Churches urged to support marriage initiative
- Aug 30, 2008 - comment
FRESNO, Calif. – When Proposition 8, the California Marriage Protection Act, is affirmed in November it will be in great part because churches have taken an active role in the political process, according to a family policy specialist.
Ron Prentice, chief executive officer of the California Family Council and chairman of ProtectMarriage.com, said pastors and church leaders have been “bullied into silence” far too long.
“The only restriction on churches is to limit advocacy to an insubstantial portion of church resources, generally considered between 5 and 15 percent of a church’s funds,” Prentice said.
What churches can and cannot do
Prentice outlined several political activities in which pastors can be involved including preaching on biblical, social and moral issues, such as the definition of marriage.
He added that churches and other non-profit organizations may actively advocate for a ballot amendment, including circulating petitions for signatures, conducting voter registration drives, contributing money or other forms of assistance, and encouraging church members to support the ballot measure.
Lists of what churches can and cannot do are posted on California Family Council’s Web site.
Prentice said it should be noted that “no church has ever lost its federal tax-exempt status for advocating for a ballot initiative.”
He encouraged churches to actively advocate passage of the initiative to amend the California constitution and affirm that only marriage “between a man and woman” is valid or recognized in the state.
Prentice noted California’s domestic partner law already “affords same-sex couples every legal right that the state can grant, and our measure does not change that one bit.” He added Proposition 8 simply defines marriage as it is traditionally understood.
“Our battle is not against the same-sex couples who are pursuing the opportunity to ‘marry’ granted them by the activist judges on the California Supreme Court. Our battle is against the flawed reasoning of the court’s decision.”
Marriage is at the core of family security and is an essential element in American society, Prentice declared.
“The Supreme Court has effectively rendered marriage meaningless,” he asserted. “The Protection of Marriage Amendment will give voters the final say in this debate.”
Prentice noted he is “confident that voters will reaffirm the traditional definition of marriage, just as they overwhelmingly – 61.4 percent – did in 2000, and overturn the court’s flawed opinion.”
Marriage policy and bylaws
Because of the recent ruling, churches should protect their theological integrity regarding marriage ceremonies, according to the Pacific Justice Institute, a non-profit organization that specializes in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights and other civil liberties. It has developed a model “marriage policy” and “bylaws” for church implementation.
Kevin T. Snider, PJI chief counsel, encouraged churches to “immediately review, edit and implement” the group’s model marriage policy. He noted the policy does not have to be included in the church bylaws but suggested it be adopted by an appropriate church body.
Snider said the model bylaws language “needs to be added to the (church’s) articles of faith, church tenets, statement of faith or declaration of faith and inserted into the church bylaws.”
He strongly encouraged churches to “make certain that proper procedures are followed for amending the bylaws as required by that document such as bringing it before the congregation for a vote.”
The model marriage policy and bylaws are available at www.csbc.com.
For more information, contact Snider at PJI by calling 916-857-6900 or e-mail kevinsnider@pacificjustice.org. To visit PJI online, go to www.pacificjustice.org.
8-4-8 Plan
Chris Clark, pastor of East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church in San Diego and leader of the Protect Marriage Coalition, is encouraging pastors to be involved in his “8-4-8 Plan” to take 8 steps for Proposition 8 between now and the November election.
He said it is imperative that California Southern Baptists advocate the passage of Proposition 8 to define marriage in California as between one man and one woman.
The “8 actions” to take for Proposition 8 are:
Now
1. Pray: 8 minutes every morning at 8:00 and 8 minutes every evening at 8:00 for the passage of Proposition 8
2. Enlist: 8 people, either in person or by e-mail, to join “The 8-4-8 Plan”
3. Give: at least $8 to www.protectmarriage.com for each family member
Beginning 8/8/08
4. Volunteer: to work 8 hours in some capacity for the campaign, either through a pastor or campaign leader
5. Encourage: a note of encouragement to at least 8 pastors who are standing for biblical marriage
6. Turn out the vote:
- Register at least 8 persons to vote
- Encourage 8 persons to contact their local Voter Registration Office and request “PVBMV” (Permanent Vote By Mail Voting) status
- Contact 8 families asking them to pray together and vote absentee during the weekend of Oct. 18-19
Beginning Labor Day
7. Publicize: post at least 8 yard signs and ask 8 store owners in your community to hang a poster in the window
8. Fast and pray: for 8 million people to vote for traditional, biblical marriage in California
For more information about the Protect Marriage Coalition, contact Clark at pastor@eastclairemont.com or phone 858-395-7136.
This article is reprinted from the August 2008 issue of the California Southern Baptist, the newspaper of California Southern Baptist Convention.
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