Wednesday, June 3, 2015
From: Carol Bauer
Capital Prayer Alert
As you know, my wife, Carol, prepares a prayer alert about once a month. I hope you will share Carol’s thoughts with your friends and fellow worshippers. Thank you for taking an interest in her monthly devotion. — Gary
Sometime this month the United States Supreme Court will rule on whether same-sex marriage is a constitutional right in all fifty states when it announces its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The case was argued before the court in April in an unusually long session allowing for more extensive questioning by the justices.
The ripple effect of this decision is enormous for men and women of faith, a fact underscored during the court’s hearing.
Cultural acceptance of same-sex unions has increased in recent years as those seeking to redefine the age-old definition of marriage have based their argument on the cry for “tolerance” and, more recently, “marriage equality.” The flip side, of course, is that those who believe marriage is between one man and one woman are labeled intolerant, bigoted and creatures from another era.
Because traditional marriage is a core belief of men and women of many faiths, the outcome of this case may set the stage for religious liberty rights to be cast aside with a chilling effect on churches, synagogues, religious schools and universities and other faith-based institutions.
For those who claim this is just not so, you need look no further than the Obama Administration’s solicitor general’s answer to Justice Samuel Alito, who asked if religious universities could lose their tax-exempt status for refusing to offer housing to same-sex couples. The solicitor general answered: “It is certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that.” The fact that he admitted this under questioning is telling.
And so, from the tax-exempt status of religious organizations to the rights of religious organizations and educational institutions in admissions, hiring of staff and student services (housing, recognition of clubs, etc.), the religious rights of the faith community could be in severe jeopardy depending on the court’s ruling. Though this has been my prayer focus before, we cannot underestimate the potential impact of this decision.
I encourage those of you who live in states where presidential candidates are campaigning to attend a town hall or other forum and ask the candidates how they would protect your religious liberty.
Please go to the Lord in prayer for this upcoming Supreme Court decision. Ask God to prompt the justices to school themselves on the broad societal ramifications of this decision. Pray that they would not throw overboard millennia of social and family structure.
Petition our Heavenly Father to prick the minds of the Supreme Court justices to look for ways to undergird religious liberty rights at a time when it is under assault from the culture.
Lift up in prayer governors and members of state legislatures who are being drawn into this cultural battle by threats from corporate America. Ask God to grant them strength, wisdom and creativity so that they can defend the right of men and women of faith to live out their beliefs in their daily lives without being threatened by lawsuits and economic blackmail.
Pray that they would take the initiative to seek positive, winning opportunities to make this case rather than being seen as always on the defensive under threat of economic retribution.
Many in America who may casually favor same-sex marriage are unaware of the widespread societal changes that could be prompted by this decision. Pray that those individuals would come to appreciate the impact of this decision, and that they, too, though perhaps not members of a faith community, would acknowledge the positive impact faith has on society. Ask God to steer them to actions that would protect religious freedom even though they may not be in a faith community themselves.
Pray for those in leadership positions in America’s churches. May church leaders raise their voices to encourage their flocks at a time when discouragement and lethargy are too prevalent. May the core beliefs of our faiths not be compromised in this rapidly changing society.
Let us pray together for our brothers and sisters in the Middle East who face terrible persecution and death. Pray for our elected leaders to find and fund effective means to stop the spread of ISIS and the death and persecution that comes with it.
Finally, remember to ask God to wrap His loving arms around those individuals who have lost family, dear friends, homes or businesses in the recent flooding in Texas and Oklahoma. May the God of All Comfort meet their every need.
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