LYNCHBURG, Va — Jonathan Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va, has stated that he will never conduct same-sex marriages and that God defines marriage, not the state.
“It is a sad day in our nation when the Supreme Court believes it has the moral right to redefine marriage. Beyond the clear Biblical mandate that marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, this decision flies in the face of all of recorded history,” said Falwell in a statement.
Falwell affirmed his stand against same-sex marriage on July 5 as he told his congregation that “there will never be a same-sex marriage or any other form of marriage outside of between a man and a woman conducted at this church as long as I am your pastor.”
Jonathan Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church (Facebook).
Falwell, the son of Jerry Falwell, the founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University, reminded his congregation that “any sexual activity outside of the marriage between one man and one woman is absolutely sin.”
He also stated that the church is not being judgmental or driven by hate when they preach against sin. “It is our job, it is our duty and it is our God-given responsibility. And the church does not have the luxury of choosing which sins we will stand up against and which ones we will remain silent about,” Falwell said.
“The Bible clearly commands us to love others regardless of their spiritual or moral condition, but it does not leave room for us to change the definition of sin,” said Falwell.
“For those in the faith community, this decision doesn’t change what we do or how we do it. We will continue to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the only hope for the world. We will do this in a way that always reflects Christ’s love, but we will not compromise our values or beliefs according to the Scriptures,” he continued.
Falwell said that God’s people should “speak with gentleness” and that Christians “should be displaying the love of Christ that drew us to Him in the first place.”
“The only hope for the world is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that Jesus died and that he was buried and that he rose again — that is the whole for our world and the church today must be less about condemning others and more about leading people to salvation through Christ.”
— CNJ staff