Though the Supreme Court's ruling against traditional marriage was a "dark day in American history," it's time to accept the reality and move on to discussing how to minister in a new context, Jeff Iorg and other seminary leaders are saying.
"Challenging new ministry situations are on the horizon," Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary near the epicenter of the gay marriage movement, wrote in a blog post June 27.
"For example, a child comes to your Vacation Bible School and receives Jesus as Savior and Lord. His same-sex married parents come for the family night program. How will you react to their presence?" Iorg wrote. Read more
ERLC fact sheet addresses gay marriage rulings
The Southern Baptist Convention's ethics entity has produced a fact sheet in both English and Spanish to assist churches in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decisions.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission posted the fact sheet on its website June 26 to help provide guidance to congregations after the Supreme Court issued opinions the same day in two cases regarding gay marriage.
In one landmark ruling, the justices struck down part of a law that defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and a woman. The opinion means same-sex couples will have access to Social Security, tax and other benefits previously limited to heterosexual couples.
The ERLC fact sheet, which can be downloaded in bulletin insert form for distribution to those attending worship services, explains the Supreme Court's decisions and some ways churches should respond. Read more
Supreme Court Ruling on Gay Marriage: Liberty or Bondage?
When the Supreme Court issued its two major decisions on same-sex unions, it meted out two defeats to proponents of biblical marriage, one substantive and one procedural. Make no mistake, however, that the one ruling (U.S. v. Windsor) that struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had defined marriage for federal law purposes as one man and one woman, has given us a two-fold warning: first, that the Court may be preparing soon, if given the right case, to grant homosexuals the highest constitutional protection available; and, second, that objectors like those Christians who take a responsible view of Scripture and who expound on it will likely find themselves disenfranchised on this issue and sadly mislabeled as persons who, in the words of the Court's decision, harbor a "desire to harm" the rights of homosexuals; as perpetrators of "discrimination of an unusual character;" and as persons whose actions impose a "stigma" on gay persons. Read more
Marriage and Imagination: After the Supreme Court
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, extending benefits to same-sex married couples.
What you've heard from the media, which isn't actually the case, is that the Supreme Court struck down DOMA altogether. It didn't. Other than Section 3, it still stands. So it could have been worse. Read more
Gay marriage: In states, a hodgepodge lies ahead
Across the country, this week's landmark Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage have energized activists and politicians on both sides of the debate. Efforts to impose bans — and to repeal them — have taken on new intensity, as have lawsuits by gays demanding the right to marry. Read more
Culture wars: Why gay marriage and abortion have been ‘decoupled’
The contrasting images on the news this week could not have been more stark: On the steps of the Supreme Court, supporters of gay marriage celebrated two victories – and a new sense of momentum.
But in Texas, abortion rights were under siege in the state legislature, as Gov. Rick Perry (R) sought to join the wave of states imposing sweeping restrictions on the procedure. The effort failed, with a dramatic filibuster, but he’ll try again Monday.
What’s going on? Read more
No comments:
Post a Comment