Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
New Christian group created to celebrate, defend marriage

New Christian group created to celebrate, defend marriage

Last updated on: August 30, 2012 at 10:01 am by CNA Daily News

New Christian group created to celebrate, defend marriage 2012-08-30T10:01:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Tampa, Fla., Aug 30, 2012 / 04:01 am (CNA).- Pastors from across the country have come together to form an organization celebrating the important role of marriage and encouraging Christians to take action in support of it.

“For us to remain silent is for us to give consent to the belief that traditional marriage can be redefined,” said William Owens, Jr., founder of We Celebrate Marriage.

“This is not a time in our generation to be silent.”

We Celebrate Marriage welcomes families and organizations who want to witness to the truth of marriage as being an important and timeless institution founded by God rather than government.

The group is seeking to “defend the family union” by establishing scientific and social evidence that fathers and mothers each make unique contributions to their children and that marriage is important in transmitting cultural and moral values to future generations.

Warning that without immediate action, marriage will be drastically reshaped, the organization is attempting to promote the truths about marriage to elected officials and to encourage Christians to speak out in defense of it.

Three generations of Owens men spoke about the importance of marriage at an Aug. 29 press conference during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Rev. Bill Owens, Sr., founder of the Coalition of African American Pastors, explained that the organization opposes a redefinition of marriage for reasons of both faith and family.

“It will be many years before we know the profound effects of what same-sex marriage will bring,” he said.

“I don't think there's any issue more important in our society today than same-sex marriage,” Rev. Owens emphasized. He encouraged Christians to align themselves “with leaders who stand for marriage,” regardless of their political party.

“We should stand together on the issue of marriage,” he said.

David Owens, the son of William and grandson of Bill, also spoke at the press conference, offering his personal testimony about the value of being raised by a mother and a father.

“It wasn't always perfect,” he acknowledged. “We had our arguments. There were rough times.”

“But at the end of the day, everyone came together,” he explained, adding that his parents were critical in forming him with strong moral standards.

The contribution of both a mother and a father showed him “how to carry myself, how to be a gentleman, how to treat a young lady, how to be around my peers and make a difference in the world,” he said.

The press conference also included comments from pastors from across the country, along with former NFL player Burgess Owens. The speakers explained that the family is the most basic entity of society, and the success of a culture is dependent upon the health of the families within it.

Marriage is a covenant of love and part of the natural order, they said, and it cannot be remade into something that it was not intended to be.

We Celebrate Marriage is now working to launch a nationwide initiative to celebrate marriage and raise awareness about its importance.

The organization recently launched a website, www.wecelebratemarriage.com, to offer information and gain support for its efforts. In addition to a petition recognizing the importance of marriage, it is planning a national tour, radio ads, cultural outreach efforts, concerts and live streaming events to support marriage in the coming months.

Owens, Jr., cautioned that the legalization of “gay marriage” could lead churches and pastors to face heavy fines, jail time and the loss of nonprofit privileges.

If Christians do not speak up now in defense of marriage, he warned, “this very well could play out in not so distant future.”

Previous Post

August 30, 2012

Obama's pitch to women misses important issues, Alvare says

Next Post

August 30, 2012 Glendon: economic, cultural concerns make 2012 election historic

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who built an ark to survive the flood?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Moses Jacob Abraham Noah