Welcome to www.onehundredthousandministers.com, sponsored by the Theological Education Institute (TEI) of Hartford, Connecticut (www.teihartford.com). The Affirmation is published at the bottom of this page. Currently it is a modest effort, just by word of mouth. When the funds permit, staff will be hired and we will organize the nation accordingly. We are behind substantially on listing the names of many ministers who have signed up. But by God's grace, we will get caught up.

If you are engaged in the ministry of the Gospel, and want to become a signatory, click here.

For the definition of "minister," click here.

The goal is to enlist at least 100,000 ministers of the Gospel nationwide to affirm: Yes to Man and Woman in Marriage: No to Same-Sex Marriage. We only say "no" to something because of the prior "yes" rooted in the Gospel.

This is not an easy issue, as the goal is always to speak the truth in love, in the midst of an explosive debate where the human soul is often laid bare in many directions, and where reconciled relationships with God and one another is the defining purpose. Thus, this effort requires our thoughtful and prayerful attention. This Affirmation is not designed for ministers to sign passively; rather, it is designed to be actively understood first, this takes a careful review, and then it can be signed with integrity. And we pray that you do so.

This Minister's Affirmation on Marriage was first published in the Hartford Courant on February 24, 2003 (click here). To date, there is still not one member of the media, not one legislator, not one clergy person, not one academic and not one homosexual advocate in the entire state who has publicly criticized even one word of this Affirmation.  In a state like Connecticut, where elitist skepticism of the Gospel is as intense as anywhere in the nation, such silence is as stunning as it is revealing. The truth spoken in love cannot be successfully opposed.

This Affirmation is designed for ministers across the nation to sign, and publish in local and state newspapers. It appears inevitable that the debate over same-sex marriage will eventually land before the U.S. Supreme Court, thus the TEI will prepare an amicus to be filed, making a very simple argument (click here), with thorough annotation, about the threat it poses to unalienable rights. To have 100,000 or more ministers sign this amicus would be powerful indeed, and the process will simultaneously energize the grass roots.

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This Affirmation is a well-honed and mature biblical statement, and can accomplish the following:

1. Mobilize pastors and churches nationwide, to educate the public as it is published in local, state and eventually, national newspapers. As such, it will serve well the unity among such churches.

2. Bring dishonest elitist critics to self-censorship, and thus, our positive message can be heard more clearly among the grass roots citizenry (as has been the case in Connecticut; also see the Commentary article: The Politics of Jesus: To Silence the Foe and Avenger).

3. Give energy and substance to an amicus, when necessary, before the U.S. Supreme Court, making a constitutional argument nobody has yet tried to challenge, and signed by at least 100,000 ministers of the Gospel; and

4. Give energy to the further need to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which says: Marriage in the United States consists uniquely of the union of one man and one woman.

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There is tremendous energy and money behind the same-sex marriage agenda, using language that says, among other things, that "marriage is a basic human right." This is not true, as it replaces the unalienable rights given us by the Creator, with new humanly defined "rights" determined by those in political power. Since when in human or U.S. history has marriage been defined as a human right? Rather, marriage has been defined as the basic social responsibility where man and woman, as complements and in mutual fidelity, give and receive trust, and model the same for their children. Then, within true marriage, there are certain rights designed to protect marriage and children, all of which accrues to the betterment of the larger society.

If this homosexual agenda is unchecked, in the final analysis, the religious, political and economic liberty to dissent from its redefinition of culture will be removed.

1. No ministers will be allowed by the state to perform heterosexual marriages unless they also agree to perform homosexual "marriages";

2. No speech which disagrees with homosexuality will be permitted; and

3. No businesses will be exempt from laws requiring approval of homosexual conduct.

In other words, the freedom to live, then preach the Gospel to hurting people, will be in danger.

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This Affirmation is composed with precision in language, for there is a small core of elitists in politics, the media, academia, various clergy, and among homosexual activists, whose influence is wide, and whose animosity to the Gospel is deep. They look for the smallest misstep on our part in order to accuse us of "homophobia" and intolerance. Thus, the headline language is important for the casual eye, as are the two sentences in bold. Many people will not read beyond that, but they will have already gained a sense of our purpose. Other people, in true inquiry as to its content and our motivation, will read carefully. Then in contrast, those elitists who oppose us will search the language to find fault. If they then silence themselves, being unable or unwilling to criticize the content of the Affirmation, then there is less ability on their part to deceive the wider culture. We will have succeeded in speaking the truth in love. Our influence is thus much more invisible than retail politics, but also far more spiritually and psychologically powerful. To fully grasp the theology behind this strategy, read the Commentary article, The Politics of Jesus: To Silence the Foe and Avenger, and to further understand who the foes are, and who they are not, read also, Same-Sex Marriage and the Threat to Religious Liberty.

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