Evangelical Leaders’ United Response to the Supreme Court’s ‘Marriage’ Ruling

Following today’s Supreme Court decision legalizing gay “marriage” nationwide, a coalition of prominent evangelical leaders released this response:  As evangelical Christians, we dissent from the court’s ruling that redefines marriage. The state did not create the family, and should not try to recreate the family in its own image. We will not capitulate on marriage because biblical authority requires that we cannot. The outcome of the Supreme Court’s ruling to redefine marriage represents what seems like the result of a half-century of witnessing marriage’s decline through divorce, cohabitation, and a worldview of almost limitless sexual freedom. The Supreme Court’s actions pose incalculable risks to an already volatile social fabric by alienating those whose beliefs about marriage are motivated by deep biblical convictions and concern for the common good. The Bible clearly teaches the enduring truth that marriage consists of one man and one woman. From Genesis to Revelation, the authority of Scripture witnesses to the nature of biblical marriage as uniquely bound to the complementarity of man and woman. This truth is not negotiable. The Lord Jesus himself said that marriage is from the beginning (Matt. 19:4-6), so no human institution has the authority to redefine marriage any more than a human institution has the authority to redefine the gospel, which marriage mysteriously reflects (Eph. 5:32). The Supreme Court’s ruling to redefine marriage demonstrates mistaken judgment by disregarding what history and countless civilizations have passed on to us, but it also represents an aftermath that evangelicals themselves, sadly, are not guiltless in contributing to. Too often, professing evangelicals have failed to model the ideals we so dearly cherish and believe are central to gospel proclamation. Evangelical churches must be faithful to the biblical witness on marriage regardless of the cultural shift. Evangelical churches in America now find themselves in a new moral landscape that calls us to minister in a context growing more hostile to a biblical sexual ethic. This is not new in the history of the church. From its earliest beginnings, whether on the margins of society or in a place of influence, the church is defined by the gospel. We insist that the gospel brings good news to all people, regardless of whether the culture considers the news good or not. The gospel must inform our approach to public witness. As evangelicals animated by the good news that God offers reconciliation through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, we commit to:

• Respect and pray for our governing authorities even as we work through the democratic process to rebuild a culture of marriage (Rom. 13:1-7);
• the truth about biblical marriage in a way that brings healing to a sexually broken culture;
• affirm the biblical mandate that all persons, including LGBT persons, are created in the image of God and deserve dignity and respect;
• love our neighbors regardless of whatever disagreements arise as a result of conflicting beliefs about marriage;
• live respectfully and civilly alongside those who may disagree with us for the sake of the common good;
• cultivate a common culture of religious liberty that allows the freedom to live and believe differently to prosper.

The redefinition of marriage should not entail the erosion of religious liberty. In the coming years, evangelical institutions could be pressed to sacrifice their sacred beliefs about marriage and sexuality in order to accommodate whatever demands the culture and law require. We do not have the option to meet those demands without violating our consciences and surrendering the gospel. We will not allow the government to coerce or infringe upon the rights of institutions to live by the sacred belief that only men and women can enter into marriage. The gospel of Jesus Christ determines the shape and tone of our ministry. Christian theology considers its teachings about marriage both timeless and unchanging, and therefore we must stand firm in this belief. Outrage and panic are not the responses of those confident in the promises of a reigning Christ Jesus. While we believe the Supreme Court has erred in its ruling, we pledge to stand steadfastly, faithfully witnessing to the biblical teaching that marriage is the chief cornerstone of society, designed to unite men, women, and children. We promise to proclaim and live this truth at all costs, with convictions that are communicated with kindness and love. Signatories: Russell Moore, President, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Jeff Iorg, President, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary David Platt, President, International Mission Board Ronnie Floyd, President, Southern Baptist Convention | Senior Pastor, Cross Church Danny Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary David S. Dockery, President, Trinity International University/Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Tony Evans, Senior Pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Robert Sloan, President, Houston Baptist University Barrett Duke, Vice President for Public Policy and Research and Director of the Research Institute, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Matt Chandler, Lead Teaching Pastor, The Village Church Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Jason Duesing, Provost, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Jeffrey K. Jue, Provost, Westminster Theological Seminary Kevin Smith, Teaching Pastor, Highview Baptist Church Paul David Tripp, Pastor, Author, and International Conference Speaker Dean Inserra, Lead Pastor, City Church, Tallahassee John Stonestreet, Speaker and Fellow, The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview Ramon Osorio, Hispanic National Church Mobilizer, North American Mission Board Jimmy Scroggins, Lead Pastor, Family Church, West Palm Beach Jackie Hill Perry, Writer, Speaker, Artist Greg Laurie, Senior Pastor, Harvest Christian Fellowship Trip Lee, Rapper, singer, poet and author J. Ligon Duncan III, Chancellor & CEO, John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary H.B. Charles Jr., Pastor-Teacher, Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School David E. Prince, Assistant Professor of Christian Preaching, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary A.B Vines, Senior Pastor, New Seasons Church Mike Cosper, Pastor of Worship and Arts, Sojourn Community Church Nathan Lino, Lead Pastor, Northeast Houston Baptist Church Heath Lambert, Executive Director, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors Tony Merida, Pastor for Preaching, Imago Dei Church Clint Pressley, Pastor, Hickory Grove Baptist Church Vance Pitman, Senior Pastor, Hope Church, Las Vegas Bruce Riley Ashford, Provost, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Phillip Bethancourt, Executive Vice President, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Jonathan Leeman, Editorial Director, 9Marks Thomas White, President, Cedarville University Karen Swallow Prior, Professor of English, Liberty University Jason Allen, President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Rosaria Butterfield, Author and Speaker J.D. Greear, Pastor, The Summit Church Collin Hansen, Editorial Director, The Gospel Coalition Eric Teetsel, Executive Director, Manhattan Declaration Andrew T. Walker, Director of Policy Studies, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Daniel Patterson, Chief of Staff, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Daniel Darling, Vice-President of Communications, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Trillia Newbell, Director of Community Outreach, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission David French, National Review Paul Nyquist, President and CEO, Moody Bible Institute Kevin Ezell, President, North American Mission Board Roger Spradlin, Senior Pastor, Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, Calif. Carmen Fowler LaBerge, President, Presbyterian Lay Committee Tommy Nelson, Senior Pastor, Denton Bible Church J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Biola University Bryant Wright, Senior Pastor, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Matthew Lee Anderson, Lead Writer, Mere Orthodoxy Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition Bruce Frank, Senior Pastor, Biltmore Baptist Church Afshin Ziafat, Lead Pastor, Providence Church, Frisco, Texas David Jeremiah, Senior Pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church Christine Hoover, Author Jim Baucom, Senior Pastor, Columbia Baptist Church Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, President, Union University James MacDonald, Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel Juan R. Sanchez, Jr., Senior Pastor, High Pointe Baptist Church, Austin, Texas David Uth, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Orlando Timothy George, Dean and Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor, Parkside Church Naghmeh Abedini Steve Gaines, Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church Richard Mouw, Professor of Faith and Public Life, Fuller Seminary Ron Sider, Senior Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy, Palmer Seminary at Eastern University Randy Alcorn, Director, Eternal Perspectives Ministries Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor, University Reformed Church Justin Taylor, Author and Blogger Dennis Rainey, President, FamilyLife Today Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Revive our Hearts Ray Ortlund, Lead Pastor, Immanuel Nashville John Bradosky, Presiding Bishop, North American Lutheran Church Matt Carter, Pastor of Preaching and Vision, The Austin Stone Community Church Owen Strachan, President, The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Richard D. Land, President, Southern Evangelical Seminary Sam Storms, Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bridgeway Church Bart Barber, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Farmersville Hunter Baker, Associate Professor of Political Science and Dean of Instruction, Union University Bryan Chapell, Senior Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church J.I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor, Theology Regent College Erwin W. Lutzer, Senior Pastor, The Moody Church D.A. Horton, Director of ReachLife Ministries, National Coordinator for Urban Student Missions Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church Fred Luter, Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church Bryan Loritts, Pastor of Preaching and Mission, Trinity Grace Church, Kainos Movement Mike Glenn, Senior Pastor, Brentwood Baptist Church Johnny Hunt, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Woodstock Ken Whitten, Senior Pastor, Idlewild Baptist Church Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-chief, WORLD Magazine Todd Wagner, Senior Pastor, Watermark Church Christopher Yuan, Speaker, Author, Bible teacher Tory Baucum, Rector, Truro Anglican Church Bryan Carter, Pastor, Concord Church