A growing number of Christians are embracing the ... - Biola University

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Gay Marriage Ruling May
Have Far-Reaching Effects
The California Supreme Court’s decision
in May to allow gay marriage across the
state has already made an obvious impact
for thousands of same-sex couples.
But the court’s decision could also have farreaching
implications for faith-based organizations
in California and beyond in the years to
come, several Christian legal experts say.
That’s because as part of its 4–3 ruling to
extend the right to marry to homosexual couples,
the court’s majority determined that “an individual’s
sexual orientation — like a person’s race or
gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis
upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.”
With that language, the court broadened the legal
protections given to people based on their sexual
preference and increased the likelihood that
faith-based organizations will be faced with civilrights
lawsuits, said James Hirsen, an author who
teaches law at Biola and regularly appears as a
news analyst on networks such as CNN.
“This idea that sexual preference gets the
same protection as race is a threat to Biola and to
groups that have a biblical worldview and want to
have policies in accordance with that view,”
Hirsen said.
As it now stands, religious organizations in
the United States have “ministerial exemptions”
that allow them, for example, not to hire
someone whose beliefs or behaviors don’t line
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up with their own clearly stated doctrine
or standards.
But the California Supreme Court’s
ruling might pave the way for future court
decisions that erode these religious
organizations’ rights in the future, said
Kevin Lewis, a professor of theology and
law with Biola’s master’s program in
Christian apologetics.
“Judicial decisions such as this one
tend to help maintain the momentum of
the homosexual rights movement,” Lewis
said. “If this trend is not reversed, we will
soon begin to see a drive … to eliminate
the ministerial exceptions. The same
activist courts that decide these matters
will probably soon declare that there are
rights so fundamental to humanity — such
as homosexual marriage — that no ministerial
exception may be granted to deny
them the right.”
Even if California voters decide to undo the
gay marriage decision by passing a constitutional
amendment in November, the ruling’s impact
won’t be entirely eliminated, Lewis and Hirsen
said. Gay marriage would be banned, but the
court’s reasoning could still serve as a template
for court decisions related to gay rights in
California and beyond.
“Liberal courts in other states may feel more
comfortable crossing this important moral and
public policy barrier because there is now an
important judicial precedent on the issue of
homosexual marriage,” Lewis said. “Activist state
courts will most likely reason in the same manner
as the liberals on the federal Supreme Court who
cite international law as a justification for their
decisions. They will grant this ‘right’ with the
explanation that it is necessary to ‘catch up’ with
the other jurisdictions on this matter.”
As public debate and legal processes continue,
it’s important for Christians to be informed
and involved in seeking to protect religious freedoms,
he said.
It’s also important that Christians be
thoughtful about their tone and message, Hirsen
said, especially since it’s so easy to be perceived as
hateful or uncaring. The emphasis in discussions
of gay marriage, he said, should be on preserving
an institution created by God — rather than
excluding or judging homosexuals.
“Christians who follow the gospel of Christ
know that if Jesus would hang out with tax collectors
and prostitutes, he would be there with his
arms around homosexual people — and he died
for them,” he said. “We have to be better about
communicating the lifting up of marriage without
communicating any condemnation or judgment.”
– Jason Newell
Case for Christ DVD
Features Biola Professors
Lee Strobel’s best-selling book, The Case for
Christ, was recently released as a feature-length
DVD documentary, produced by La Mirada
Films and distributed by Lionsgate Films.
The film features interviews with 10 leading
biblical scholars, two of which are Biola
professors: J.P. Moreland and William Lane
Craig. On May 27, Strobel discussed the book
and film at Biola. The 1,500 in attendance in
Chase gymnasium all went home with a free
copy of the DVD.
The 71-minute film examines the historical
accuracy of the Gospels, the personal claims
of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead.
A film version of Strobel’s follow-up
book, The Case for Faith, was slated for release in
September, and will also prominently feature
several Biola professors. Another of Strobel’s
books, 2004’s The Case for a Creator, was made
into a DVD in 2006.
Strobel is slated to be the commencement
speaker this December.
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