[Via ACNA]<\/a><\/p>\nDear Friends:<\/p>\n
At this significant time in our nation\u2019s history with the institution of marriage before the United States Supreme Court, we reaffirm our commitment to promote and defend marriage\u201d\u201dthe union of one man and one woman. As religious leaders from various faith communities, we acknowledge that marriage is the foundation of the family where children are raised by a mother and a father together. Our commitment to marriage has been expressed on previous occasions, including the Letter of Shared Commitment and Letter on Marriage and Religious Liberty. This commitment is inseparable from affirming the equal dignity of all people and the necessity of protecting their basic rights.<\/p>\n
The state has a compelling interest in maintaining marriage as it has been understood across faiths and cultures for millennia because it has a compelling interest in the well-being of children. Every child has a mother and a father, and every child deserves the opportunity, whenever possible, to be raised by his or her own married mother and father in a stable, loving home. Marriage as the union of a man and a woman is the only institution that encourages and safeguards the connection between children and their mother and father. Although this connection cannot always be realized and sustained\u201d\u201dand many single parents, for example, are heroic in their efforts to raise their children\u201d\u201dit is in the best interests of the state to encourage and uphold the family founded on marriage and to afford the union of husband and wife unique legal protection and reinforcement.<\/p>\n
The redefinition of legal marriage to include any other type of relationship has serious consequences, especially for religious freedom. It changes every law involving marital status, requiring that other such relationships be treated as if they were the same as the marital relationship of a man and a woman. No person or community, including religious organizations and individuals of faith, should be forced to accept this redefinition. For many people, accepting a redefinition of marriage would be to act against their conscience and to deny their religious beliefs and moral convictions. <\/p>\n
Government should protect the rights of those with differing views of marriage to express their beliefs and convictions without fear of intimidation, marginalization or unwarranted charges that their values imply hostility, animosity, or hatred of others.<\/p>\n
In this and in all that we do, we are motivated by our duty to love God and neighbor. This love extends to all those who disagree with us on this issue. The well-being of men, women, and the children they conceive compels us to stand for marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We call for the preservation of the unique meaning of marriage in the law, and for renewed respect for religious freedom and for the conscience rights of all in accord with the common good.<\/p>\n
Sincerely Yours:
\n\u201d\u0192<\/p>\n
The Rev. Dr. Leith Anderson
\nPresident
\nNational Association of Evangelicals<\/p>\n
The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
\nArchbishop and Primate
\nAnglican Church in North America<\/p>\n
Dr. A.D. Beacham, Jr.
\nPresiding Bishop
\nInternational Pentecostal Holiness Church<\/p>\n
The Rev. John F. Bradosky
\nBishop
\nNorth American Lutheran Church<\/p>\n
Rev. Mark Chavez
\nGeneral Secretary
\nNorth American Lutheran Church<\/p>\n
Clint Cook
\nExecutive Director
\nGeneral Association of General Baptists<\/p>\n
Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone
\nArchbishop of San Francisco
\nChairman
\nUSCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage<\/p>\n
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios
\nArchbishop of America
\nPresident of the Holy Eparchial Synod
\nGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America<\/p>\n
The Most Rev. Robert Duncan
\nArchbishop Emeritus
\nAnglican Church in North America
\nBishop, Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh<\/p>\n
Rev. Dr. Ron Hamilton
\nConference Minister
\nConservative Congregational Christian Conference<\/p>\n
Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison
\nPresident
\nLutheran Church – Missouri Synod<\/p>\n
Rev. Bruce D. Hill
\nBishop
\nEvangelical Congregational Church<\/p>\n
John Hopler
\nDirector
\nGreat Commission Churches<\/p>\n
Steven R. Jones
\nPresident
\nMissionary Church, Inc.<\/p>\n
Imam Faizul Khan
\nIslamic Society of Washington Area<\/p>\n
Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz
\nArchbishop of Louisville
\nPresident
\nUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops<\/p>\n
Most Rev. William E. Lori
\nArchbishop of Baltimore
\nChairman
\nUSCCB Ad Hoc Committee for
\nReligious Liberty<\/p>\n
Dr. Jo Anne Lyon
\nGeneral Superintendent
\nThe Wesleyan Church<\/p>\n
Most Rev. Richard J. Malone
\nBishop of Buffalo
\nChairman
\nUSCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth<\/p>\n
Dr. Russell Moore
\nPresident
\nSouthern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission<\/p>\n
Dr. Gus Reyes
\nDirector
\nChristian Life Commission, Texas Baptists<\/p>\n
Rev. Eugene F. Rivers, III
\nFounder and President
\nSeymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies<\/p>\n
Jacqueline C. Rivers
\nExecutive Director
\nSeymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies<\/p>\n
Larry Roberts
\nChief Operating Officer
\nThe Free Methodist Church \u201d\u201c USA<\/p>\n
Rocky Rocholl
\nPresident
\nFellowship of Evangelical Churches<\/p>\n
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez
\nPresident
\nNational Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference \/ Hispanic Evangelical Association<\/p>\n
Bishop Gary E. Stevenson
\nPresiding Bishop
\nThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/p>\n
Dr. L. Roy Taylor
\nStated Clerk
\nPresbyterian Church in America<\/p>\n
His Beatitude, The Most
\nBlessed Tikhon
\nArchbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada
\nOrthodox Church in America<\/p>\n
Dr. Joseph Tkach
\nPresident
\nGrace Communion International<\/p>\n
Rev. Dr. David Wendel
\nAssistant to the Bishop for
\nMinistry and Ecumenism
\nNorth American Lutheran Church<\/p>\n
Rev. Phillip Whipple
\nBishop
\nUnited Brethren in Christ Church, USA<\/p>\n
David P. Wilson
\nGeneral Secretary
\nChurch of the Nazarene<\/p>\n
Rev. Paul Winter
\nElder
\nBruderhof Communities<\/p>\n
Dr. George O. Wood
\nGeneral Superintendent
\nAssemblies of God<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An Open Letter from Religious Leaders to All in Positions of Public Service Released April 23, 2015 [Via ACNA] Dear Friends: At this significant time in our nation\u2019s history with the institution of marriage before the United States Supreme Court,…<\/span><\/p>\nRead more ›<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":832,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,576,112],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture-watch","category-civil-unions-partnerships","category-sexuality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/832"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49524\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}