“The Two Shall Become One Flesh”

Today the Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling stating that the “The Constitution… does not permit the State to bar same-sex couples from marriage on the same terms as accorded to couples of the opposite sex.” That ruling also stated, “Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned. The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.”

In March of 2015, the journal First Things published the statement, “The Two Shall Become One Flesh: Reclaiming Marriage.” The statement was authored by the “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” dialogue. Prof. Joel Elowsky is a participant in the dialogue and is one of the signers of the document. Dale A. Meyer, President of Concordia Seminary, also signed the document. It is linked here as a means of hearing again the biblical witness regarding marriage and its role as designed by its Creator, in light of the challenges of our age.

In the Gospel of St. Mark, the Lord Jesus teaches that “from the beginning of creation ‘God made them male and female.’” He then declares a great and beautiful truth inscribed in creation: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh” (Mark 10:6–8).

For centuries, Christians have proclaimed these words at weddings, for they express the gift of marriage long recognized by all humanity and acknowledged by men and women of faith: Marriage is the union of a man and a woman. This truth is being obscured, even denied, today. Because of that, the institution of marriage, which is essential to the well-being of society, is being ­undermined.

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