The debate over Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the anticipation of the Supreme Court oral arguments concerning same-sex marriage (to be held April 28) have produced an extraordinary output of thoughtful articles and op-eds concerning human sexuality, Christian faith, and the future of marriage in our country.
So, the Social Conservative Review is sending out this special edition to help you wade-through the many publications that are addressing these themes. It’s our hope that these resources will help clarify the main issues and better equip you for the debates to follow in the days ahead.
As Archbishops Charles J. Chaput and William E. Lori, Princeton University professor Robert P. George, Southern Baptist Seminary President R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president Russell Moore wrote earlier this month in The Public Discourse, “It’s Time to Talk About Religious Liberty.”
FRC has filed its own amicus curiae brief in Obergefell v. Hodges, the general name of the combined cases the Court will hear. FRC’s brief has been authored by respected constitutional attorney Paul Linton, formerly of the Thomas More Society, and FRC Senior Fellow Chris Gacek, J.D., our brief debunks the argument that the “fundamental right to marry” includes a right to marry a person of the same sex, as well as the contention that limiting marriage to opposite-sex unions constitutes a form of sex discrimination.
The brief also challenges the argument that the male-female marital definition discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, noting that issuers of marriage licenses have never inquired into the sexual orientation of the (opposite-sex) spouses-to-be. As FRC President Tony Perkins commented about the brief, “Americans should be free to uphold marriage as it has always been defined, the union of a man and a woman.”
It is easy to overdramatize public policy issues; sometimes, Christian groups issue Jeremiah-like warnings too readily. This is not such a time: The implications of the Supreme Court’s decision could be farther reaching than, at present, anyone knows. Please consider that as you pray about the hearing at the Court on April 28 and the Court’s final ruling in June. And please consider joining FRC in our “21 Days of Prayer and Fasting for Marriage” leading up to April 28.
However the Supreme Court rules, the Most High will continue to rule in the affairs of men (Daniel 4:17), undisturbed and sovereign. His message of hope in Christ for all men will remain unchanged. Those who know Him need to keep sharing it.
Sincerely,
Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council
P.S. I cannot speak too highly of my colleague Dr. Kenyn Cureton’s “Lost Episodes in American History.” These well-researched, elegantly written, and highly relevant vignettes concerning the religious heritage of our country and those who created it have great bearing on our day. Read, learn, and consider how to apply these timeless lessons.
Christian Faith, Religious Liberty, and American Law
- Persecuting Believers Doesn't Protect Anyone's Civil Rights – Hon. J. Kenneth Blackwell, Hon. Edwin Messe III, Investor’s Business Daily
- The Writing’s On the Wall for Christians – Rod Dreher, TIME Magazine
- My Father Was Gay. Why I Oppose Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage – Dawn Stefanowicz, The Daily Signal
- The Jujitsu of Same-Sex Marriage – Hadley Arkes, First Things
- A Place for Conscience: Anti-gay discrimination is wrong, but it is not Jim Crow– Kevin D. Williamson, National Review
- Bait And Switch: How Same Sex Marriage Ends Family Autonomy - Stella Morabito, The Federalist
- On Bullying – Molly Oshatz, Openly Catholic
- The Dead End of Sexual Sin – Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Desiring God
- Why Is a Wedding Any Different? – Kevin DeYoung, The Gospel Coalition
- Why We Can't Bow to the New Established Religion – Eric Metaxas, Christian Headlines/Breakpoint
- Must Christianity change its sexual ethics? History may hold the key – Trevin Wax, Religion News Service
- Denver bakers cleared of bias for refusing to make Bible cakes – Kiley Crossland, WORLD Magazine
- Should Mom-and-Pops That Forgo Gay Weddings Be Destroyed? - Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic
- Getting Religious Freedom Right – Ed Feulner, The Patriot Post
- The Case Against Gay Marriage: Top Law Firms Won’t Touch It – Adam Liptak, New York Times
- The ‘Party of CEOs’ and Religious Liberty – Maggie Gallagher, National Review
- The Two Shall Become One Flesh: Reclaiming Marriage – Evangelicals and Catholics Together, First Things
- The culture degrades, but truth endures – LaShawn Barber, WORLD Magazine
- Same-Sex “Marriage” and the Persecution of the Hobbits – Lydia McGrew, The Stream
- America’s Greatest “Right”: Sex Without Consequences – Jonathan Pokluda, The Porch
- Religious conservatives are the targets of discrimination, ADF lawyer says - John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times
- Dear Dolce & Gabbana- a letter of support from children of gays and lesbians – Katy Faust, Ask the Bigot
- Obama administration: Catholic school upholding marriage is ‘sex discrimination’ - Drew Belsky, Life Site News
- How RFRA helps us love our neighbors – Samuel James, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (Southern Baptist Convention)
