By Matthew Everhard, A Christian Manifesto.
We are beginning to see lawsuits cropping up all over the country. Small businesses. Cake bakers. Caterers. Wedding chapels.
Traditional businesses and institutions are being threatened more and more everyday with aggressive litigation to advance the progressive alternative and unseat one of the most beloved and treasured Christian institutions: marriage.
But what about the local church? Is she in danger?
Can even she be protected from the coming deluge of marriage-related litigation? Can she still stand in an age in which the very ground seems to be shifting under our feet?
We hope so.
But the reality is, we just do not know how serious the threat will become to those who have endeavored to retain a Biblical and traditional view of marriage. The use of our buildings, our tax exempt status, even our rights to self-determination–all will likely be seriously questioned if not overtly attacked in the coming years.
One thing we do know is that it is better for a local church to have a solid, working definition of marriage – moored in Biblical theology and consistently practiced – so that when trial comes, it will have legal footing on which to stand.
DISCLAIMER: This article does not constitute legal advice. The writer is not a trained litigator, or a legal expert. It should not be construed as legal counsel.
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7 Comments. Leave new
I no more trust the louisville crowd when they say that perfroming gay unions will always be opitional, after our very, very humble stated clerk, and our round robin moderator sat there at the GA knowing damn good and well that the AI was illegal, that they’re not at some point going to tell all pcusa clergy either perform them or take a hike.
The PCUSA view of marriage is neither vague or hard and fast. It is nonexistent. The PCUSA equates coupling and relationships as it does the relationship between two unaffiliated house plants or pets. It is what one chooses to make of it, and in the subjective eye of the beholder. Its clergy can in essence be sexual libertines, and its churches more or less quivering masses of acceptability. The PCUSA is neither safe for children and or traditional families. In essence they do not count.
It is an wonder even the so-called liberated Millennials flee the organization as did generations prior.
So what does it say about you that you’re still part of such a denomination and use each and every article on the Layman to bash the denomination?
Or are you one of those pastors who won’t leave because your pension is more important than your principles?
Nothing could be further from the truth. Why should I leave? Why not you? It is a duty and obligation as a Christian, or any Christian, to point out sin, apostasy, simple stupidity as able. Offering commentary and observation. It is a web site. And with the PCUSA, it is indeed the gift that keeps on giving.
“And with the PCUSA, it is indeed the gift that keeps on giving.”
Like I said, it’s the pension.
It is sad after a lifetime of membership and service in two denominations–United Methodist and PCUSA–that some still cling to Biblical inerrancy and infallibility. God created us with brains that can think, reason, and learn. The more we know and understand how the Bible was compiled, the context of the times of composition, and the audiences that the author was addressing, the more we know that while the Bible contains everlasting truths, the ways in which truths are conveyed does not mean that everything in the Bible is factual. The Bible through the teachings of Jesus tells us how not only to live our lives, but more importantly how we show our love and care for our neighbors. Jesus was transformative in the Jewish culture of his day. So should we.
Tom: Cannot say what his real motivation might be, but can you even imagine staying in an organization when you believed all of those thing he claims to believe? A designated leadership role in that organization? Hard to imagine.