REDEFINING MARRIAGE: A CRISIS FOR CHILDREN JOIN THE NATIONAL PREACHING INITIATIVE

In May, same-sex "marriage" became legal in Massachusetts as an out-of-control court ignored the will of the people. Since then, we've seen challenges to traditional marriage in California, New York, Washington state, and elsewhere across the country.

THE THREAT

It's clear that the impact of same-sex "marriage" won't be limited to same-sex couples. After studying trends in Europe, Stanley Kurtz of the Hoover Institution has written that widespread acceptance of same-sex "marriage" will widen the already existing gap between parenthood and marriage and will continue to break down the family. Countries like Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, which adopted same-sex "marriage," saw their rates of cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births shoot up. There is every reason to expect that the same thing will happen in the United States.

NEED MORE VOICES

You would expect a huge public outcry in response to this issue. Unfortunately and surprisingly, that isn't happening. I suspect that most Americans don't believe that same-sex "marriage" could actually become the law of the land, and don't fully realize how it would impact them and especially their children. Given what's at stake, I believe that Christians need to make preserving God's plan for marriage, the union of one man and one woman, their number-one cultural priority.

CALLING ALL CHURCH LEADERS

I'm writing today to let you know about a critical tool to help church leaders lead the charge on this issue. The National Preaching Initiative calls on you to preach in support of marriage in September and October 2004.

Spearheaded by Chuck Colson and organized by The Wilberforce Forum, the National Preaching Initiative provides the tools and resources church leaders need to address these critical issues. You'll find sample sermons, adult education materials suitable for a Sunday school class or Bible study, and lots of background material to give you the information you need to alert your congregation.

ACT NOW!

Church leaders, will you join us in addressing this critical issue during September and October 2004? Your preaching is vital in order to reinvigorate marriage in the Church and in the culture. Not only can you educate your congregations about the spiritual foundations of marriage, you can call them to repentance and faith-to renewal and change in their own marriages and families.

The time to act is now. This issue has the potential to redefine and, ultimately, to destroy the institution of marriage in this country-and with marriage goes the family. You can't ignore this.

Please visit the National Preaching Initiative Web site, marriage.wilberforce.org, for more information.

Church members, please forward this information on to your pastor and other church leaders.