Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 8
The speaker highlights a pagan Roman’s shock at a private “marriage between two men,” noting that even Rome didn’t legalize it, and then contrasts that with today’s public/legal normalization—what does this comparison suggest about cultural “progress,” and how should Christians interpret it without nostalgia for pagan Rome?
Another way to ask: If even pagan Rome was shocked by two men marrying, but today it’s widely accepted, what does that say about what people call “progress,” and how can Christians respond without pretending Rome was good?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s comparison, what modern society calls “progress” can actually be moral regression—crossing lines that even pagan Rome resisted publicly and legally. Christians shouldn’t romanticize Rome, since it was deeply perverted, but should see the contrast as evidence that rejecting God leads cultures to normalize what they once felt shame about.
- He introduces a pagan Roman describing a private ceremony between two men and notes: “Rome would not recognize that as a marriage…even pagan Rome said, ‘we’re not going to cross that line.’”
- The pagan author is “aghast” and asks if they need “a soothsayer or a censor,” showing internal pagan alarm.
- The speaker notes Rome never reached open public normalization: “that never did happen…It was never recognized by the Roman government.”
- He contrasts with today: “not only done openly, it is now legal,” and says “none of these pagan societies ever legalized homosexual marriage.”
- He repeatedly warns not to see this as a political program: “I’m not saying this from a political thing…we don’t get involved in politics,” but as observing consequences.