In my home State of New Mexico, the state Supreme Court has issued a ruling that mandates same-sex marriage, and it is true that several Christian business owners here have been forced by the courts to either cater to sodomite marriage ceremonies (as photographers, bakers, etc.) or else shut down. County Clerks statewide were instructed to immediately begin issuing these same-sex marriage licenses. At least two County Clerks quit their posts rather than comply.
My local County Clerk has decided rather to obey the court’s instruction, claiming that she has no choice. She has issued a handful of these licenses, all to couples from out-of-state, if my information is correct. And, to top it off, our local Municipal Judge has been happy to perform the ceremonies.
I plan to present the following Resolution to the Quay County Commission in a few weeks, after consultation with other, local pastors and (hopefully) the amassing of signatures. Freedom Outpost editor, Tim Brown, encouraged me to post what I have here, where it might serve as a bit of a template for others, in their own localities.
I’ve given a short bit of background above, because the Resolution mentions some of these details, and there are some portions that would need to be changed to fit other situations.
Here is my Resolution, with signatories being church congregations, pastors, and other Christian citizens. If it can function as a guide to you or your own church, please feel free to utilize it.
A RESOLUTION ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
From the Undersigned Christians, Churches, and Clergy in Quay County
WHEREAS, the Quay County Clerk has begun to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, and the Municipal Judge has performed several of these ceremonies, and
WHEREAS, the legal justification for doing such things is a State Supreme Court decision, as opposed to a law enacted according to the Constitutional process, involving the elected representatives of the people of this State in the Legislature, and the Governor, and
WHEREAS, this fiat redefinition of marriage represents the intrusion of the civil government into an area that has been fundamentally religious throughout human history (which is why cultures worldwide have sought to involve clergy in the conduct of marriage) and
WHEREAS, if the civil power has the authority to redefine this particular religious concept, there is nothing to keep it from coming back tomorrow with its own mandated redefinitions of things like God, Christ, redemption, salvation, resurrection, or any other doctrine particular to our faith, and
WHEREAS, private businesses in this State have already been coerced through the courts into facing the choice of either compromising their religious principles or suffering the loss of their livelihood, and
WHEREAS, there is no solid principle that would tend to insure that such coercion will not be extended to churches and clergy:
It is hereby
RESOLVED that all elected officials of Quay County should be reminded that there is a vast difference between an action that is moral and one that is merely legal. Further it is
RESOLVED that our elected leaders should be reminded that human law must always be compared with the standard of God’s Law, and that any contradictory human law should be held as invalid. Or, put simply, “An unjust law is no law at all.” (St. Thomas Aquinas.) The same belief was held by legal theorist William Blackstone, and was expressed by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letters From the Birmingham Jail. Further it is
RESOLVED that our friends and neighbors who now hold local and County offices should be passionately urged to stand against unjust laws or rulings, originating in either Washington or Santa Fe. Contrary to what some have proposed, you do in fact have a choice. It may not be an easy or comfortable one, but it remains true that there are always options. You do not have to do what is wrong, in any situation. You have a positive duty to do right, instead, and will give account to the Creator and Judge of all things. Further it is
RESOLVED that we the undersigned will be diligently in prayer for the elected officials of Quay County, seeking their continued blessing from on high, along with the God-given wisdom and courage to do the right thing.
Respectfully submitted, for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(signatories)
Let me urge you, if you struggle as a believer with questions about the obedience God expects you to show to the civil authority, or with the rightness of expecting a lesser authority to take a principled stand against unjust laws mandated by a higher authority, please pick up a copy of the book, The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates by Matthew J. Trewhella, as well as my own meager work, Resistance to Tyrants: Romans 13 and the Christian Duty to Oppose Wicked Rulers.
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