In this article, Dr. Michael Brown explains how abandoning terms such as "husband" and "wife" is a necessary consequence of redefining marriage. This is already happening in states like Florida and California. "But all is not lost," says Dr. Brown. "True marriage – natural marriage, marriage the way God intended it from the beginning (see Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:4-6) – will endure, while radically redefined marriage will undo itself."
NEW YORK — President Obama spoke on same-sex "marriage" and religious freedom to a crowd of supporters Sunday. He indicated that religious freedom is no excuse to oppose same-sex "marriage," which is now a "constitutional right" in his opinion. He said, "We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions. But we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn't grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights."
On Friday, South Dakota agreed to pay $242,000 to attorneys for same-sex couples who challenged the state’s marriage law. Sara Rabern, the spokeswoman for Attorney General Marty Jackley, said that the money won’t come from Jackley’s office because the attorney general’s office isn’t responsible for paying for challenges to the state constitution or state laws. She said the money would likely come from the state’s extraordinary litigation fund.
Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis filed a 40-page court document Thursday, claiming that Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is to blame for the persecution she has endured for refusing to redefine marriage. On June 26, Beshear sent a letter to the commonwealth's 120 county clerks, directing them to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis said that in doing so, Beshear "commandeered" county clerk's offices and "usurped control of Kentucky marriage law."
PORTLAND, Oregon — In 2012, Chris Penner, owner of the Twilight Room Annex, told 11 people – including 10 men who identify as "women" – to stop coming into his place of business, saying that they were driving away customers. When notified, the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industry (BOLI) found Penner guilty of discrimination and ordered him to pay $400,000 in damages. Penner then appealed the decision. This week, an appeals court upheld the fine.
Dr. Robert A. J. Gagnon weighs in on Pope Francis' recent speech to the US Congress. He says, "Pope Francis said nothing in this speech that would undermine the widespread assessment of his papacy (true or not) as toning down traditional Catholic concerns for dual-sex marriage and the protection of the unborn."
Presbyterian churches in Brazil and Peru have ended their partnerships with the Presbyterian Church (USA) after the U.S. denomination changed its constitution in March to allow clergy to celebrate same-sex "marriages."
Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, joined Megyn Kelly for a Fox News exclusive interview on "The Kelly File" yesterday evening. When asked what religious belief compelled her to refuse to issue the licenses, Davis replied, "Well, the Christian faith, you know, God's Word states that marriage is between one man and one woman."
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Tuesday criticized judges who believe the Constitution is a "living" document, saying they amount to policy makers who are rewriting it and making moral decisions for the entire country. He called the same-sex "marriage" ruling "the furthest imaginable extension of the Supreme Court doing whatever it wants."
The county clerk from Kentucky who went to jail rather than issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples said the licenses being granted by her staff are invalid, according to an interview that aired on Tuesday. "They're not valid in God's eyes, for one," she said of licenses her staff has begun issuing. "I have given no authority to write a marriage license. They did not have my permission, they did not have my authorization."
Earlier this month, a panel at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston upheld the decision to remove Dr. Paul Church from the hospital staff for speaking out about the dangers of homosexual behavior. Dr. Church has now exercised his last option: An appeal to the BIDMC Board of Directors.
Earlier this month, a panel at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston upheld the decision to remove Dr. Paul Church from the hospital staff for speaking out about the dangers of homosexual behavior. Dr. Church has now exercised his last option: An appeal to the BIDMC Board of Directors.
Proposed legislation before the Pennsylvania General Assembly puts religious freedom at risk, says the PA Family Council. Under the claim of increasing tolerance and limiting discrimination, supporters of the "Fairness Act" are pushing for the creation of a special status in Pennsylvania law based on a person’s "sexual orientation" or "gender identity."
Hundreds of U.S. companies are adding sex reassignment as a health insurance benefit, according to a new survey. More than 415 out of about 780 firms surveyed say they cover related procedures that include hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgeries, according to the Human Rights Campaign. In 2009, only 49 of the companies surveyed included such "benefits."
DURHAM, North Carolina — An endocrinologist by the name of Deanna Adkins has founded a new center which purports to address gender-related disorders at Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center. The Center for Child and Adolescent Gender Care, which opened in July, is the first of its kind in North Carolina and one of only a handful in the Southeast.
Hardly a week goes by without another social media parade marching by in celebration of the sexual revolution. How should evangelical Christians and evangelical churches respond? Kevin Deyoung provides five suggestions: (1) Do not be shrill, (2) Do not be silent, (3) Do not neglect singles, (4) Do not outsmart yourself, and (5) Do not be scared. He concludes with, "Turn every thought of panic into a commitment to plan and an attitude of prayer. Our God tends to do his best work when the odds are most stacked against him."
On Monday, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union wrote that the validity of the marriage licenses being issued by Deputy Clerk Brian Mason is "questionable at best," and the new licenses bring "humiliation and stigma" to the same-sex couples who receive them. They asked Judge Bunning to order Davis' office to reissue the licenses. If Davis interferes, the lawyers say Bunning should place her office in a receivership for the purposes of issuing marriage licenses.
The latest Gallup poll shows that Americans' trust in the judiciary has fallen to an all-time low. Trust in the judicial branch of government dropped eight points just in the last year, which saw major decisions including the redefinition of marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court. When polled, only 53 percent of Americans said that they have “a great deal” or even just “a fair amount” of trust in the third branch of government.
Brian Mason, the deputy clerk who agreed to issue marriage license to same-sex couples, has accused his boss of violating a federal court order by altering the forms. According to Mason's lawyer, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis replaced the previous marriage license forms with forms that did not include her name, Rowan County’s name, or any reference to a clerk or deputy clerk.
Dr. Michael Brown speaks out on some of the insane attempts of schools, news broadcasters and individuals to eliminate gender distinctions. He says, "Nothing is more fundamental than male-female distinctions, and that’s why we must draw a line in the sand and say, 'No more!' to the war on gender. And we can do this while looking for compassionate solutions to help those who genuinely struggle with gender identity issues."
The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday refused to recognize an adoption by a lesbian of her female partner's three children granted by a Georgia court in 2007. Alabama has the authority to determine who may adopt based on the best interest of the child to be adopted, Alabama Justice Tom Parker wrote.
Texas is now recognizing same-sex common law "marriages." Sonemaly Phrasavath was recently acknowledged as the "legal spouse" of Stella Powell, who died of colon cancer in June 2014. Phrasavath will receive one half of her late partner's estate; the other half will go to the Powell family.
President Barack Obama is nominating longtime Pentagon official Eric Fanning to be the Army's new secretary. If his nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Fanning, a civilian, would be the nation's first openly homosexual leader of a military service.
The U.S. government says it will begin using the term "sexual rights" in discussions of human rights and global development. The statement at a U.N. meeting this week comes after years of lobbying from groups who have argued that the U.S. should show global leadership on the rights of people of all "gender identities" and "sexual orientations."
Public businesses in Illinois must serve same-sex couples, an Illinois judge ruled Thursday. The ruling was related to a complaint made against Timber Creek Bed and Breakfast by a same-sex couple that was denied service in 2011.