The U.S. Supreme Court will be ruling on a Tennessee law regarding same-sex marriage either today or on its last day of session Monday. Gay marriage advocates are eagerly anticipating the Supreme Court decision, but it’s not likely to end the debate in some Tennessee churches.
At First Baptist Church in downtown Nashville, young adult pastor Brandon Owen says discussions about gay marriage started even before the Tennessee law was taken to court.
“The conversations are already happening. I don’t think that what happens today or tomorrow or whenever this decision comes down will significantly change the conversations,” he says. “We’re still going to be talking about how we can welcome anybody into the church.”
First Baptist is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, and when the Supreme Court heard the case in April, leadership of the denomination urged its churches to pray for traditional marriage. Owen says First Baptist isn’t planning to perform same-sex marriages but hasn’t led any prayers on the matter.
Meanwhile, this weekend, the Nashville Pride parade will be happening a few blocks away. The Tennessee Equality Project will be walking in it, and director Chris Sanders says it’s ready for the the Supreme Court decision. If it rules their way, about 70 volunteers are ready to call county clerks around the state to see how quickly they can marry gay couples.
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