Will Pastors in America Be Forced to Officiate Gay Weddings?
It should be obvious to all that the ultimate goal of the far left is to re-interpret and or amend the First Amendment to take away religious liberty and freedom of speech.
Since the legalization of same-sex marriage in some jurisdictions, activists on the left have been emboldened to equate their cause with basic, fundamental human and civil rights. Furthermore, it seems clear that the present administration has a position in which same sex rights trump freedom of religion.
That being said, the next major battlefront has now shifted from fighting to protect the definition of biblical marriage to religious freedom. Because activist federal judges have been overturning the state laws banning same-sex marriage (California, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to name a few), it seems as though traditional marriage advocates have lost this legal battle for now.
Soon we will see (legal) movement in America towards forcing all clergy to perform same-sex weddings irrespective of their church bylaws or doctrinal views a la Denmark.
Now more then ever, pastors need to use their prophetic voices to protect religious freedom or we will soon see a day when the nation’s legal system will be totally turned against our freedom of conscience! Pastors who remain silent and or just preach an innocuous individual gospel that avoids social issues will soon be forced (like the rest of us) to marry same-sex couples or risk facing a fine, losing their tax-exempt status or worse. Those who dare preach the biblical position on sexuality may even be charged with hate speech and go to jail.
It’s not too late to stop this tidal wave intent on wiping out the First Amendment. Unfortunately, most pastors and churches seem to think it is still business as usual and do not understand the times or how much the present administration has fundamentally shifted our cultural and ethical norms away from our Judeo/Christian heritage.
The country we love and serve has turned against God’s moral law and the legal system that once protected Bible-believing churches is now turned against them. To recover our nation’s Biblical values, America not only needs revival—she desperately needs a reformation.
Joseph Mattera is overseeing bishop of Resurrection Church, Christ Covenant Coalition, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
