How Evangelical Leaders Responded to the Supreme Court Marriage Ruling

In light of last Friday’s Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex “marriage” nationwide, the leading evangelical pastors and organizations have spoken out on the issue – emphasizing everything from the narrative of Genesis to the character of American democracy, from the rule of law to the reign of God. 17 Former Southern Baptist Convention Presidents: Just prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling, 17 past president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) stretching back to 1981 issued a private statement that reads in part: “We will not accept, nor adhere to, any legal redefinition of marriage issued by any political or judicial body including the United States Supreme Court. We will not recognize same-sex “marriages”, our churches will not host same-sex ceremonies, and we will not perform such ceremonies…We also believe religious freedom is at stake within this critical issue – that our first duty is to love and obey God, not man…As the nation’s largest non-Catholic denomination with over 16 million members, we stake our very lives and future on the Truth of God’s Word. We also join together to support those who stand for natural marriage in the corporate world, the marketplace, education, entertainment, media and elsewhere with our prayers and influence, and resources.” (Signatories include: Bailey E. Smith, 1981, 1982; Morris H. Chapman, 1991, 1992; James T. Draper, Jr., 1983, 1984; Charles F. Stanley, 1985, 1986; Jerry Vines, 1989, 1990; H. Edwin Young, 1993, 1994; James B. Henry, 1995, 1996; Tom Elliff, 1997, 1998; Paige Patterson, 1999, 2000; James Merritt, 2001, 2002; Jack Graham, 2003, 2004; Bobby Welch, 2005, 2006; Frank S. Page, 2007, 2008; Johnny M. Hunt, 2009, 2010; Bryant Wright, 2011, 2012; Fred Luter, 2013, 2014; and Ronnie Floyd, 2015, 2016.) John Hagee, Cornerstone Church, San Antonio, Texas: In a special video message, Pastor John Hagee called the 5-4 ruling a “naked judicial power grab” that is “at odds with our system of government.” Under the Constitution, states have the right to define marriage, “even if it offends the arrogance of the Supreme Court.” More importantly, the ruling has already been overturned by a higher authority. “The Supreme Court in Washington has handed down its decision in a 5-4 ruling supporting same-sex marriage. But the Supreme Court in Heaven has handed down its unanimous decision in a 3-0 ruling from God the Father Son and HS recorded int eh Book of Genesis 2:24 stating, ‘Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh.’ Marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriage will never be accepted in Heaven as legitimate, so says God Almighty. This Supreme Court has made America the new Sodom and Gomorrah. God will have to judge America, or God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. We are at that place where God is asking the church: Who is on God’s side?” Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse: On his Facebook page, Rev. Graham said that the Supreme Court “did not define marriage, and therefore is not entitled to re-define it. Long before our government came into existence, marriage was created by the One who created man and woman—Almighty God—and His decisions are not subject to review or revision by any manmade court. God is clear about the definition of marriage in His Holy Word: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). I pray God will spare America from His judgment, though, by our actions as a nation, we give Him less and less reason to do so.” He later said, “There will be persecution of Christians for our stand.” Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: “The threat to religious liberty represented by this decision is clear, present, and inevitable. Assurances to the contrary, the majority in this decision has placed every religious institution in legal jeopardy if that institution intends to uphold its theological convictions limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman…One of the most dangerous dimensions of this decision is evident in what can only be described as the majority’s vilification of those who hold to a traditional view of marriage as exclusively the union of a man and a woman…We must contend for religious liberty for all, and focus our energies on protecting the rights of Christian citizens and Christian institutions to teach and operate on the basis of Christian conviction. We cannot be silent, and we cannot join the moral revolution that stands in direct opposition to what we believe the Creator has designed, given, and intended for us. We cannot be silent, and we cannot fail to contend for marriage as the union of a man and a woman.” Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas “Those who want to sue the Church have been emboldened as well as equipped by the Supreme Court to bring such a suit,” Jeffress said in a recent interview with The Christian Post. “I believe that today, an unintended consequence, but a very real consequence of this decision, is the Supreme Court has just declared open season on those who believe in traditional marriage and they granted liberals a hunting license to go after those who resist same-sex marriage.” National Religious Broadcasters (NRB): “This judicial activism is a slap at democratic governance and shows disdain for a holy institution that has been the bedrock of human society for millennia,” Dr. Jerry A. Johnson, President & CEO of NRB, declared. “Roe did not end the debate on abortion; rather it sparked new energy in the battle to defend the sanctity of human life. This ruling will not be the end for marriage,” “Christians citizens must be free to believe, free to speak, and free to obey what the Bible says about marriage – in and out of church, seven days a week,” Dr. Johnson said. “Especially after the Obama administration’s shocking admission to the Court, which somehow did not dissuade this ruling, we need the First Amendment Defense Act.” The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI): “The Supreme Court has redefined the concept of marriage in America by declaring everyone has a right to marriage despite their sexual orientation.,” said Rev. Anthony Evans, President to the National Black Church Initiative, a coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African-American parishioners. “The church strongly believes the Supreme Court is about to abolish the institution of biblical marriage…a marriage between a man and a woman.” Jonathan Falwell, Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, VA): “It is a sad day in our nation when the Supreme Court believes it has the moral right to redefine marriage. Beyond the clear Biblical mandate that marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, this decision flies in the face of all of recorded history. The Bible clearly commands us to love others regardless of their spiritual or moral condition, but it does not leave room for us to change the definition of sin. For those in the faith community, this decision doesn’t change what we do or how we do it. We will continue to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the only hope for the world. We will do this in a way that always reflects Christ’s love, but we will not compromise our values or beliefs according to the Scriptures.” The Georgia Baptist Convention (GBC): “Throughout the scriptures it is very clear what God’s idea and purpose of marriage is,” said Dr. J. Robert White, executive director, Georgia Baptist Convention. “We support the biblical view of marriage on moral religious grounds, but also for the value and impact traditional marriage has on the family, stability and society as a whole.” Linda Harvey, Mission America: “This unsupportable ruling will open the door to the violation of religious convictions and to civil disobedience if necessary by people of faith,” said Linda Harvey, president of Mission America, an Ohio-based Christian pro-family group. “Despite the bone tossed to people of faith by Justice Kennedy in his majority opinion, Americans can no longer trust this court or trust that such First Amendment freedoms will be sustained.” Because of this arrogant and unsustainable decision, America now stands in defiance of God, and we can only pray now for His mercy on our nation,” she said. “Parents, it’s time to make some hard decisions. Your children will now be told in public schools that there is only one view of sexuality and it is that anything goes. Thirteen year olds can ‘date’ people of the same sex and go full speed into the homosexual life, and any efforts to prevent them from doing so will be subject to restraint by the full force of law.” John Michael Talbot, Christian recording artist and Catholic monk: “The United States has been fundamentally remade by a shift from traditional Judeo-Christian moral values to a secular humanist base in recent years. It is only now coming to legal fruition,” he said. “It is only when people change that nations can change. When we change the hearts and minds of each person within our culture, then our laws will eventually reflect that change as well. This happens one human heart at a time. It has changed mighty empires in the past. It can again. For now, our laws reflect the secular humanism of the people within our culture. So, let’s pray that this will change through simply living the Gospel of Jesus Christ with integrity, respect, and love for all people everywhere. All things are possible with God!” The Evangelical Church Alliance (ECA): “Notwithstanding this most recent abrogation of divine and natural law, the ECA encourages its member clergy, churches, and organizations, as well as all Christians everywhere, to remain, “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (I Corinthians 15:58) At the same time, the ECA is committed to sharing the Gospel with all persons, regardless of their sexual orientation or the configuration of their relationships or families, in keeping with the timeless declaration of Christ in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Finally, marriage will always be a loving gift from God to a man and a woman for the fulfillment of His will for humanity, whether or not it is recognized as such by the judicial branch of the United States Federal Government. Dr. Alveda King, Priests for Life outreach director and niece of Martin Luther King Jr.: “The Supreme Court has spoken and ruled from a position of common law – human law – that gay and lesbian couples have a fundamental right to marry. This is the highest rule that humans can make. Yet this is not the final word. In the end, natural law, God’s law will always trump common law. Do not fear or be confused or deceived. Remain prayerful. Keep looking up. God will have the final word in this matter.” Donnie McClurkin, pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in New York: “We’ve just received the answer from man’s Supreme Court … we already received the answer from GOD,” the pastor, who has publicly admitted to a homosexual past, wrote on Facebook. “With NO REGARD to what the Supreme Court of MAN decrees…no matter what MY past was or feelings & struggles…GOD has set the only standard for marriage to be between man and woman…in biology, in physiology, in history, biblically & scripturally and that…I will NEVER speak against!.” (Emphasis in original.) Mark D. Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy: “As in other infamous politicized rulings, the Supreme Court has chosen fashion over law. There are no winners, and the biggest losers are children in America who are the chief victims of the breakdown of marriage and family. As the Church has for 42 years rallied ongoing resistance to the court’s Roe vs. Wade invention of a right to unrestricted abortion, so now the Church must resist the court’s attempt to claim authority over the definition of marriage…Now is not the time for despair, retreat or anger. The court’s arrogance should be mocked, and the Church should declare that, in a free society, appointed judges don’t have power over what is eternally rooted in creation.” Janice Shaw Crouse, World Congress of Families: “The natural family was here long before the Supreme Court — long before governments — and it will be here long after they are gone,” said Janice Shaw Crouse, Executive Director of the World Congress of Families IX. “The Supreme Court cannot by dictate erase every child’s need—every child’s right—to a mother and a father….If the Court does not recognize this basic element of human ecology—then we must energize an effective cultural movement to protect our children and our future by defending the rights of the most vulnerable, and help our societies rediscover and reclaim the benefits of this uniquely sustainable and beneficial structure.”