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Two Christian bakers who refused to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding have been ordered to pay $135,000 in damages by July 13 or else the state of Oregon could place a lien on their home. Aaron and Melissa Klein, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, were punished by the state's Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) for unlawfully discriminating against a same-sex couple. The Kleins, who are devout evangelical Christians, argued that baking the cake would be a violation of their religious beliefs. The BOLI ruling ordered the mom-and-pop bakers to pay $135,000 to the lesbian couple....

A complete commentary on the same sex marriage case would take far more than a single short article. Accordingly, I offer only some discrete thoughts:* A big expansion of federal power. Many libertarians believe the courts should use the Fourteenth Amendment to protect rights unenumerated in the Constitution, and some urged the Court to declare that civil marriage was among those rights. They need to be careful what they ask for. What they have just “won” is a major expansion of federal power.The case removes limitations on Substantive Due Process, the principal way judges create “rights” unmentioned by the Constitution....

Southern states including Alabama, Mississippi and Texas are trying to find legal ways to avoid the Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the United States. Christian News Network reports Mississippi is considering removing state marriage licenses entirely. State House Judiciary Chairman Andy Gipson said, “One of the options that other states have looked at is removing the state marriage license requirement. We will be researching what options there are. I personally can see pros and cons to that. I don’t know if it would be better to have no marriage certificate sponsored by the state or not. But...

The Supreme Court decision Friday making homosexual marriage not only legal but giving it a status superior to heterosexual marriage* was ominous (never mind that the lead defendant's name sounded like a rank in the Wehrmacht). In his majority opinion, one which cavalierly overthrew well over 6,000 years of human history in the service of Kennedy's vigorously, if vicariously, twitching nether regions, Kennedy laid out a road map for the eradication of the legal ability to oppose homosexual marriage. This is the key section: “Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue...

If same-sex marriage comes to America, it will not be because Americans asked for it. In the last 15 years the question was put to the people in nearly every state of the union. Even in liberal states like California, even on ballots in purely democratic primaries, the people voted overwhelmingly to keep the definition of marriage unchanged. Gay activists were confident going into many of these contests because the polls promised them big wins. Yet when people stepped into the ballot box, man-woman marriage won. Polls are one thing. Polling places are another. We live in an age where...

Christians are often asked by gay activists why they oppose same-sex “marriage.” “How does our marriage hurt you?” they ask. Well, I can think of one significant way it will hurt us: It will destroy religious freedom and free speech rights. The handwriting is on the wall in Canada, which legalized same-sex “marriage” in 2005, in effect completely changing its true meaning. Since then, as Michael Coren notes in National Review Online, “there have been between 200 and 300 proceedings … against critics and opponents of same-sex marriage.” Of course he means legal proceedings. For instance, in Saskatchewan, a homosexual...

If the view of the “converts” to same-sex marriage and the acceptance of homosexual partnerships is “ultimately destructive to society, to the church, and to relations between men and women,” how can that distance be avoided? The reality is that it cannot. This is a moment of decision, and every evangelical believer, congregation, denomination, and institution will have to answer. There will be no place to hide. The forces driving this revolution in morality will not allow evasion or equivocation. Every pastor, every church, and every Christian organization will soon be forced to declare an allegiance to the Scriptures and...

A measure allowing some court officials to refuse to perform gay marriage responsibilities because of their religious beliefs became law in North Carolina on Thursday, with the state House voting to override the governor's veto of the bill. The Senate had voted to do the same with Republican Gov. Pat McCrory's veto a week ago. Thursday's House vote of 69-41 was just over the three-fifths majority needed. Ten House members were absent and didn't vote. The law, taking effect immediately, means some register of deeds workers who assemble licenses and magistrates to solemnize civil marriages can decide to stop performing...

LGBTQ icon Larry Kramer has spent the last 37 years warning of homosexuality's health hazards. He's director of ACT UP whose slogan is: "Silence=Death." Many gay marriage advocates wish Larry would shut his mouth. His message undercuts the image of being "gay and blissful." Folks are uncomfortable adding unsavory elements like this to the conversation. Do you think lawyers who presented arguments to the Supreme Court included the following? "Chief Justice Roberts and esteemed members of the Court, while you will hear our efforts to persuade you to legalize gay marriage today, we must be mindful of serious, elevated health...

A state magistrate in Pasquotank County could face disciplinary action after refusing to marry two men following the end of North Carolina's gay marriage ban. Magistrate Gary Littleton declined on Monday to perform the couple's civil ceremony, citing his religious views that marriage should be between one man and one woman. Under state law, a magistrate who fails to perform his or her legal duties can face removal or suspension.

Franklin Graham: ‘At Every Turn, the Gay and Lesbian Agenda is Being Pushed by This Administration’ Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. (AP) (CNSNews.com) – Rev. Franklin Graham, son of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, said that “true followers” of Jesus “cannot endorse same-sex marriage” regardless of what President Barack Obama, the Congress, the Supreme Court, or the media say about the issue, adding that marriage was “settled by God Himself” and cannot be modified by man. “True followers of Jesus Christ, whose salvation is based entirely upon God’s Word, cannot endorse same-sex marriage, regardless of what...

Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop of the Episcopal church, publicly announced he is divorcing his husband, Mark Andrew, on May 3. The couple had been married since 2010, when New Hampshire legalized gay marriage. The union created an international uproar, and many Episcopalians broke away from the main church. "As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for us - not a decision entered into lightly or without much counseling," Robinson wrote in a letter to the Diocese of New Hampshire. "We ask for your prayers, that the love and care for each other that has characterized...

The Alliance Defending Freedom is making its case to defend traditional marriage in Oklahoma, arguing same-sex marriage is bad for children. The Christian legal advocacy group said legalizing gay marriage would harm children, undermine society, and make traditional marriages unstable. Lawyers representing an Oklahoma clerk who refused to grant a marriage license to a same-sex couple cited courts and anthropologists in saying children are better off in a home with a mother and a father. They also added traditional couples would be less likely to marry, or stay together if marriage became a genderless institution not focused on procreation. Last...