R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., posted an essay to his website, www.AlbertMohler.com, in response to today’s ruling by Federal District Judge John G. Heyburn declaring unconstitutional parts of Kentucky’s ban on gay marriages. The following is an excerpt:
“Christians who affirm the biblical understanding of marriage as the union of a man and woman must now recognize that we can no longer count upon the government and its laws to reflect that understanding. Even the proponents of same-sex marriage must surely recognize the radical legal and moral shift in Western civilization and human history this change implies. Christians understand that marriage is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity and that marriage, as defined by the Creator, is fundamental to human flourishing.
“We now know that the government cannot be counted on to affirm this message. As a matter of fact, we have to face the reality that the government — even in the Commonwealth of Kentucky — may teach a radically different message through its laws. But the real question for Christians is not whether the government gets the question of marriage right, but if we do. In the grand scheme of things, that is the Church’s real challenge.”
Mohler’s entire essay — “The Other Shoe Drops in Kentucky: Federal Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in the Commonwealth” — is available here.