It has been a few months since the SCOTUS decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, but there is plenty going on, and ramifications will continue for some time in the legal, theological, and social realms. Here is a roundup of news related to the decision: one from a professor of Law, one from a professor of theology, and a third from a journalist who has covered the US Supreme Court for almost 60 years.
“Marriage Equality on the Arc of Civil Rights History: A Broad Historical Narrative”
Charles R. Calleros | SSRN
Abstract: This essay, forthcoming in the Second Draft (2015), summarizes the thesis of a much longer article, Advocacy for Marriage Equality: The Power of a Broad Historical Narrative During a Transitional Period in Civil Rights, forthcoming in 2015 Mich. St. L. Rev (expected publication Jan. 2016). Previous civil rights movements in the United States define broad historical patterns that form a narrative helpful to a proper understanding of new controversies. As a society we often could benefit from a reminder that our actions today will form the history for future generations, who will judge us with benefit of hindsight and a broader perspective. With each new civil rights controversy, we owe it to ourselves and to the victims of discrimination to ask whether we are once again in a period of transition, where conventional mores will soon sound as jarring as Justice Bradley’s concurrence in Bradwell v. Illinois sounds to us now.
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“Same-Sex Unions, Gender and Abortion: How to Talk About Them and How Not.”
Ron Highfield | iFaqTheology blog
Well-reasoned discussion about the issues from a Christian theologian’s perspective. Dr Highfield addresses how he believes a Christian wishing to engage in these issues should approach them. The essay speaks to more than just the same-sex marriage issue, addressing larger cultural views.
It is time to address some specific objections to the Christian moral vision. However, I do not plan to develop an extensive theological framework here. I did that in chapters 23-33 (Pages 82-126) of my book The Thoughtful Christian Life: Essays on Living as a Christian in a Post-Christian Culture. You can read earlier versions of these essays in the April-June 2014 archives of this blog. I want to make only two points in this essay. But first…
Note: This essay has to do with answering moral objections to the Christian moral vision. It contains no advice about what the secular state ought to adopt as policy. In this essay I care only about what Christians should say to defend and explain Christianity’s moral stance. This is apologetics, not politics.
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“Did Obergefell settle the same-sex marriage issue?”
Lyle Denniston | SCOTUSblog
Nebraska is one of several states that previously banned same-sex marriage that have been trying to persuade lower federal courts that the Justices’ ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges made all similar cases moot — that is, no longer live disputes. Couples who sued in many states are now pursuing further orders, including an award of lawyers’ fees. In response, Nebraska’s lawyers have now gone further than other states have, seeking en banc review of the dispute by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
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