During the Miss USA Pageant this past week, first runner up, Carrie Prejean, was asked by celebrity judge Perez Hilton, “Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same sex-marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?” 

Her response was:

“We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman,” Miss California said. “No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised. I think that it should be between a man and a woman.”

Contrary to Perez Hilton, she did not express her views with hatred toward those with differing opinions. She did not viciously insult or degrade anyone with personal attacks and name calling. She expressed values that are important to her with eloquence.

Scripture is not meant to be sugarcoated and adjusted to popular cultural belief.   We either believe it is God’s truth, or we don’t.  We can’t pick and choose what we like as Christians, and discard what we don’t.  That forms a faith in our own image - not God’s image.

Romans 12:2 says - Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  

If you were put on the spot in front of five million people, would you boldly proclaim God’s design for marriage?