WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 6, 2014Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, commented on the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to deny review of seven petitions involving disputes over the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
The Supreme Courts refusal to take up marriage cases means an immediate expansion of gay marriage. In terms of response, the church must not jettison a Christian sexual ethic in order to acclimate to the cultural moment. We have no authority to revise what Jesus handed down to us. And the church must not respond with a siege mentality. We live in an era in which marriage is redefined and confused. So did many of our forefathers and foremothers. The sexual revolution didnt start at Woodstock. It is always with us.
Lets hold fast to what the gospel reveals about the meaning of marriage and the gospel behind it. Lets articulate a Christian vision of what marriage should be, and lets embody that vision in our churches. Lets love our gay and lesbian neighbors. Lets move forward with persuasion and with confidence. This is no time for retreat or for resentment. This is a time for mission.
The ERLC will address the changing marriage environment at a national conference in October in Nashville. The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage will feature speakers such as Rosaria Butterfield, Russell Moore, Jim Daly, David Platt and others who will give keynote addresses, participate in panel discussions and address breakout sessions on key issues related to the future of marriage in the current culture.
All keynote and main sessions will be live-streamed at live.erlc.com. For registration information please email [email protected].
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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