“The Bible isn’t nearly as antiseptic as Christians sometimes pretend to be, and it certainly doesn’t shirk back from addressing all the complexities of human life. If we are discipling our children, let’s apply the Scripture to all of life. If we refuse to talk to our children about some issue that is clearly before them, our children will assume we are unequipped to speak to it, and they’ll eventually search out a worldview that will.”

—Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, discussing how to talk with kids about recent rulings in the Supreme Court that impact traditional marriage. Moore goes on to say: “You can tell your children that people in American culture disagree about what marriage is. You can explain to them what the Bible teaches, from Genesis to Jesus to the apostles, about a man and a woman becoming one flesh. You can explain that as Christians we believe this marital relationship is different than other relationships we have. You can then tell them that some people have relationships they want to be seen as marriages and that the Supreme Court is addressing that. You can then explain you love your neighbors who disagree with you on this. You agree they ought to be free from mistreatment or harassment but the church believes government can’t define or redefine marriage, but can only recognize what God created and placed in creation.” (RussellMoore.com)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.