President Corey Responds to Supreme Court's Gay Marriage Decision

As we received word today about the Supreme Court's decision on gay marriage, we hope and pray that organizations like Biola University will be able to continue to serve the needs of our world with biblical convictions and Christlike love under the religious freedoms that have defined our nation. We believe more than ever that there is an important place in our world for colleges and universities that are free to live out their long-held convictions, rooted in Scripture and reinforced by 2,000 years of Church history. It is our hope that our society will honor and uphold the ideal of pluralism, respecting and defending the rights of religious organizations like Biola to operate according to the beliefs they hold dear, which includes their sincerely held religious beliefs regarding marriage. We trust that we will be able to continue to exercise our freedom to express our beliefs with gentleness and respect. We should be able to do this civilly in the context of religious freedom and in a society that reveres a genuine concept of pluralism. We can do this as Christians, standing resolutely for what we believe while understanding that others have the same right to hold beliefs that are different from us. As the President of the United States said this morning, "I know that Americans of good will continue to hold a wide range of views on this issue. Opposition, in some cases, has been based on sincere and deeply held beliefs. All of us who welcome today’s news should be mindful of that fact and recognize different viewpoints, revere our deep commitment to religious freedom." It is also our hope that all Christians will hold their convictions confidently, but with compassion. It takes courage to live with a “firm center and soft edges” in a society that increasingly finds that “center” to be out of step with the cultural mainstream. But we believe a compassionate, Christ-like courage is essential. Ultimately, the Biola community will trust in God, knowing that if we remain rooted in him we will continue to bear fruit for his kingdom, educating men and women in mind and character to impact the world for Christ.

June 26, 2015