The Government will announce today that it may abolish the traditional definition of marriage and impose a radical new version on society so that homosexuals can get married.
The news will be met with alarm by those who believe this fundamental redefinition of marriage would be wrong and harmful to society.
Several evangelical Christian organisations, including The Christian Institute, have already released a joint statement pledging to “firmly oppose” any change.
Thousands
The statement, which was signed by five evangelical groups, cautioned: “The thousands of churches that our organizations represent hold firmly to the clear teaching of the Bible that marriage is the lifelong, exclusive union of one man and one woman.
“This is the definition that has long been recognized in English law and, indeed, by almost all cultures for all of human history.”
It added: “There are two partners to a marriage because there are two sexes. Marriage is a complementary covenant involving the bringing together of the two sexes not only for the purposes of procreation but also to reflect more fully the image of God.
Oppose
“We are also concerned about the effect of declaring that the institution in which children are raised does not require both a mother and a father.
“For all these reasons we, and many others, would firmly oppose any efforts to eradicate the definition of marriage and impose a new definition on everyone in order to satisfy the demands of gay rights groups.”
The joint statement, entitled Homosexual marriage and the registration of civil partnerships in churches, was signed by Affinity, The Christian Institute, Christian Concern, Reform and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.
The Government will also consult on allowing homosexual civil partnerships to be registered in churches under the Equality Act.