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EqSD/Integrity SD Marriage Equality editorial published

Written by Curtis Price, Treasurer, Equality South Dakota Wednesday, 23 July 2008 20:52

In my hometown of Rapid City, we were blessed last week with a polemic attacking the "activist judges" in California, from Rev. Richard Wells, local Baptist pastor and a founding faculty member 1972 reactionary Baptist Christian school Criswell College... you can guess where they stand. Wells said, last week:

On May 15, the California Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on homosexual marriage. .. if you care about America, you should be very worried.

I responded with an op-ed published today, representing myself, Integrity USA, and Equality South Dakota:

Similar words of alarm (accompanied by carefully interpreted Scripture) have been used in some churches to prevent ethnic minorities and women from sharing their gifts as full members of the Church, but (in my view) the Holy Spirit continues to work to open the doors to everyone. Rev. Wells was right to quote Aretha Franklin saying that what's at stake is r-e-s-p-e-c-t. Marriage equality is one of the ways we can respect the rights of all citizens (including LGBT folk) and allow them and their families to live in liberty, freedom, and integrity with their God and their fellow humans. This day is coming and it is not to be feared; rather, it is something to joyfully celebrate!

The Rapid City (South Dakota) Journal does not post editorials online, but I have posted captured images of both editorials (400K pdf). The full text of the op-ed (All Families Should Be Valued In South Dakota) has posted on the eqsd.org site as well.