Recently, President Obama sanctioned gay marriage.
He went out of his way to assure us that it was purely a personal decision.
Naivety believes that presidents' personal positions are separate from their political positions.
The Office of President embodies the values of a nation and as such represents the pulse of its people.
In fact, the President's 'personal' decision is rippling through advocacy groups, special interest groups, lobbyist and even the Church.
Some clergy have found the President's remark grievous enough to compel a public response.
Bishop Harry Jackson of Washington D.
C.
, held a Defense of Marriage Summit this past Wednesday with about 175 leaders.
Certainly, we should oppose.
And who better than God's people.
But if this is all we do, then what has the Church accomplished other than going on record as disapproving? If we do no more the Church remains weak.
Our weakened condition can be traced back to many things depending upon with whom you speak.
However, I think all would agree that spiritual immaturity factors in here somewhere.
Nowhere is the Church's immaturity more apparent than in the marriage relationship.
Marriage is the smallest working unit of the Church.
It is my personal contention that as marriage has gone so has the Church.
Taking a political stand will not remedy immature husbands and wives, no more that immature husbands and wives who are also spiritual leaders will strengthen the Church.
It is also safe to say that many of the efforts and resources aimed at strengthening married couples have had marginal success.
Changes are occurring in organizations focusing on marriage.
In 2009, James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family.
The final Smart Marriages Conference was held in July 2010.
The Marriage CoMission's appears static.
In 2011, National Association of Marriage Enhancement's (NAME) Founder Leo Godzich tragically died in a car accident, leaving his wife, Molly at the helm.
The Association of Marriage and Family Ministries (AMFM) postponed their annual conference this year presumably to rethink their approach.
Many of us in the pulpit, husbands and wives have been devastated in our own marriages, albeit many of us prefer you not know this.
Whether our troubles were self-inflicted or not, they constitute change.
Collectively, these circumstances announce opportunity.
They signify God's departure from something He was doing to something He is now doing.
But are we really paying attention? If taking a political stand against gay marriage will not of itself uncluttered the landscape of infidelity, divorce and spousal abuse, what will? And if organizations are recognizing the futility of current approaches to strengthening couples in marriage, what might be needed? It is simple.
We must galvanize women and wives to address the current marriage crisis.
There are at least 20 reasons why I believe this is not only essential, but also who and what God will use to restore order, beauty, sanctity and harmony to marriage.
Restoring marriage to the Church remains at the top of God's agenda.
Now that we, the Church have come to the end of self, perhaps God can now get busy!