Supreme Court rules in favour of gaymarriage
THE US Supreme Court has legalised gay marriage in all 50 states.
US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy called the ruling a ‘constitutional right’, writing in his majority opinion: “As the State itself makes marriage all the more precious by the significance it attaches to it, exclusion from that status has the effect of teaching that gays and lesbians are unequal in important respects.”
The Archbishop and Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America released a statement saying they were ‘deeply grieved’ by the Supreme Court ruling.
“The United States of America, so its founders believed and taught, is a nation under God whose citizens’ fundamental rights are derived from the Creator. There is no right to a relationship which is contrary to the Creator’s express design,” they said.
Their Church will ‘continue to exercise its religious freedom’ and perform marriages as defined by the Church, between a man and a woman. The Bishops said they ‘respect the consciences’ of those clergy who may decline to perform marriages as agents of the state and urged its churches to respect such decisions.
“We are also well aware that this ruling may create difficulties for our lay members and Christian institutions as they seek to be faithful in upholding God’s design for marriage, and we will make every effort to find ways to support and stand with them,” the statement read.
CEO Tony Perkins of the Christian ‘pro-marriage, pro-life’ organisation, the Family Research Council, has called the Court decision ‘lacking in foundation’.
“Marriage is rooted not only in human history, but also in the biological and social reality that children are created by, and do best when raised by, a mother and a father. No court ruling can alter this truth.
“It is folly for the Court to think that it has resolved a controversial issue of public policy. By disenfranchising 50 million Americans, the Court has instead supercharged this issue,” he said.
A poll by, American church opinion surveyor, LifeWay Research, in December 2014, found that 49 per cent of 3,000 respondents agreed that “Religious weddings should not be connected to the state’s definition and recognition of marriage.” Research also found that 24 per cent of US clergy agree that “Clergy should no longer be involved in the state’s licensing of marriage.”
Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research said he was ‘surprised’ by the minority view amongst pastors.
“A noteworthy number are ready for pastors to stop saying, ‘By the power vested in me by the state…’ during a church wedding,” he said. “Because this is the first time the question has been asked, we don’t know if the view is growing, but it certainly is worth noticing,” he said.
The Vineyard Minister Ken Wilson has written an Open Letter to his congregants on embracing the LGBT community.
But Stetzer said: “Evangelicals are coming to the realisation that they hold a minority view in the culture, and that on this issue, they have lost the home-field advantage.”
Following the Supreme Court ruling, 14 states will now have to amend their bans on same-sex marriage; those include: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.