Religious Education
Religious schools and educational institutions are—and have been—under tremendous societal pressure to acquiesce to changing cultural standards regarding sexuality, including same-sex marriage, claims of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) discrimination, and other sexual orientation/gender identity (SOGI) issues. As believers, we are called to live under God’s authority and with a consistent understanding of biblical truths about human sexuality.
But such truths seem to be increasingly colliding with so-called “social equality” rights pushed by vocal proponents. In June 2015, by a narrow majority, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a “fundamental right” to marry. As a result, religious institutions and individuals are likely to face various conflicts between this newly created constitutional right and their religious freedom and free speech.
Christian schools, along with their administrators and staff, need to know the practical reasons for upholding marriage between one man and one woman and be prepared for new laws that do not necessarily provide adequate protections for religious persons and for “test” cases seeking to push the limits of existing laws.