Graham is wrong, but right by default. That is, churches have abrogated their authority to establish the rules for sacramental marriage.
This authority could be reestablished with work and determination. It calls for ecumenism. That all conservative and Orthodox churches that are firm in their beliefs, should reach an accord setting the ground rules for marriage, and the *recognition* of marriage by them all.
The hard part comes later, as part of the agreement, by *refusing* to recognize marriages made in contravention of the rules, or by other bodies not party to the agreement; and the hardest part of all, to tell their congregants to, in the future, have only church marriages, not to get secular marriage licenses.
Since government’s involvement has been so diluted that unmarried couples are seen as in fact married as far as the law is concerned, government marriage licenses are useless.
Importantly, churches could “add to” this agreement, but they could not lower its standards.
In any event, by churches recognizing church marriages, but not those conducted by liberal churches or secular marriages, the sacrament would be restored as both important and outside the purview of government.
And while government could still issue marriage certificates, they could eliminate all the rules, so that some deviants could marry a whole herd of goats, and it would be legally recognized. But the churches could sneer at the proceedings as meaningless, and refuse to call the involved “Mr. and Mrs. and 12 goats.”
Hard to do when some orthodox groups accept divorce and remarriage and others don’t.
“and the hardest part of all, to tell their congregants to, in the future, have only church marriages, not to get secular marriage licenses.”
This is probably what is going to end up happening, either as a choice or as an involuntary punishment from the state—’discriminate by not renting your hall to state recognized married gays we won’t let your pastor issue state recognized marriage licenses for your members’ or even if you don’t marry gays at all.
Freegards