More than 150 Virginia pastors are taking biblical truth beyond the walls of their churches and into the public square, urging voters to reject two proposed constitutional amendments involving abortion and same-sex marriage.
The pastors signed an open letter opposing Question 1 and Question 2, which Virginians are considering between the beginning of early voting Sept. 18 and Election Day on Nov. 3, according to Breitbart.
Question 1 would establish abortion as a fundamental right under the Virginia Constitution. Question 2 would remove the state constitution’s definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, replacing it with language allowing two adults to marry regardless of sex or gender.
The coalition declared that both amendments are “opposed to human flourishing and contrary to the Word of God.”
“As citizens of Virginia, we are under moral obligation to vote for the good of our Commonwealth,” the pastors wrote. “Let us seek one another’s true good and not mark our identity with the deprivations that these amendments would bring to the Constitution of Virginia.”
Their public stand is an example of the cultural engagement desperately needed from America’s churches. Christians cannot expect to influence society if biblical truth is proclaimed only inside church buildings on Sunday mornings. Jesus carried His ministry into homes, streets and public gathering places. He confronted sin, defended truth and called people to repentance wherever they gathered.
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Question 1, the pastors warned, would “bring about more destruction of human life in the womb.” They grounded their opposition in Genesis 1:27, which declares that human beings are created in the image of God.
“All human life is sacred and created by God in His image,” the letter states. “We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.”
The pastors rejected efforts to describe abortion as health care or a moral good.
“Abortion is the killing of a pre-born child in the womb,” they wrote. “It is moral distortion to present this violation of the sixth commandment as a moral good or as a fundamental right.”
They also declared that unborn children possess a fundamental right “to be born, to live, and to breathe.”
Addressing Question 2, the pastors affirmed that marriage was established by God as the union of one man and one woman. Government may pass laws concerning marriage, but it does not possess the authority to alter what God created.
“God created the institution of marriage in Eden, and He is the one who joins husband and wife together,” the letter states. “What God has defined, let not man seek to redefine.”
The pastors also warned that denying God’s design for sex, marriage and human identity produces consequences throughout society.
“Denying reality only brings a ripple effect of harm to society that is acutely felt by individuals, families, schools, and sports teams,” they wrote.
One pastor involved in organizing the letter told The Daily Signal that at least 90 churches were represented, reaching more than 50,000 congregants across Virginia. The effort follows a “Catholics Vote No” campaign led by Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge and supported by Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout.
The pastors made clear that their opposition is not rooted in hatred or hostility. They rejected hateful behavior and said Christians must combine truth with genuine love.
“Love will communicate truth and speak for the good of others, and it does not go silent when the need is great,” they wrote. “We are to love with truth, for love without truth is not love at all.”
That is the calling before the church today. Pastors and believers cannot point culture back toward God while remaining absent from the debates shaping life, marriage, family and human identity. The church must move beyond the sanctuary, carry the gospel into the public square and courageously proclaim the truth that sets people free.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
