AFA Action Alert: Three Things Churches Must Do to Protect Themselves
TUPELO, Miss.—In the wake of Friday’s Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage across the nation, American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) is encouraging churches to take specific action steps to protect their religious liberties.
In its recent Action Alert, AFA suggests that churches immediately do three things: adopt a clear statement of faith regarding human sexuality and marriage; clarify that weddings in the church are Christian worship services; and adopt a policy that clearly restricts the use of ministry facilities to the ministry’s religious purposes.
“Without question, the Supreme Court’s decision to impose homosexual marriage as a constitutional right is disappointing,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “There was a time when the Court rightly bestowed a great respect for America’s Christian heritage and to the Creator, to which the Declaration of Independence refers. Sadly, those time are passed. As Christians, we know God, in His great wisdom, established the institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman. Not even the Supreme Court can change that.
“Because of judicial activism, Christian ministries can and should take steps to protect their religious freedoms. No longer can even churches believe they are immune to the compulsive and aggressive nature of the homosexual agenda,” Wildmon added.
AFA makes important resources available to help church pastors, leadership and other ministries to protect themselves in the coming storm of homosexual activism.
American Family Studios, a division of AFA, has produced a short documentary that provides legal analysis of the dangers posed to religious liberty by the ruling. Watch the trailer here. In addition, AFA is offering insights from AFA General Counsel Patrick Vaughn in a commentary titled “Will a gay marriage storm crush your church?,” which will help churches understand the dangers of taking no action on this important matter.
Alliance Defending Freedom has also produced a handbook, “A Legal Guide for Churches, Christian Schools, and Christian Ministries,” which walks churches through every step of adopting strong marriage policies, including sample resolutions and statements.
“As Christians, we can and must guard our religious freedoms while showing Christ’s mercy to people in bondage to homosexuality,” Wildmon added. “Avoiding problems in the future depends on what we do today.”
After the ruling on Friday, AFA released the following statement:
“This ruling rejects not only thousands of years of time-honored marriage but also the rule of law in the United States. In states across the nation, voters acted through the democratic process to protect marriage and the family. Yet, courts around the country chose to disregard the will of the people in favor of political correctness and social experimentation. And we witnessed firsthand the consequences, as individuals were repeatedly targeted by the government for not actively supporting homosexual marriage. Sadly, our nation’s highest Court, which should be a symbol of justice, has chosen instead to be a tool of tyranny, elevating judicial will above the will of the people.
“There is no doubt that this ruling will imperil religious liberty in America, as individuals of faith who uphold time-honored marriage and choose not to advocate for same-sex unions will now be viewed as extremists. But to the Court, we send this unequivocal message: We will continue to uphold God’s plan for marriage between one man and one woman, and we call on all Christians to continue to pray for the nation, and for those whose religious liberties will be directly impacted by this ruling.”
