Saturday, August 7, 2010

Pastors saddened, resolved in wake of Prop. 8 decision

Christians are both grieved and outraged by a federal judge's decision Wednesday to overturn California's Proposition 8 – the measure that passed in November 2008 with a 52.1 percent vote and defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

John Milhouse, pastor of Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley, is saddened by the direction the United States is heading.

“I’m just very grieved by the whole process, and I'm just very saddened,” he laments. “I think more people are very frustrated that judges are determining what laws should be accepted by the people." But the pastor points out that "God performed the first wedding, [and] our country has been founded on principles laid out in scripture.”

On Wednesday, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker overturned Proposition 8, calling the measure "unconstitutional" by claiming in a 136-page ruling that the state of California "has no interest in differentiating between same-sex and opposite-sex unions" -- an opinion supporters of the proposition disagree with.

Walker, who is an openly homosexual judge, overturned Prop. 8 on the grounds that supporters of traditional marriage have no real defense or evidence against same-sex "marriage." He argued the legislation "fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples."

Bill Welsh, pastor of Refuge Calvary Chapel in Huntington Beach, is neither "surprised" nor "thrilled" about the judge's ruling.

"We are certainly not going to stop speaking what we know is the truth," he assures. "We are going to continue to fight and inform our people at Refuge to speak in the situation and pray."

Welsh references a young girl, delivered from lesbianism, who shared her testimony at the church's monthly communion service the same day Proposition 8 was overturned. Although the testimony had been planned ahead of time, the Refuge pastor believes it was perfect timing in light of the ruling.

"We just want everyone to know that God is a God of love who calls everyone to repentance," Welsh shares.

Churches across California united last year in support of Proposition 8. Pastors educated their congregations, church members rallied in streets in support of the bill, and many were encouraged to vote according to their values.

"I don't think the battle will ever be lost," Milhouse contends. "I believe our response should be ... to pray, and whatever we do, do it in love because we aren't anti-people, and we aren't anti-gay -- but we don't agree with their lifestyle."

In 2000, state judges overturned Proposition 22 -- the California Defense of Marriage Act that passed with 61 percent vote, but this ruling is the first in the country to overturn a ban against same-sex marriage on federal grounds. Previous rulings authorized the unions in light of the state constitution. The issue will most likely make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

[by Becky Yeh - OneNewsNow California correspondent]

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