WASHINGTON, D.C., June 26, 2015Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, commented on the U.S. Supreme Courts 5-4 ruling to declare same-sex marriage as a constitutional right, legalizing it in all 50 states.
I am a conscientious dissenter from this ruling handed down by the Court today, believing, along with millions of others, that marriage is the sacred union of one man and one woman and that it is improper for the Court to redefine an institution it did not invent in the first place.
I believe this action of finding some illusory Fourteenth Amendment right to same-sex marriage will have wide-ranging and perilous consequences for the stability of families and for freedom of religion. In the wake of this decision, we must ensure that the American principles of pluralism and religious liberty are maintained, as the religious convictions of millions of Americans necessarily cause us to hold a different, more ancient, view of marriage than the one the Court has imposed. Additionally, todays decision reminds us of the importance of electing a president who knows how to appoint jurists rather than would-be legislators to the bench.
Despite this ruling, the church of Jesus Christ will stand fast. We will not capitulate on this issue because we cannot. To minimize or ignore a Christian sexual ethic is to abandon the message Jesus handed down to us, and we have no authority to do this. At the same time, now is not the time for outrage or panic. Marriage is resilient. God created it to be so. Marriage in the minds of the public may change, but marriage as a reality created by God wont change at all. The church must now articulate and embody a Christian vision of marriage and work to rebuild a culture of marriage.
The ERLC has compiled to help explain the ruling and what it means for Christians and churches. Those resources can be found at “ERLC.com/SCOTUS”:erlc.com/SCOTUS.
The ERLC will also host a special event “Equip Austin”:erlc.com/equipaustin July 29, in response to the Supreme Courts upcoming ruling on same-sex marriage. Event speakers will seek to equip Christians and churches to be faithful in engaging the culture with the gospel in a post-marriage society. The conference will stream live. Follow the conversation on Twitter by following @ERLC, @dmoore and #ERLCequip.
The Southern Baptist Convention is Americas largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.8 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is the SBCs ethics, religious liberty and public policy agency with offices in Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C.
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