ERLC
Here We Stand: An Evangelical Declaration on Marriage
More than 100 leaders respond to Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage.
A coalition of evangelical leaders assembled by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has released the following:
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);
- teach 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.
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