SES president warns against unraveling of American foundations in Respect for Marriage Act

‘What is untenable for the sake of America is the destruction of our fundamental right of religious freedom’

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The hotly contested Respect for Marriage Act recently passed from the Senate to the House of Representatives and is now currently being considered by President Joe Biden. The bill will require the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states where they are legal. Despite some Democrat leaders lamenting that the bill in not progressive enough, recent statistics show that half of Americans fear that the bill will restrict the religious freedom guaranteed in the Constitution.

Judge Phil Ginn, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES, www.staging.ses.edu), responded to the passage of the bill, commenting that the attempt to override the foundation of the nation is precisely what the Founding Fathers set out to prevent.

Ginn said, “Have you ever wondered why the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights are so crucial to the welfare of our nation? Does it even cross your mind as to why this most important document should be interpreted literally and not as a ‘living and breathing’ writing? It would not be surprising to discover that these two questions have not been at the forefront of your consideration since the vast majority of America’s citizenry does not stop to think about their significance.

“However, those men and women who fought and sacrificed for the formation of our nation clearly understood these important questions. They knew that the whims of the populace and public sentiment could, and probably would, change with the direction of the wind. Let’s face it — we are prone to be fickle. The framers of our Constitution understood that we needed a strong document that would not be subject to the viewpoint of whoever came into control of the government at any given moment in time.”

Ginn continued, “With this in mind, it is not surprising to learn from the latest Rasmussen poll that 62% of Americans favor the recently passed so called Marriage Equality Act with 40% of that total being strongly in favor of the legislation. Unfortunately, most of those who favor the act, including those senators and congressmen who voted for it, have not sufficiently considered its impact on the freedom of religion embedded in our First Amendment.

“Passing bills into law is one thing — attempting to override the Constitution is an entirely different matter. Despite amendments being offered to protect those who cannot in good faith participate in gay marriage as an individual or as a business owner, the House and Senate plunged headlong into a blatant attempt to vaporize one of our most precious freedoms.

“Obviously, true biblically based morality is now clearly in the minority among Americans. Perhaps that is to be expected given the increasing hostility to Christianity and its guiding principles. Nevertheless, what is untenable for the sake of America is the destruction of our fundamental right of religious freedom. If and when that right is not protected and secured for us by our government, who is to say that another long-cherished freedom will not be far behind. Attacks on our individual freedoms of this sort brought about the domino effect that ultimately resulted in our American revolution and the breaking away from the monarchy in the mother country of England.”

Ginn concluded, “We at Southern Evangelical Seminary are not advocating for a political revolution. Rather, our energy is focused on seeking a revival of true and authentic biblical Christianity along with its associated moral compass in our nation. That is the only thing that will preserve not only our country at this point in history, but perhaps also many of its inhabitants for eternity. It is high time that Americans begin to act as wise and senseful people. As for SES, we will be standing steadfast in the truth and seeking to impact our culture with the Gospel message. If this description fits the kind of person you want to be, we welcome you to join the journey.

SES is proud to announce the upcoming release of “Steadfast: In a World of Confusion, Know Why You Believe.” This new 10-week study for small groups doubles as a seminary primer course and will give every believer game-changing training for living the Christian faith in today’s world. The study will feature exciting sessions from select SES professors. For more information about the upcoming study, click here.

The mission of SES is to train men and women, based on the inerrant and infallible written Word of God, for the evangelization of the world and the defense of the historic Christian faith. SES offers a range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees (along with several for-credit certificates) that uniquely integrate theology, philosophy, and apologetics to build a complete and systematic Christian worldview.