The Abolition of Marriage: Freeing the Right to be Religious and Leaving the Left Alone

The assault on traditional marriage that began in the late 1990s seemingly ended with the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriages in all 50 states. Christians continue to mourn the loss of this sacred and covenantal institution to secularists, but in doing so have forgotten their unique place as citizens not of this world but of the Kingdom of God. Christian attempts to correct the standing constitutional order and reclaim marriage exclusively for heterosexuals will fail. The way forward is to advocate the replacement of civil marriage laws with civil unions for heterosexuals and homosexuals alike. Both Christians and secularists will find this alternative satisfying, for it allows everyone to receive from the state equal protection of their rights, and it allows the Church and other intermediary communal institutions to define and defend marriage as they have always understood it.