REAL DEAL MANHOOD

Here We Stand: An Evangelical Declaration on Marriage

A coalition of over 100 evangelical leaders assembled by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has released the following in response to the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage) (The Washington Area Coalition of Men's Ministries (WACMM)) supports and has signed on to this statement):

As evangelical Christians, we dissent from the court’s ruling that redefines marriage. The state did not create the family, and should not try to recreate the family in its own image. We will not capitulate on marriage because biblical authority requires that we cannot. The outcome of the Supreme Court’s ruling to redefine marriage represents what seems like the result of a half-century of witnessing marriage’s decline through divorce, cohabitation, and a worldview of almost limitless sexual freedom. The Supreme Court’s actions pose incalculable risks to an already volatile social fabric by alienating those whose beliefs about marriage are motivated by deep biblical convictions and concern for the common good.

The Bible clearly teaches the enduring truth that marriage consists of one man and one woman. From Genesis to Revelation, the authority of Scripture witnesses to the nature of biblical marriage as uniquely bound to the complementarity of man and woman. This truth is not negotiable. The Lord Jesus himself said that marriage is from the beginning (Matt. 19:4-6), so no human institution has the authority to redefine marriage any more than a human institution has the authority to redefine the gospel, which marriage mysteriously reflects (Eph. 5:32). The Supreme Court’s ruling to redefine marriage demonstrates mistaken judgment by disregarding what history and countless civilizations have passed on to us, but it also represents an aftermath that evangelicals themselves, sadly, are not guiltless in contributing to. Too often, professing evangelicals have failed to model the ideals we so dearly cherish and believe are central to gospel proclamation.

Evangelical churches must be faithful to the biblical witness on marriage regardless of the cultural shift. Evangelical churches in America now find themselves in a new moral landscape that calls us to minister in a context growing more hostile to a biblical sexual ethic. This is not new in the history of the church. From its earliest beginnings, whether on the margins of society or in a place of influence, the church is defined by the gospel. We insist that the gospel brings good news to all people, regardless of whether the culture considers the news good or not.

The gospel must inform our approach to public witness. As evangelicals animated by the good news that God offers reconciliation through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, we commit to:

• Respect and pray for our governing authorities even as we work through the democratic process to rebuild a culture of marriage (Rom. 13:1-7);

• teach the truth about biblical marriage in a way that brings healing to a sexually broken culture;

• affirm the biblical mandate that all persons, including LGBT persons, are created in the image of God and deserve dignity and respect;

• love our neighbors regardless of whatever disagreements arise as a result of conflicting beliefs about marriage;

• live respectfully and civilly alongside those who may disagree with us for the sake of the common good;

• cultivate a common culture of religious liberty that allows the freedom to live and believe differently to prosper.

The redefinition of marriage should not entail the erosion of religious liberty. In the coming years, evangelical institutions could be pressed to sacrifice their sacred beliefs about marriage and sexuality in order to accommodate whatever demands the culture and law require. We do not have the option to meet those demands without violating our consciences and surrendering the gospel. We will not allow the government to coerce or infringe upon the rights of institutions to live by the sacred belief that only men and women can enter into marriage.

The gospel of Jesus Christ determines the shape and tone of our ministry. Christian theology considers its teachings about marriage both timeless and unchanging, and therefore we must stand firm in this belief. Outrage and panic are not the responses of those confident in the promises of a reigning Christ Jesus. While we believe the Supreme Court has erred in its ruling, we pledge to stand steadfastly, faithfully witnessing to the biblical teaching that marriage is the chief cornerstone of society, designed to unite men, women, and children. We promise to proclaim and live this truth at all costs, with convictions that are communicated with kindness and love.

A.B Vines

Senior Pastor
New Seasons Church

Afshin Ziafat

Lead Pastor
Providence Church - Frisco, TX.

Alistair Begg

Senior Pastor
Parkside Church

Andrew T. Walker

Director of Policy Studies
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Bart Barber

Pastor
First Baptist Church of Famersville

Bruce Frank

Senior Pastor
Biltmore Baptist Church

Bruce Riley Ashford

Provost
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Bryan Carter

Pastor
Concord Church

Bryan Chapell

Senior Pastor
Grace Presbyterian Church

Bryan Loritts

Pastor of Preaching and Mission
Trinity Grace Church, Kainos Movement

Bryant Wright

Senior Pastor
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

Carmen Fowler LaBerge

President
Presbyterian Lay Committee

Christine Hoover

Author

Christopher Yuan

Speaker, Author, Bible Teacher

Clint Pressley

Pastor & Former VP of SBC
Hickory Grove Baptist Church

Collin Hansen

Editorial Director
The Gospel Coalition

D.A. Carson

Research Professor of NT
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

D.A. Horton

Daniel Darling
Vice-President of Communications
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Daniel Patterson

Chief of Staff
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Danny Akin

President
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

David E. Prince

Assistant Professor of Christian Preaching
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

David French

National Review

David Jeremiah

Senior Pastor
Shadow Mountain Community Church

David S. Dockery

President
Trinity International University/Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

David Platt

President
International Mission Board

David Uth

Senior Pastor
First Baptist Orlando

Dean Inserra

Lead Pastor
City Church, Tallahassee

Dennis Rainey

President
Family Life Today

Eric Teetsel

Executive Director
Manhattan Declaration

Erwin W. Lutzer

Senior Pastor
The Moody Church

Fred Luter

Pastor
Franklin Avenue Baptist Church

Gabriel Salguero

President
National Latino Evangelical Coalition

H.B. Charles Jr.

Pastor-Teacher
Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church

Heath Lambert

Executive Director
Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

Hunter Baker

Associate Professor of Political Science; Dean of Instruction
Union University

James MacDonald

Pastor
Harvest Bible Chapel

J.P. Moreland

Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
Biola University

J.D. Greear

Pastor
The Summit Church

J.I. Packer

Board of Governors’ Professor, Theology
Regent College

Jason Allen

President
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Jeff Iorg

President
Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary

Jim Daly

President
Focus on the Family

Jimmy Scroggins

Lead Pastor
Family Church, West Palm Beach

John Bradosky

Presiding Bishop North American Lutheran Church

John Stonestreet

Speaker and Fellow
The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview

Johnny Hunt

Pastor
First Baptist Church of Woodstock

Jonathan Leeman

Editorial Director
9Marks

Juan R. Sanchez, Jr.

Senior Pastor
High Pointe Baptist Church, Austin, Texas

Justin Taylor

Karen Swallow Prior
Fellow, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Convention Fellow
Professor of English, Liberty University

Ken Whitten

Senior Pastor
Idlewild Baptist Church

Kevin DeYoung

Senior Pastor
University Reformed Church

Kevin Ezell

President
North American Mission Board

Kevin Smith

Teaching Pastor
Highview Baptist Church

Mark Dever

Senior Pastor
Capitol Hill Baptist Church

Marvin Olasky

Editor-in-chief WORLD Magazine

Matt Carter

Pastor of Preaching and Vision
The Austin Stone Community Church

Matt Chandler

Senior Pastor
The Village Church

Matthew Lee Anderson

Lead Writer
Mere Orthodoxy

Mike Cosper

Pastor of Worship and Arts
Sojourn Community Church

Mike Glenn

Senior Pastor
Brentwood Baptist Church

Naghmeh Abedini

Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Revive our Hearts

Nathan Lino

Lead Pastor
Northeast Houston Baptist Church

Owen Strachan

President
The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Paul Nyquist

President and CEO
Moody Bible Institute

Phillip Bethancourt

Executive Vice President
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Ramon Osorio

Hispanic National Church Mobilizer
North American Mission Board

Randy Alcorn

Director
Eternal Perspectives Ministries

Ray Ortlund

Lead Pastor
Immanuel Nashville

Richard D. Land

President
Southern Evangelical Seminary

Richard Mouw

Professor of Faith and Public Life
Fuller Seminary

Robert Sloan

President
Houston Baptist University

Roger Spradlin

Senior Pastor
Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, CA

Ron Sider

Senior Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry, and Public Policy
Palmer Seminary at Eastern University

Ronnie Floyd

President, Southern Baptist Convention
Senior Pastor, Cross Church

Rosaria Butterfield

Author and Speaker

Russell Moore

President
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Sam Storms

Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision
Bridgeway Church

Samuel W. "Dub" Oliver

President
Union University

Samuel Rodriguez

President
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Thomas White

President
Cedarville University

Timothy George

Dean and Professor of Divinity
Beeson Divinity School

Todd Wagner

Senior Pastor
Watermark Church

Tommy Nelson Sr.

Pastor
Denton Bible Church

Tony Evans

Senior Pastor
Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship

Tony Merida

Pastor for Preaching
Imago Dei Church

Tory Baucum

Rector
Truro Anglican Church

Trillia Newbell

Director of Community Outreach
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Trip Lee

Rapper, Author, Pastor

Vance Pitman

Senior Pastor
Hope Church, Las Vegas, NV

Dave Brown

Pastor and Director, Washington Area Coalition of Men's Ministries

Neil Smith

Pastor

Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church

 

If you would like us to add your name, church or organization to our listing, contact us at dave@wacmm.org