Post Plebiscite Reflections…

Well, the results from the Australian Plebiscite on same sex marriage are in, and are very much as predicted with 61.6% in favour and 38.4% against, the only surprise being the astonishingly high participation rate of close to 80%. Clearly this was not an issue over which most Australians yawned in disinterest, grunting a dismissive “whatever”. I’ve written about the plebiscite before so have no intention of rehashing what I said here. What I’d rather do is ask if there is anything we can learn from the plebiscite, and ask how it might shape some of our interactions in the future.

Shortly after the plebiscite result was announced, I walked around Curtin University, which is directly across the road from Vose Seminary where I work. Posters everywhere were celebrating the plebiscite result, most with the words “love wins”. The “yes” campaign was largely framed around the idea that voting “yes” was saying yes to love, while a “no” vote affirmed fear and intolerance – perhaps even hate. If you view “yes” as being a vote for love, it’s clear why it carried the day. After all, who can say “no” to love? The campaign successfully implied that there was a moral imperative to vote “yes” – ironically working from the Christian teaching found in 1 Cor 13:13 that love is the greatest good, one of three things (faith, hope and love) which will always endure. Now you may or may not believe that affirming gay marriage is a loving thing to do, but the simple fact is that the majority who voted “yes” believe that it represents a loving choice (“love wins” – it says it all). And we should take heart from that.

If society believes it should opt for loving pathways, why should Christians be alarmed by that? Of course we might need to think a lot more deeply about what we mean by love. Not everything that first appears to be loving is so, and we should always be ready to ask hard questions about what genuinely represents the most loving pathway ahead. But that we should make decisions on the basis of love, rather than fear, uncertainty or intolerance, seems to me to be a sound starting point.

The question begging to be asked is why the path advocated by most Christians was not seen to be loving. At its best it was portrayed as being supportive of traditional views – but never far from the surface was the implication that a “no” vote originated from fear, hatred and intolerance. While many Christians voted “yes”, it appears that large numbers voted “no”, and certainly the “no” vote received its most vocal support from religious groups. Bottom line – the missiological stumbling block we now face is that in the minds of the average Australian, Christianity is seen to be associated with those who are fearful, hateful and intolerant. That makes evangelism a really tough gig…

We should not underestimate the significance of this. We are often told that with the demise of Christendom, the church now finds itself in a position similar to that faced by the early church – a beleaguered minority in a society opposed to its teaching. And there is some truth in the comparison. The striking difference is that the pendulum swung for the early church because it convinced the pagan society in which it was embedded that it represented a morally superior path. Whereas the Roman world embraced the cruelty of gladiator fighting, infanticide, the sexual abuse of children, the oppression of woman and slaves, the early Christian church modelled something radically different – a path where love wins. And this is where the dilemma sets in. The church is no longer seen to be offering a loving alternative. Worse, it is assumed that if you genuinely want to follow a loving and moral path, you will need to ignore the teaching of the church and decide on the basis of some inner moral compass that guides you towards authentically loving options.

What is the way forward?

Rather than loud proclamations, we need to surprise and delight a skeptical world with unexpected acts of kindness, understanding and compassion. We have lost the media war. Portrayals of faith in the public space are at best patronizing, but more commonly are biting, cynical and disillusioned. We therefore need to win trust again at the grass roots – as ordinary Christians become extraordinary neighbours, work colleagues, friends. Each Christian represents Jesus – we are Christ followers. We need to help each other to follow Jesus in ways which are visibly generous, compassionate and winsome. And we need to follow Jesus aware that the default drive has swung, and people now expect not the best from those who follow Jesus, but the worst. Let’s help each other to shatter that false assumption. And let’s do so in a way which is respectful towards those who do not believe. After all, they want love to win, and that is always commendable.

A second question to ask is why this issue resonated with people so deeply. Given that the LGBTI community is a relatively small percentage of the Australian population, why have people come out so strongly in their support? A few answers spring to mind. Some have an uneasy conscience for the way in which they belittled same sex attracted people in the past. Voting “yes” was a small way to make amends.

Probably a larger number know that life can be remarkably messy. I listened to a woman on talk back explain why she voted yes. She spoke about her failed marriage – about how nothing went to plan for her. She spoke about having to change her mind about how to find happiness, and how she had to make the most of a blended family and shared custody. No part of her story was about same sex attraction – she made it clear that such attraction had no part to play in any part of the pain she had endured. But she made it equally clear that her story alerted her that life is messy and that things often don’t go to plan, and that you’ve got to make the best with whatever hand you are dealt. Her main point was clear and poignant, “I know from my own experience that life can be tough and pretty untidy. If your untidy is same sex attraction – well so be it – I know what messy is, and I’m willing to support you to the extent that I can.”

I think that those of us who are Christ followers need to hear this very clearly. I think the strong “yes” vote was a cry of “life is tough for people. Let’s not make it any more difficult than it already is.” It reflects a sensitivity to hurt… and a desire to protect others from hurt. This is to be celebrated – and heard.

Linked to our hurt is a desire to be free to tread our own path. So many have followed conventional pathways and then been let down by them. The “yes” vote was seen as affirming freedom of choice. An appeal to hold on to traditional views of marriage has remarkably little appeal to those who feel that their pain originates from failed traditional marriages.

Having said that, in its own way the “yes” vote can be seen as a strong endorsement for marriage. True, it changes its definition – but people clearly feel marriage is so important that it must be accessible to all. Perhaps some traditional views will come floating back. Like the idea that marriage is a covenantal commitment for life – a covenant broken only in extreme circumstances. For years the wider society has spoken negatively about marriage. Perhaps now our language will change, and we will value it again.

I realise that some who read this will feel that I am whistling in the dark – trying to spot some positives from a result that advocates a view of marriage at odds with that found in Scripture. No, I am not naive and have more than a few concerns over this outcome (and I’d refer you to my original paper on the topic). But I do believe that God reigns and works in every situation – including this one.

As a result of this plebiscite, many are gearing up for a fight about religious freedom – and it is an important one (I will be posting on the topic fairly soon). One little comment though. Even if you are a baker, and the law gives you the right to decline making a wedding cake for a gay couple, can I strongly urge you to renounce that right. In fact, why not go a little further, and bake them the best possible wedding cake that you can. It is through a multitude of generous and loving acts that we will again win a hearing in a hurting world – one which pretty genuinely wants love to win…

As always, nice chatting…