I recently watched the following video in which Ryan Anderson, who researches and writes about marriage and religious liberty as the William E. Simon Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, responds to this question, "Why should I, as a gay man, be denied the same right to file a joint tax return with my potential husband that a straight couple has?" It is obvious throughout the course of this conversation that the gay man believes he has played the trump card by showing how he has been denied equal rights. What is just as obvious, but yet somehow missed by the one asking the question, is the logic that Mr. Anderson uses in answering the question. Watch the video yourself, not only to listen to the dialogue between a homosexual and a defender of traditional marriage, but also to remind yourself of the benefit simple logic can be in your conversations with people...that is, assuming they are willing to be logical.

(Find Mr. Anderson's fuller remarks here.)

In case you missed it, Mr. Anderson's logical answer was, "The same-sex couple isn't a marriage, and we want marriage equality to treat all marital relationships in the same way, and...[the] same-sex relationship isn't marital. ... It's not discrimination because everyone is equally eligible for entering into the marital relationship. ... If you are not interested in entering into that sort of a union, you're not being discriminated against. What you're asking us to do is to redefine marriage to include the adult relationship of your choice. ... Your position ultimately leads to simply the disolvement of the marital union. ... It's not that you don't have a right to get married; it's that you aren't seeking out marriage."  By the way, this really helps us see why a definition of marriage is so important, if on no other level than a mere legal one.

Again, I've posted this, less to draw your attention to the homosexuality debate, and more to help you see the value of just thinking and responding logically.

In conjunction with our Midweek Connection series entitled, "Relationships in 3s," we solicited input from the entire Single Focus group regarding the areas of morality, interaction, and dating. In particular, we asked the guys to give input in these areas for their sisters, and we inquired of the ladies for input about these issues for their brothers.

We did this to emphasize the family focus of the body of Christ, and to remind ourselves that none of us make decisions in a vacuum. Even in the delicate area of morality, we are helped by having some of these discussions in a mixed group so that we can look into each other's faces and remind ourselves that we should be living for one another, even as we live for Christ (cf. Romans 14).

Specifically, regarding those three areas mentioned above, we asked each group to share with the opposite gender (1) what they wanted to thank them for, (2) what they wanted to share with them, and (3) how they wanted to counsel them. It's humorous that even in the length of conversation from one group to another, the God-ordained complementary differences of the genders are highlighted. Here's what the guys and girls had to say to one another: