I would like to address this ‘gay marriage’ issue here with an idea.
The word and the institution of ‘marriage’ has been surrendered by the church and given to the state. The process of that surrender started with the idea of ‘license’.
As with all things given to the state, it has been corruptedchanged into something it is not intended to be. And now, it will be used to try to FORCE those who disagree to comply.
So, how about this, Christians; the church will no longer perform weddings or marriages. Instead, let our churches only perform Ceremonies of Holy Matrimony. This is a biblical term, not given away, that has not been redefined. Eliminate the word ‘marriage’ entirely. A couple would not be ‘wed’ in ‘marriage’, but rather joined in Holy Matrimony.
Church members, think on this, check your church bylaws if you have them. Propose this to your church if it rings true to you. I am to mine.
Just my humble 2 cents.
A fellow pastor and I discussed this issue two weeks ago and your plan is the EXACT course of action we plan on taking. We are about to rewrite our constitution and bylaws to reflect this and we will also be prepared to abolish the entity we cal our church and reform it without a 501c3.