Just minutes following the Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, 100 evangelical leaders issued a statement entitled, “Here We Stand: An Evangelical Declaration on Marriage.” Not surprisingly, it is a stinging rebuke of the high court’s decision and a call for Christians to refuse to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages. With respect, I dissent from this dissent. I dissent from the angry tone because I am celebrating with couples in my church who have waited a long time for the nation to recognize them and their marriages as legitimate. In addition, my faith, my understanding of scripture, and my experience as a pastor lead me to disagree with most of the substance of the document. Here are a few examples.
The declaration states: 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. Huh? So more people getting married somehow contributes to the decline of marriage? Divorce, cohabitation and “limitless sexual freedom” have nothing to do with the desire of gay and lesbian couples to be married. In fact, the movement toward gay marriage is in the opposite direction from the “sexual revolution.” Gay couples are explicitly saying to the culture that they do not condone elicit sexual behavior but desire to be in committed, monogamous relationships in which they hold each other accountable to high standards of trust and mutual support. This is especially true of Christian gays and lesbians, who seek to enter into an explicitly Christian covenant under God. If anything, gay marriage is strengthening the institution, not weakening it.
The declaration states: 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. First, there are plenty of “incalculable risks” to the “volatile social fabric” – like spousal and child abuse, drug abuse, absentee fathers, loss of community, etc.