New Mexico Pastors' Community Marriage-Building Initiative Faces Opposition
by Mary Rettig
January 26, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The head of the ministry known as Marriage Savers says Las Cruces, New Mexico, became the 200th city to sign a Community Marriage Policy last week. However, the marking of this milestone did not happen without some controversy.
Last week, it was reported that Albuquerque was the 200th city to commit to building marriages by signing a Community Marriage Policy. However, according to Marriage Savers president Mike McManus, there were not enough pastors to sign the policy, so it was cancelled until more pastors joined the initiative. (See earlier story)
Instead, McManus notes, clergy in Las Cruces, New Mexico, dedicated themselves to helping strengthen marriages in their city. In that area, however, he says some liberal pastors tried to thwart their efforts.
"When they had their signing last week on Thursday, a number of very liberal pastors said they would not participate and did what they could to sabotage the whole event," the Marriage Savers spokesman says. "This is the first time this has ever happened, where a group of pastors on kind of a 'gay agenda' decided not to participate."
In addition to boycotting the event themselves, McManus points out, the liberal activist pastors called Las Cruces' mayor and warned him not to participate in the effort "because 'these people are anti-gay,' and so forth."
But the ministry co-founder says that is not true. In fact, many of the churches he says were involved in the pro-marriage effort, including United Methodists, the Peace Lutheran Church, the Baha'i faith, Unitarians, Disciples of Christ, and a Jewish synagogue, represent denominations that tend to be very tolerant and affirming.
However, the liberal ministers' claim had its intended effect, McManus notes. "When you have a half dozen or more pastors not participate, that really kind of cuts a hole in the consensus," he explains.
Also, the liberal activist pastors did succeed in scaring off Mayor William Mattiace, McManus notes. Nevertheless, he says, 15 other pastors decided to stand firm and commit to building marriage.
Mary Rettig, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
