Va. church urges Christians to ‘vote their biblical values’ on abortion, gay marriage amendments
A Virginia church hosted a forum Wednesday urging Christians to "vote their biblical values" on proposed state constitutional amendments on abortion and on same-sex marriage.
World Outreach Worship Center of Newport News, also known as WOW Church, hosted the event, known as “Before the Ballot,” which featured a roundtable on two proposed amendments to the state constitution.
Featured speakers for the event, which had around 175 attendees, included Pastor J.R. Gurley, president of the Frederick Douglass Freedom Alliance of Virginia; Bob Good, a former Republican congressman from Virginia; Jackee Andrews, a regional director for Citizens Defending Freedom; and Michael Morisi, vice president of the Virginia Church Ambassador Network.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Gurley said he wanted attendees to “understand Virginia’s proposed constitutional abortion and marriage amendments, examine their actual language, and consider their potential consequences through a biblical worldview.”
“We wanted to move beyond campaign slogans and encourage people to make informed decisions about issues affecting life, marriage, family and our Commonwealth,” he said.
Gurley went on to note that, as a pastor, he believes “the church has a responsibility to help people connect their faith with their responsibilities as citizens” and felt the event provided an opportunity “for a substantive panel conversation about these issues.”
Gurley also told CP that he considered a “major highlight” of the “Before the Ballot” event to be “the level of audience engagement” found with the comments and questions presented.
“These questions ranged from whether these amendments could unintentionally support or provide cover for crimes like human trafficking or statutory rape, to how they might inadvertently support radical Islamic ideals such as child brides and multiple wives,” he recounted.
“As the panel discussed, answered and unpacked the realities of what these amendments could ultimately lead to, an invested crowd responded with a mix of surprise and heartbreak.”
Gurley felt it was important to give people an “opportunity to look beyond the titles of these amendments and discuss why the wording matters so much,” as it helped “people consider the possible long-term effects of what they are being asked to place into Virginia’s Constitution.”
“I hope that every attendee left understanding just how important it is for them to participate in the system that shapes the laws around them,” he told CP. “If the church in Virginia would simply vote their values, these measures would receive a swift and overwhelming defeat.”
On Nov. 3, Virginia voters will consider three amendments to the state constitution. Question 1 would establish a constitutional right to “reproductive freedom,” including abortion. It would allow the state to regulate abortion in the third trimester but bar it from prohibiting abortions a physician deems medically necessary to protect the “life or physical or mental health” of the mother, or when the unborn child is deemed not viable.
"Constitutional amendments deserve careful examination because their effects can extend far beyond one election cycle. Every person should read the proposals for themselves, ask the hard questions, pray, and vote their biblical values."
The second proposed amendment would repeal a 2006 state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. It would also bar the state from denying a marriage license to two adults because of their sex, gender or race. While the 2006 amendment is unenforceable due to the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges, it could take effect again if that decision were ever overturned.
Ballot Question 3 would amend state law so that a convicted felon has their voting rights restored as soon as they are released, rather than only getting them restored directly by the governor.
“No person who has been convicted of a felony shall be entitled to vote during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but every such person, upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote,” reads the amended language in part.
In March, a complaint was filed against the abortion amendment in the Circuit Court of Bedford County, Virginia, on behalf of Bedford County Supervisor Charla Bansley. It alleged that state officials failed to properly follow the procedure when passing the proposal, meaning that it should not be on the ballot.
Campbell County Circuit Judge John T. Cook signed an order in July dismissing the challenge, concluding that the unfollowed procedural rules were not mandatory. The Liberty Counsel, which is representing the plaintiff, filed an appeal with the Virginia Court of Appeals in response.
