by Tom Strode
WASHINGTON (BP) — The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has resources available online to help Christians minister in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
Equip — at erlc.com/equip — is a joint initiative with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) to provide guidance in ministering to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The online content features specialized videos on same-sex attraction from Sam Allberry, a British pastor and author of “Is God Anti-gay?” It also includes video from other pastors and leaders as well as articles and book recommendations.
More videos, articles and other resources are available at erlc.com/scotus.
Video also is available online of a special panel discussion on same-sex marriage conducted by SBC President Ronnie Floyd at the convention’s annual meeting June 16-17 in Columbus, Ohio. The panelists were Butterfield; Carter; Moore; R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Ryan Blackwell, pastor of First Baptist Church, San Francisco. Video of the conversation may be accessed at http://live.sbc.net.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ondemand.html.
The ERLC has produced a legal manual in collaboration with Alliance Defending Freedom to provide SBC and other evangelical churches and institutions with legal protection against sexual orientation and gender identity lawsuits. The booklet includes checklists to guide Christian institutions on maximizing their religious liberty protections under the law and maintaining their freedom to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. It also provides sample documents — such as a membership agreement, facility use policy and article for a statement of faith — to assist churches and other ministries.
The legal guide may be accessed online without cost at erlc.com/store.
Also, the first issue of the ERLC’s revived Light magazine focuses on ministering in a culture in which same-sex marriage is legal. The issue, which was released earlier in June, includes articles by Butterfield, Goeke, Mohler, Moore and J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C. A subscription to the biannual publication is $10. It is available online at http://erlc.com/light.