Roughly 25 percent of the United States population is facing a new reality in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to make same-sex marriage a Constitutional right.
A New York Times story reports that evangelical Protestants, which make up a quarter of the U.S., were left shaking their heads
after the court ruled people of the same gender have a Constitutional right to marry.
The Times spoke with members of the Wheaton Bible Church in West Chicago about the decision.
"I came in with a great sense of lament, because of what happened on Friday," Lon Allison, the church's teaching pastor, said. "We cannot accept or adhere to any legal, political or cultural redefinition of biblical marriage, nor will we conduct or endorse same-sex ceremonies."
Christians, according to the Times piece, are already worried that the legality of same-sex marriage could eventually trickle down into their faith. In some cases, that's already happening, with members of some congregations wondering if churches should allow same-sex marriages under their roofs.
"There is a growing desire on the part of some, even within the church, to combine their Christian faith with the acceptance of homosexual practice," a statement from the Wheaton Bible statement read, reports the Times.
Ed Stetzer, the executive director of a firm that surveys evangelicals, told the Times members of the faith are still mostly opposed to the practice of same-sex marriage.
"Well-known evangelicals who have shifted on same-sex marriage, you could fit them all in an SUV," Stetzer said. "If you do shift, you become a media celebrity, but the shift among practicing evangelicals is minimal."
A Washington Post op-ed, meanwhile, questioned whether many evangelicals are even upset about the high court's decision. Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote it's not yet time for the church to hit the panic button.
"First of all, the church should not panic," Moore wrote. "The Supreme Court can do many things, but the Supreme Court cannot get Jesus back in that tomb. Jesus of Nazareth is still alive. He is still calling the universe toward his kingdom.
"Moreover, while this decision will, I believe, ultimately hurt many people and families and civilization itself, the gospel doesn't need 'family values' to flourish. In fact, the church often thrives when it is in sharp contrast to the cultures around it."
A Politico story last summer argued that evangelicals were actually moving left on the issue of same-sex marriage and softening their stance on it.
Franklin Graham, the son of Reverend Billy Graham, said in a Facebook post after last week's court ruling that he has America in his prayers:
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