Of the many things
for which I am grateful about this great nation of ours, the continued wisdom
to keep separate church and state is close to the top. As a Christian minister,
I am troubled by the way some Christians speak as if this secular nation should
be governed by the Bible instead of the Constitution.
Of course the
recent Supreme Court ruling that affirms the right to marriage for gay and
lesbian Americans is troubling to some Christians who have a different
understanding of marriage based on their particular interpretation of the
Bible. But faithful Christians have always had a wide range of opinions about numerous
issues and the United States Constitution is not captive to any of our
opinions.
The job of the Supreme Court is not to interpret Scripture but rather
to interpret the Constitution and to ensure that our laws reflect the ideals of
fairness and justice for all citizens. I understand these ideals of equity and
justice to be profoundly humane as well as deeply biblical; that is why, as a
Christian minister, I applaud the SCOTUS decision.
If some ministers
choose not to perform same sex weddings, that is their right. But many others
of us are grateful that our religious rights now include the legal right to
sign the marriage license for couples who are committing themselves to a faithful
relationship because of their self-giving love.
Equity. Justice. Love. How much
more “biblical” can it get?
July 2, 2015
Rev. Charlotte Coyle is an ordained
minister within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She lives in Paris
and blogs about the Intersections of Faith and Culture at
charlottevaughancoyle.com.
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