Imagine a land where marriage ceased to be a picture of Jesus relationship with His church. Fidelity and permanency are gone. Where the legislators deny that God has spoken by enacting laws contrary to His word. The boundary stones have been removed and replaced by lawyers. A land where the new trinity of tolerance, equality and individual freedom have replaced the old communities where needs could be met by shared responsibility. You are looking at Ireland today. Imagine a land where the people never want to grow up, where their sexual relationships with both male and female are “open” meaning partners consent to each other having sex with other people. Where advocates of this type of “freedom” want to produce “varied, creative, and adaptive contours, including small group marriages”. You are looking at USA tomorrow – and Ireland the day after tomorrow. Recently a number of Evangelicals had a letter printed in the Irish Times describing the Biblical boundaries for sexual activity. The responses which the paper printed either ignored scripture or else mangled it. The Government are deaf to the plea for a conscience clause to be incorporated into the Civil Partnership Bill which is soon to be passed into law. Are we making too much of a fuss about this matter? What does the Bible say? The Bible tells it like it is. King David was an adulterer and King Solomon a womaniser. When we read the Bible we need to discern when the characters are sinning and when they are acting in obedience to God’s wishes. Kings were supposed to enact God’s laws and to govern in accordance with them. The majority of them failed and we read again and again that they “did evil in the sight of the Lord”. In Solomon’s case he was not punished because of God’s promise to David but after his death the kingdom was divided and 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel were lost. In the New Testament the sins which we are about to enshrine into law are embedded in lists but not singled out as being particularly heinous. The legalising of them will not affect the church but it will give a false sense of legitimacy to behaviour which God condemns. The speed with which change is taking place means that even at a sociological level there is not enough data to ring the alarm bells and by the time there is – it will be too late to reverse the engine. Apostasy, as in Solomon’s case, impacts the next generation. It’s the children who will inherit the fruit of disobedience. But there is a better way. It’s the way of Love, joy and peace with God. It’s the way of security for this life and the next. It comes not by trying but by trusting in the work of Jesus on the cross. None need join the “race to the bottom” by following the liberal agenda. It can never satisfy. It will always sell you short. Turn to your Maker, who has promised to all who do, to make you a new creation. (2 Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 17).