The fundamental rights of the U.S. Constitution were at the core of today’s Supreme Court announcement of its long-awaited landmark same-sex marriage ruling. And the Court chose to declare that gay marriage was indeed a fundamental right, thus stripping states and voters of their rights to make their own marriage decisions.

Sam Rohrer, President of the American Pastors Network  and the Pennsylvania Pastors Network , says the ruling puts churches and pastors in a difficult position.

“This landmark decision had deep biblical, historical and constitutional roots, and unfortunately, our justices chose to redefine marriage for the entire nation, ignoring other constitutional rights and opening the door to a dangerous infringement on religious liberties,” Rohrer said. “The fact that this issue even made it to the Supreme Court of the United States was an indictment against American Christians and against American churches. Even though some churches have sought to blend into the culture rather than change it, this ruling serves as a wake-up call for pastors and churches who are committed to being the salt and light of our society and standing up for truth.

“This is just the beginning,” Rohrer added, “and as the culture continues to change—and move even further away from the truth of God’s Word and from our constitutional roots—it is crucial that pastors and churches know the truth, speak the truth and live the truth, doing all they can to preserve God’s Word and protect the religious liberties of Christians across the nation.”

Attorney Jeff Mateer of the Liberty Institute, who was a featured speaker at PPN’s “U-Turn” conference this spring, attended SCOTUS’s oral arguments in April and called same-sex marriage “the issue of our generation.”

For the case, the Liberty Institute filed a brief on behalf of the National Religious Broadcasters, Billy Graham and Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse, In Touch Ministries, along with several seminaries and theologians, stating that “for millennia,” we have believed in marriage between one man and one woman—and there has never been another definition of marriage. Mateer added that today’s decision will eventually violate the religious liberty rights of many and intrude on the workings and beliefs of the church.

The American Pastors Network  is responding today to the controversial statements of well-known pastor and Christian speaker Tony Campolo about the acceptance of gay couples in the church.

Campolo released a statement yesterday on his blog that after “hours of prayer, study, conversation, and emotional turmoil,” it’s time for the church to fully accept gay couples.

“For pastors or other leaders within the church to extend unconditional grace and love to all who walk through the church doors is Biblical and Christlike,” said APN President Sam Rohrer, who also serves as the president of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN,www.papastors.net). “However, to accept sinful behavior of any type when God does not is unbiblical, not Christlike and is itself sin. When the church leaders become an advocate for sinful behavior under the guise of extending grace or love, they subvert the very mission of the Church, deny the reality of sin, despise the Gospel and God’s plan of redemption, and incur the judgment of God. In the end, God’s Word and His standards for life, for actions, and of course for human sexuality have never changed because God does not change, and neither can His authoritative Word.”   

Campolo wrote that his position has changed over the years, now realizing that, rather than solely for the purpose of procreation, perhaps God intended marriage for “married partners to help actualize in each other the ‘fruits of the spirit.’”

“Our existence on Earth isn’t to self-actualize and legitimize,” Rohrer continued. “It’s not about us. It’s about God’s ultimate design and plan for all eternity, not the instant gratification of living on this earth. God specifically designed men and women in His likeness, with very specific chromosomes and DNA that guide their purpose in life. The choice of sexual preference is where sin enters, and to claim that God has changed His mind about marriage is blasphemy and a fearful position in which to place oneself and those around them.” 

Campolo went on to say that, “as a social scientist, I have concluded that sexual orientation is almost never a choice and I have seen how damaging it can be to try to “cure” someone from being gay.”

Both APN and PPN offer pastors numerous online resources that help clergy choose sermon topics and find information for other church ministries. With some free and some paid resources, topics include marriage, abortion, apologetics, creation, the culture war, economics, education, the environment, history, homosexuality and Islam, along with many others.

***This article was published on CharismaNews.com on 6/9/15 titled:“Tony Campolo, Don’t You Tremble at God’s Word?”