By Travis Loller
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Worried they could be sued by gay couples, some churches are changing their bylaws to reflect their view that the Bible allows only marriage between one man and one woman.
Although there have been lawsuits against wedding industry businesses that refuse to serve gay couples, attorneys promoting the bylaw changes say they don’t know of any lawsuits against churches.
Critics say the changes are unnecessary, but some churches fear that it’s only a matter of time before one of them is sued.
“I thought marriage was always between one man and one woman, but the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision said no,” said Gregory S. Erwin, an attorney for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, an association of Southern Baptist churches and one several groups advising churches to change their bylaws. “I think it’s better to be prepared because the law is changing. America is changing.”
In a June decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as between a man and a woman for purposes of federal law. A second decision was more technical but essentially ushered in legal gay marriage in California.
Kevin Snider is an attorney with the Pacific Justice Institute, a nonprofit legal defense group that specializes in conservative Christian issues. His organization released a model marriage policy a few years ago in response to a statewide gay marriage fight in California. Snider said some religious leaders have been threatened with lawsuits for declining to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies.
Dean Inserra, head pastor of the 1,000-member City Church Tallahassee, based in Florida, said he does not want to be alarmist, but his church is looking into how best to address the issue.
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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. With so-called mainline denominations equivocating on standards for marriage ceremonies, individual congregations cannot be content to rely upon the umbrella of protection once afforded them by the denominational belief system. Therefore it is very important that individual churches take steps to ensure that they define what they, as individual congregations, believe in, and what they will permit their buildings to be used for. Amending by-laws and adopting policies and procedures for building useage is a valuable step.
Churches should review their internal policies and clearly define their statements of faith to reflect how they want that faith to be lived out. It is only a matter of time before activists start suing individual churches demanding that they be used in a manner contrary to the church’s fundamental beliefs. If those beliefs are not spelled out, it might be more difficult for the church to prove the sincerity of their belief system.