The Ayes have it...or do they? Part Three: The Road Ahead

Almost a week has passed since the second reading of the government’s proposed Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, at which 400 MPs voted in favour of the legislation to open the institution of marriage to homosexual couples, while 175 opposed the move. I have already written two posts based on my observations (see previous), analysing the proceedings among those for and against, and will wrap things up for now by looking to the future. This is an extremely important issue with implications for everyone in each sphere of life, so by bringing this up for the third time please do not think I am flogging a dead horse (Tesco’s already have that line of work covered).  

As the Speaker announced “The Ayes have it! The Ayes have it!” the public gallery of the Commons burst into applause around me. I could not join in, but rather bowed my head in silent prayer for the mercy of God on our land. Despite the claims of some on that day, the Lord’s attitude toward homosexuality is unequivocal, saying through the Apostle Paul,

“Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.” (1 Cor. 6:9-10, HCSB)

Also, contrary to the notion that homosexuals cannot change:

“And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11)

So I prayed too for God’s grace, that by the preaching of the Gospel, He would draw people to lives of repentance and faith.

But what of those who did applaud? The celebratory “‘Aye’ do” headlines? The institutions that observed the occasion by raising the rainbow colours of the LGBT movement’s flag?  I do not believe it is a vain hope that these will go down as classic cases of declaring victory in the face of impending defeat. While some of the media overplayed the significance of the second reading (one lady in the gallery asked a member of Common’s staff something like “So that’s it - It is legal now?”), many reports from liberal and conservative fronts seemed to emphasize the strength of the “No” vote. The way ahead will be even more fraught with obstacles for the Bill. It has been sent to committee for scrutiny. At that stage, religious liberty and the complex issue of consummation and adultery laws will get revisited.  After this, it will be brought before the Commons for a third reading and vote. At this point, I expect the abstainers and absentees of the last round will have their say, and some members will change their vote. Stephen Timms (Labour, East Ham) indicated that while he was for the second reading and was happy to vote it through to committee to get the analysis it needed, he would not support the third reading. Kris Hopkins (Conservative, Keighley and Ilkley) mentioned that the vast majority of his constituents (90+%) have asked him to oppose the Bill, but he would go ahead with it any way. Members like this I expect will change their votes (in which case they will be able to say to LGBT people “We voted for ‘equal marriage’” and to opponents of the Bill “We voted for traditional marriage” – political double-speak in all of its shady brilliance!).

Assuming it gets through all of this (by no means a given), the Bill would then proceed to “the Other Place”, the House of Lords. Here it will face its most significant obstacle yet, and could be slain in what would be a decisive battle. As Christopher Chope (Conservative, Christchurch) said, “I hope the Other Place will give it a pretty bloody nose!”

My friend, the economist Chola Muckanga, mused on Facebook:

“Tories have defeated David Cameron

139 against 132.

The end of the beginning for the British Premier?

The Lords will defeat the Bill.

And it will lumber and possibly die. That's my guess.”

And a fair enough guess it is. Not only do I hope he is right, I think he very well may be. Residents of the UK who are opposed to the Bill should continue to make their voices heard through all possible and legal means, and should do so in a spirit reflective of the love, mercy, and grace of Christ who commands all men (including homosexuals) everywhere to repent of sin and believe the gospel. The pressure is working. It caused some Members to crack last Tuesday. It will again in the coming days if sustained. A column by Peter Oborne in the Daily Telegraph, entitled “David Cameron is trashing his own party, and it’s not a pretty sight”, shows the damage already inflicted:

“Tory membership is sinking. According to a report by the House of Commons library, it now stands at between 130,000 and 170,000, down from around 250,000 when Mr Cameron became leader, and three million in the post-war period. MPs I spoke to yesterday believe they may have lost 10 per cent or so of their remaining members this week alone.

If the fall continues at the present rate, membership will fall below 100,000 before the next election. If that happens, we are about to embark on an entirely new kind of politics.” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9852903/David-Cameron-is-trashing-his-own-party-and-its-not-a-pretty-sight.html)

A friendly couple (man and woman, married, against the Bill) from Yorkshire were seated nearby me in the gallery and we exchanged a few words. The man asked as we left the gallery, “So, do we fight on?” My answer was in the affirmative. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whose statue stands in Parliament Square staring at the Commons, told a room of young men to “never give in.” Now is the time to stand on principle, not popularity or politics. And if, God forbid, the day comes when our leaders officially fail to reward good and punish evil in this nation on this issue, it is the task of the Christian to faithfully proclaim the full counsel of God with all of its retribution and redemption. It isn’t over till it’s over, and even then, it’s not over.  

Do the Ayes have it? Not yet they don't.