A Statement of Support for the
Defense of Marriage Amendment

Introduction

We are members of churches in the United States. We are saddened that some U.S. church leaders have offered public statements and teachings that undermine rather than strengthen marriage and family in our society. Our commitments to marriage are rooted in God’s revelation in Holy Scripture. But we also affirm the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-faith reality of marriage showing that marriage is rooted in creation, God’s law written on the human heart. Please join us in signing the following statement. The statement and signatures will be given to the President of the United States and to leaders of the U.S. Congress.

Statement

Marriage is the primary, essential institution of civil society. It has come under increasing attack from those who would remake marriage into the image of shifting cultural trends rather than affirm the unchanging design given to us at creation - a design recognized across cultures and history. We also acknowledge the unambiguous sociological evidence that children are best off with a mother and a father. It is becoming increasingly clear that legal measures to protect the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman are necessary to preserve the place of marriage in our society. We support measures protecting the definition of marriage, including the prompt adoption of the Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as necessary to safeguard this fundamental social institution from unwarranted and destructive revision.

Sara L. Anderson Bristol House, Ltd. (United Methodist) Anderson, IN	John H. Armstrong Reformation & Revival Ministries Carol Stream, IL	Dennis G. Bell Methodist Laity Reform Movement Denison, IA
Karen Booth Transforming Congregations (UMC) Millsboro, DE	Ellis English Brust American Anglican Council Washington, DC	Susan Cyre Presbyterians for Faith, Family and Ministry Blacksburg, VA
Ira Gallaway The Confessing Movement within The United Methodist Church Albuquerque, NM	Christopher Hershman The Evangelical Lutheran Confessing Fellowship Allentown, PA	James M. Kushiner The Fellowship of St. James (Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity) Chicago, IL
Patricia L. Miller The Confessing Movement within The United Methodist Church Indianapolis, IN	Craig Alan Myers Brethren Revival Fellowship Columbia City, IN	Bill Nicoson American Baptist Evangelicals Westminster, CA
Thomas Oden ACR Theological Taskforce Chairman Oklahoma City, OK	David Runnion-Bareford Biblical Witness Fellowship Candia, NH	Russell E. Saltzman Forum Letter, American Lutheran Publicity Bureau Delhi, NY
Terry Schlossberg Presbyterians Pro-Life Burke, VA	L. Faye Short RENEW Network (UMC) Cornelia, GA	David M. Stanley United Methodist Action Muscatine, IA
Vernon Stoop, Jr. Focus Renewal Ministries in the United Church of Christ Sassamansville, PA	Parker T. Williamson The Presbyterian Lay Committee Lenoir, NC	Mark Chavez WordAlone Network (ELCA) New Brighton, MN

Diane Knippers Institute on Religion and Democracy Washington, DC

Organizations are listed for identification purposes only.