When Del Mohler heard the weather report the morning of January 16, 2008, he knew it was going to be a long day for him, his wife, and two of their daughters. They were headed to the Iowa capitol to lobby their state legislators to let them vote on the definition of marriage. They huddled with more than one thousand concerned individuals to pray for the state supreme court, in hopes that Iowa would not become the “Vegas of Gay Marriage.”

In August 2007, County Judge Robert Hanson ruled on a case brought by six homosexual couples who complained they were denied their right to marry. The county recorder had refused to issue a marriage license. But with the help of Lambda Legal, the couples filed a complaint challenging Iowa’s marriage law, which defined marriage as being between one man and one woman. Judge Hanson overturned the settled law crafted by 150 elected state legislators and signed by the governor. Hanson ruled, “Couples, such as plaintiffs, who are otherwise qualified to marry one another may not be denied licenses to marry or certificates of marriage or in any other way prevented from entering into a civil marriage.”

Dozens of homosexual couples rushed to get their marriage licenses after the decree was issued. One couple, smart enough to seek another judge to waive the three-day waiting period, raced across town looking for a pastor to perform the ceremony. They were successful and were the only couple married before a stay (a freeze on the implementation of the ruling) was granted.

The stay was granted so that it could be appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court. The supreme court will offer its opinion at a time of its choosing. Should the supreme court uphold the decision, the only recourse to maintain a traditional definition of marriage in Iowa is an amendment to the state constitution.

Amending the constitution is no easy task. A measure must be passed in identical form by the simple majority in both the house and senate in two successive sessions and then be approved by a simple majority of the voters in the next general election. The gatekeeper of all measures brought before the senate is Senator Michael Gronstol (D-Council Bluffs), who has vowed that the marriage amendment will “never see the light of day.” Every other senator could be supportive of the measure, but because Senator Gronstal doesn’t like it, he isn’t going to bring it up for a vote.

What happens in Rainbow Vegas doesn’t stay in Rainbow Vegas

This issue is one that every state in the union has faced or will be facing in the near future. The Des Moines Register quoted the legal director of Lambda Legal, Jon Davidson: “There are some people scratching their heads and saying, Iowa? But this shows that there are lesbian and gay people everywhere who would like to get married.” But Lambda intentionally brought this suit in Iowa. They knew that bringing same-sex marriage to Iowa would make it easier in other states. While Massachusetts is the only state that allows same-sex marriage, it’s not ideally suited for the homosexual agenda. Massachusetts grants marriage licenses only to its residents. Homosexuals from other states cannot fly to Boston, get married, and fly home. Not so in Iowa; it has no residency requirements. Anyone can go to Iowa to get married. Many predict that Iowa would become the homosexual marrying capital of world—the “Rainbow Vegas.” Once married, homosexual couples could petition the courts in their home states and demand their marriages be recognized. Every state in the union with creative, aggressive homosexuals will be forced to deal with same-sex marriage if the courts uphold Judge Hanson’s decision.

This development has implications for the church. The embrace of same-sex marriage by the legal community and the broader culture is another step toward the marginalization of the local church, which makes it harder to preach the gospel. It is difficult to impact the world when the media, politicians, judges, and homosexual activists see those sharing the gospel as hateful racists and bigots.

Same-sex marriage will be the aisle down which the persecution of the church will come. It is already happening. Ake Green, the pastor of a church in Kalmar, Sweden, was sentenced to one month in prison by a Swedish court for inciting hatred against homosexuals. Green was prosecuted for “hate speech against homosexuals” for a sermon he preached citing Biblical references in Romans 1. He described homosexuality as “abnormal, a horrible cancerous tumor in the body of society.” While a higher court threw out the charge, clearly the legal system is moving toward stifling such sermons.

Consider the “Philadelphia 11.” Eleven churchgoers ranging in age from seventeen to seventy-two were arrested in October 2004. The video of the incident clearly shows them peacefully protesting a gay pride event. “All we wanted to do was pray for these people,” said the seventy-two-year-old defendant. Yet the police arrested them for “ethnic intimidation” (second-degree felony hate crime), “criminal conspiracy” (first-degree felony), “possession of instruments of crime” (first-degree misdemeanor), “reckless endangerment of another person” (second-degree felony), “riot” (third-degree felony), “failure to disperse” (second-degree misdemeanor), “obstructing a highway” (third-degree misdemeanor), and “disorderly conduct” (second-degree misdemeanor). The combined charges could have brought prison sentences of up to forty-seven years. The city continued to harass the Christians by dragging out the case for over fourteen months, when all charges were finally dismissed.

Roger Severino, legal council for the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom, authored a study recently published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, titled “Or for Poorer? How Same-sex Marriage Threatens Religious Liberty.” The Becket Fund is hardly a bastion of conservative values. Yet Severino concludes, “The movement for gay marriage is on a collision course with religious liberty.” The study concludes that churches are at risk on several levels—not the least of which is losing their tax-exempt status.

Here is an example of how a religious organization can lose its tax-exempt status. In 1983 Bob Jones University was challenged concerning its ban on interracial dating and marriage. The IRS’s denial of the university’s tax-exempt status was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court even though the ban was a “deeply held religious conviction.” The Supreme Court reasoned: “The Government has a fundamental, overriding interest in eradicating racial discrimination in education—discrimination that prevailed, with official approval, for the first 165 years of this Nation’s history. That governmental interest substantially outweighs whatever burden denial of tax benefits places on petitioners’ exercise of their religious beliefs.”

It is only a matter of time before the courts make the argument that “the government has a fundamental, overriding interest in eradicating sexual discrimination” and deny tax-exempt status to churches.

What can you and your church do?

Be family oriented

Same-sex marriage would not be an issue if our families were strong. This issue is the result of the breakdown of the family. Malachi 2:16 says, “The Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce.” But often over looked is verse 15, which gives the reason why God hates divorce: “Did He not make them one? . . . And why one? He seeks godly offspring.” God was telling Israel that one reason a husband and wife should marry is to develop godly offspring. A primary place of evangelism is within the home. The evil one seeks to thwart the plan of God and is out to destroy the family if for no other reason than to hinder the raising of godly offspring. Same-sex marriage is just one way he is seeking to destroy the family. Therefore, we must do all we can to strengthen the family. We must teach husbands to love and honor their wives. We must educate wives to respect their husbands. We must teach the unique roles and responsibilities of husbands and wives. We must teach them how to develop a sense of godliness in their homes and how to inspire children to attempt great things for God.

A family-oriented church is one that hears regularly from the pulpit what it means to be a loving husband and a respectful wife. It’s a church where systems are in place to help those contemplating divorce. It’s a church culture where the differences between men and women are embraced toward the goal of raising God-fearing children.

A family-oriented church is one that has a full range of programs that seek to reach the unique needs of children, women, and men. Such a church has regular teaching venues like Sunday School, retreats, and seminars that address important issues facing the family. Fighting same-sex marriage begins by fighting for your marriage and then helping those in your circle fight for theirs.

Encourage your pastor to preach and teach on homosexuality

Historically the pastors of a community took the lead on speaking out on social issues. But today’s preachers typically stay away from speaking out on controversial issues. Many fear losing members or offending long-term givers, or they simply do not feel qualified to preach on such subjects. But congregations can greatly influence their spiritual leaders by simply encouraging them to preach on the subject of same-sex marriage. Members can also provide preaching materials like outlines or magazine articles on the issue. Pastors in Iowa who are stepping up to the plate are finding that their sermons are well received and their churches are growing.

Know what the Bible teaches

Stopping the tide of same-sex marriage begins by understanding where you personally stand, and going from there. Del and Linda Mohler’s Biblical convictions drove the couple to stand out in freezing temperatures to lobby and pray for their political leaders. They joined a thousand other Christians who take seriously Christ’s call to be salt and light to a dying world. This trend toward same-sex marriage will be reversed only if other followers of Christ do likewise.

Mike Hartwig (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is vice president of Iowa Family Policy Center. He is a graduate of Faith Baptist Bible College and formerly ministered at Baptist Children’s Home, Valparaiso, Indiana.