believe about heaven, hell and homosexuality.

A pastor of a large conservative evangelical church once told me that my presence would be unwelcome because lesbians who occasionally attend wouldn't understand.  To this day I'm left wondering what they wouldn't understand?

The truth of the matter is that they would understand, and that's the problem.  We win people to our side with honey only these days.  We've deliberately forgotten the spare the rod, spoil the child/disipline/judgment theme in Scripture.  Call it selective amnesia.

The future of the pro family movement is all about Christianity.  It is about Christians, Catholic and Protestant, coming together on the basis of shared theological principles.  If we continue to allow politics to shape our movement we will lose the civilization.  I should think that's pretty clear by now.

While I don't usually do this I did it last night.  I watched an hour of the Comedy Channel.  I watched Jon Stewart and the other guy that follows Stewart.  The shows were hilarious, and subtle.  The humor they employed was faith-destroying, and left of center on hot button social issues.  Without the sexual innuendo I don't think they'd have gotten one laugh!  These guys are doing enormous damage to the moral interests and sensibilities of Americans.

The days of innocent slapstick are long gone.  We are sexually serious about our humor, thank you very much.

And, the future of the pro family movement is serious also, for everyone.

I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. -- John 15

Resignation: Count Me Among the Ferocious

On Monday I resigned from the Christian Civic League of Maine. Yesterday I ignored the advice of some media consultants and returned quite a few of the calls I received from the press. I didn't have time to return all the calls. In today's news cycle, which lasts about as long as it takes to walk to the coffee pot, if you don't return the call or email in the same day you've missed your opportunity.

The most repeated question of the day was, "Why now?" Maine is six weeks away from voting on gay rights once again. The press found the timing curious.

I'm not happy with the way the gay rights debate is going. That should be no mystery to anyone who follows me. The frustrations associated with those developments contributed significantly to my reasons for resigning.

Mostly, however, it is the sense Paulie and I have that it is time for us to move on from the League. I have served the ministry most of my adult life. It has been an honor to do it. The League needs a new face. I know that the ministry will choose well. The League is one of Maine's treasures. It will thrive.

It will thrive because it is not, ultimately, possible to cut the umbilical cord that runs between Christianity and the west. Christianity is the mother of the west. Christianity is durable enough to survive the pain of our current ideological struggles while providing life-giving sustenance. The faddish rebellions of our day are nothing more than baby kicks up against the womb's wall.

I will continue to support, in every way I can, the League's ministry going forward. The League's mission is about so much more than gay rights and a political party. Politics has always threatened to reduce the League to only those realities during my tenure. I don't expect that pressure to dissipate anytime soon.

Maine won't survive in the long term without Christianity. There is no such thing as multiculturalism. All that is good and beautiful about the west is directly related to the influence of one man's good news -- Jesus Christ. His gospel has done more to influence our culture than anything else. Thank God for that. His influence remains strong.

Strong or weak He wins in the end. As John wrote of Him, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." And He will be there in the end. Jesus Christ doesn't speak from the grave. He is alive.

One thing dramatically lacking in our time is anything unmoveable. The Bible is unmoveable because it is the story of Jesus Christ. At the end of the day my faith in Him is the only thing that matters to me.

Applying that to so-called gay rights means understanding that it (gay rights) is simply God's judgment. It is insanity. Ponder Romans 1. My last words to the League at the board meeting on Monday were those of Paul from the last half of Romans. I read them, and offered no comment. They speak for themselves.

I support the leaders of Stand for Marriage. I want them to succeed.

I have never led a campaign on this issue where I have not openly admitted at this point in the campaign that the matter is in God's hands, and that the outcome is likely grim for the good guys. I feel no different this time.

Faithfulness, tradition and conviction have always marked the truly heroic leaders I've had the privilege of working with on this issue down through the years. Style, deceit and ferocity define the other side. Our side is too gentle -- but gentleness is a good thing ... until power threatens to vanquish love and truth. Then it's best to be ferocious because that is all that's left or innocence dies. The image of a thug threatening my wife comes to mind. I'm not going to be gentle, and what is "civil" becomes painfully obvious.

Count me among the ferocious.