Articles and Videos – Page 1008

Why Churches Should Not Get Out of the “Marriage Business”

Nov 26, 2014JerryMarriageMarriage, Same-Sex Marriage

As judges continue to redefine marriage in spite of millenia of human history, religious tradition, and overwhelming majorities of voters, many Christians have called for churches and ministers to get out of the “marriage business” altogether.

The idea is as the legal definition of marriage has changed, ministers may be compromising their convictions by signing state-issued marriage licenses for Christian couples.

John Stonestreet at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview has authored an excellent commentary on why ministers should not get out of the “marriage business”–at least not yet.

Stonestreet writes,

“First of all, there’s nothing on a state marriage license that requires clergy to say that marriage is something that it is not. But by refusing to sign any marriage licenses, we’re missing an opportunity to proclaim to the state and to the public what marriage truly is.

“Second, by backing out of the civil marriage business, we risk perpetuating that illusion that marriage is something the government defines instead of something it recognizes, and we perpetuate the myth that the Christian view of marriage is only for us Christians. In fact, marriage existed before the church and before the state. It’s the job of both institutions to recognize it.

“And here’s a question that bothers me. If clergy should not participate in civil marriage, why should laity? If it’s wrong for pastors, isn’t it wrong for parishioners?”

You can read Stonestreet’s full commentary here or listen to it below.

[audio:http://bit.ly/1ATLii9|titles=John Stonestreet – Separating Civil and Christian Marriage]

Family Council Calls Marriage Ruling “Judicial Tyranny”

Nov 26, 2014JerryMarriage, NewsMarriage, Same-Sex Marriage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 25, 2014

On Tuesday U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker struck down Amendment 83 to the Arkansas Constitution defining marriage in Arkansas as the union of one man and one woman.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement in response to the ruling, saying, “This is another example of judicial tyranny. Arkansans voted overwhelmingly to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Their elected officials voted for that definition when they passed Arkansas’ Defense of Marriage Act. By issuing this ruling, one federal judge is saying seventy-five percent of Arkansas voters and lawmakers do not matter. If that isn’t tyranny, I don’t know what is.”

Cox said the ruling sets a troubling precedent. “What Judge Baker effectively did was erase Arkansas’ definition of marriage. It opens the door for marriage to become anything. We have already seen polygamists in Utah and elsewhere try to ride the coat tails of same-sex marriage activists in court. Rulings like this one only fuel those efforts.”

Cox said this case is almost certain to land before the U.S. Supreme Court. “This fight is far from over. Judge Baker has put a stay on her ruling until the Eighth Circuit, which includes Arkansas, issues a ruling. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that marriage amendments like Arkansas’ are constitutional. Any time you have federal judges disagreeing about what is constitutional, the case is almost guaranteed to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. I hope the higher courts exercise enough restraint to respect the wishes of voters. If Americans are not free to decide how they will define something as basic as marriage, then what are they free to decide?”

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Download Church Bulletin Insert on Fayetteville Ordinance

Nov 25, 2014JerryHomosexualityFayetteville, Homosexuality, LGBTQ, SOGI Ordinances

The group working to repeal Fayetteville’s contentious “nondiscrimination” ordinance has released a flyer designed to be included in church bulletins.

The insert identifies some of the problems of the ordinance and highlights the unintended consequences Americans have experienced elsewhere as a result of this type of legislation, writing,

“[In] Fayetteville Chapter 119 dictates the criteria by which churches hire their own staff for ‘secular’ roles. [In] San Antonio the original ordinance would have barred anyone speaking against homosexuality for appointed office. [In] Houston the [supporters of the ordinance] subpoenaed all sermons, emails & text messages of pastors who stood against them.”

This bulletin insert is a good resource for any church or minister wishing to inform people about the “nondiscrimination” ordinance in Fayetteville and the effort to repeal the ordinance on December 9.

Download the Church Bulletin Insert Here

Download Family Council’s Analysis of the Ordinance Here