Tag: Supreme Court

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Here are some more helpful posts to help Christians think through the recent Supreme Court’s decision on “same-sex marriage.”

Everything Has Changed and Nothing Has Changed: The Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage – Albert Mohler

Why the Gay Marriage Debate Was Over in 1950 – Joel Miller

How Christians Can Show Countercultural Resolve on Marriage – Jennifer Marshall (TGC)

Dear Christian Friends: Remember you are not Home – Erik Raymond (TGC)

How Should You Talk to Your Children About Same-Sex Marriage? – Russell Moore

40 Questions for Christians Now Waving Rainbow Flags – Kevin DeYoung

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Here is an overview and some helpful initial responses to yesterday’s Supreme Court “same-sex marriage” decision.  Don’t miss the last two especially.

Supreme Court rules gay couples nationwide have a right to marry – Robert Barnes (WP)

Here are the key excerpts on religious liberty from the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage – Sarah Pulliam Bailey (WP)

Why the church should neither cave nor panic about the decision on gay marriage – Russell Moore (WP)

What Your Church Needs to Know—and Do—About the Court’s Marriage Ruling – Erik Stanley (TGC)

But What Does The Bible Say? – Kevin DeYoung

So-Called Same-Sex Marriage: Lamenting the New Calamity – John Piper (DG)

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Here are some helpful posts related to the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments regarding “same-sex marriage.”

9 Things You Should Know About Same-Sex Marriage – Joe Carter (TGC)

10 Questions About Marriage From The Supreme Court Arguments – Russell Moore and Andrew Walker (ERLC)

“It Is Going To Be An Issue” – Albert Mohler

Why Not Gay Marriage? – Kevin DeYoung

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A weekly collection of current news and issues in the church, country, and world.

The debate on the Hobby Lobby decision continues, so here are a few of my own thoughts, followed by some good posts from others to ponder.

1. Much of the outcry against the decision seems to be that an employer could be involved in such a private, personal matter as birth control.  And I agree.  But of course Hobby Lobby didn’t ask to be in that position.  It was the Obama administration that made birth control public policy by requiring employers to pay for it.  As soon as you require someone else to pay, it is no longer a private matter, but a very public matter involving other people.  If you want to keep birth control a private, personal choice, save your money and pay for it yourself.

2. Which brings us to the second point: what is the purpose of insurance? I have life insurance to support my family in case I die unexpectedly.  I have car insurance to cover the costs if I have an unexpected car accident.  I have life insurance to pay the bills if I get an unexpected disease or my health in some other way deteriorates unexpectedly.  The point is that insurance is designed so the many can cover the costs of the few who have the unexpected happen.  So where does this leave birth control?  Good question, because birth control has nothing to do with the unexpected – certainly not in the way of a disease or other health failure.  If you want some form of birth control, save your money and buy it.  Why should you expect your insurance company pay for it?

3. The answer to that last question of course is because there is a large group of people who want sex to be completely free without any possibility of pregnancy, and of course someone else should fit the bill to make sure there is no pregnancy.  But last time I checked, sex without pregnancy was not a Constitutional right.  Again, if you want birth control, pay for it yourself.  Take responsibility for your actions and stop expecting (or demanding) a handout.

4. While I am not necessarily against birth control in general, any birth control that could cause an abortion shouldn’t even be on the market, let alone be mandated in insurance policies.  It would be nice if the current administration would stop trying to shove their pro-abortion views down our throats.

5. Finally, there is the issue of priorities.  The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, not free birth control.  And that is as it should be.

Here are some other helpful takes on the issue:

Was Hobby Lobby All Wrong About Emergency Contraceptives? – Kevin DeYoung

A Simple Solution to Healthcare Woes: Separate Health Insurance from Employment – Leslie Loftis (The Federalist)

A Company Liberals Could Love – Ross Douthat (The New York Times)

Non-hysterical comments welcome….

 

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The Supreme Court gave their ruling on the Hobby Lobby case today, ruling by a slim majority in favor of religious freedom.  Here are some helpful posts:

First, a news story: Supreme Court rules ObamaCare provision can’t force some employers to cover contraception – Fox News

Second, a quick summary of the case: What You Should Know About the Contraceptive Mandate Decision – Joe Carter (Acton)

Third, a good summary of some major issues: Hobby Lobby and the Liberty of Conscience – Kevin DeYoung

Finally, an analysis: The Supreme Court Agrees with Hobby Lobby, But Your Neighbor Probably Doesn’t – Trevin Wax

While there is reason to celebrate the decision, it is more than a little disconcerting that four justices and much of the population believes a “right” to free birth control should trump the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

Trevin Wax in his post above also makes a point worth quoting:

Consider this. A generation ago, a person’s religious observance was a public matter, a defining characteristic of one’s identity, while a person’s sexual activity was something private. Today, this situation is reversed. A person’s sexual behavior is now considered a defining characteristic of identity, a public matter to be affirmed (even subsidized) by others, while religious observance is private and personal, relegated to places of worship and not able to infringe upon or impact the public square.

In the midst of this “brave new world” of confused identities and priorities, we as Christians must look to Jesus for our identity.  Serving Him must be our priority.  And no matter what comes, we will find our hope for the future not in rulings or cultural opinions but in the One who reigns over all.

Passion Ethics

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Here are some updates on some important current religious freedom issues:

Saeed Abedini, American pastor jailed in Iran, denied medication, family says – Fox News Iranian jailers have denied crucial medication to Pastor Saeed Abedini, the American citizen imprisoned there for his faith, according to the Idaho resident’s family and legal team.
Here are some ways you can help.

Home School Legal Defense Association Files Romeike v. Holder with U.S. Supreme Court – CrossMap
HSLDA Chairman and principal author of the petition, Michael Farris, said that the Court should intervene for the sake of justice.  “The United States should be a place of asylum for those who are persecuted because of their decision to follow their core religious beliefs,” he said.  “Parents, not the government, decide first how children are educated. Germany’s notorious persecution of families who homeschool violates their own obligations to uphold human rights standards and must end.”
Farris has called for a day of prayer on November 17 in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s November 26 decision on whether to hear this case as well as Hobby Lobby’s case.

Hobby Lobby asks US Supreme Court to take up case over federal birth-control coverage mandate – Fox News
Lawyers for the Oklahoma City-based craft store chain and its sister company, Mardel Christian bookstore, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case because of what they say are conflicting decisions by other courts regarding religious freedom.
And in related cases, Freshway Foods wins its initial lawsuit, and Cornerstone University – one of the schools I attended – adds its own lawsuit.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, Cornerstone University joins Dordt College in filing a federal lawsuit against the Obama administration unconstitutional mandate that employers – including religious ones – provide insurance coverage that facilitates access to drugs that can induce abortions. – See more at: http://www.cornerstone.edu/details.aspx?p=19E2931D85131112&ppid=56597&naid=EBD15E2C1F34E07C#sthash.h04UvDbg.dpuf