Some people are happy that gay marriage is not illegal and others are not.  People normally can agree to disagree on key issues whether political or social.  Even if emotions run high. But vandalism to silence dissent is disturbing. A small Baptist church in Mansfield Texas was talking about marriage and things that are legal are not always right. From the Star Telegram, this is how the “Love Wins” crowd responds:

A church marquee that displayed a message disagreeing with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on same-sex marriage was spray-painted with graffiti this weekend.

But the sign at Bisbee Baptist Church was quickly cleaned up to keep showing the message: “Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right.”

The response from someone or a group of people who claim “Love Wins”

Pastor Freddie Matthews said he would like to talk to the person who spray-painted the sign early on July 4 with the phrase, “F— 2 Your God We Love Gays!”

“Be willing to understand that we have our differences, but expressing them this way is not appropriate,” Matthews said.

Unfortunately to some who claim “Love Wins”, anyone saying the vandalism, language and intent of the vandals is inappropriate is a hater.

Matthews had put up the message on June 28, the day after the Supreme Court’s ruling struck down the ban on same-sex marriage. He said the message coincided with his sermon that week about marriage and it was undisturbed for about six days.

Does Love Wins mean attacking anyone who speaks out with a contrary opinion with the ferocity of a Cana Corso pack? And was the sermon all about gays?

Matthews’ sermon that week did touch on gay marriage, but he also gave other examples including how sexual relationships outside of marriage are legal, but not right.

“Just because something is legal doesn’t mean you have to accept it as part of your life,” he said.

Does Love Wins mean that a single issue is all-important and dissent is not allowed?  And is criminal behavior acceptable because Love Wins?

So my question is this: What does Love Wins mean? I hope it means having conversations not shouting matches or making a point of tattling to the family or employer. Which is something much different from love. To me what Love Wins means is found in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 which describes love as follows:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

That is love that should win.  Not vandalism and hateful rhetoric tossed back and forth. So please try dialog and not blasphemy and just plain nasty behavior.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP9ZCjHW2xI