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As you now know, same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states. If you have children, they will now grow-up in a culture that recognizes the legitimacy of homosexuality. What should parents do in response?
1. Talk honestly and openly about sin, homosexuality, and gay marriage with your children.
We live in a post-Genesis 3 world. Because of this, sin is a reality, both in our lives and in the lives of our children. Part of the goal of parenting is teaching our children to love God and hate sin. Using your conscience as a parent, and discerning the appropriateness of their age, talk openly with your children about homosexuality and gay marriage. Unless you live in the mountains, have no technology, and your children have zero friends, I promise they are already chatting about this issue with their friends. Six, seven, and eight-year-olds are already having these conversations in lunch rooms and on school playgrounds. Your children’s classmates might have 2 mommies or 2 daddies. Too often, parents want this to be a hush hush issue with their children until later in middle or high school. By then, it’s too late. As your conscience, the Holy Spirit, and Lady Wisdom guide you, talk honestly and openly about this issue with your children.
2. Model to your children a marriage that is a picture of the gospel.
As Owen Strachan put it (President of CBMW), “Let’s allow this decision to shock us back into taking stock of the log in our own eye. Let’s use it to motivate us to dig into our marriage and truly love our God-given spouse. Let’s recommit to loving our children in a distinctly biblical way. May this Supreme Court decision awaken God’s people to display the beauty of complementarity as never before, to put the union of a self-sacrificial head to his loving bride on IMAX display wherever we are.” As Strachan alludes, the home is the most foundational place for your children to learn the gospel and see it modeled. Let us recommit to pursuing our marriages before anything else. Let us model to our children the entire gospel within our marriages–servant headship, submission, grace, repentance, and restoration.
3. Teach your children the biblical foundations for marriage.
Teach your children the foundation for marriage from Genesis 1-2, the mysteries of its relationship between Christ and the Church in Ephesians 5, and how marriage ultimately wins when Jesus returns in Revelation 19. Talk about this often with your children. Show your children often pictures and videos from your wedding. Never talk poorly about marriage. Elevate it as the most important pursuit.
