Bill Stevenson resigns his office as judge magistrate rather than wed two people of the same sex. (Photo wcnc.com)
[We must appreciate men of principle who would rather quit an employment than perform a deed contrary to God’s law, violative of a particular law, or contrary to a moral or ethical qualm — say a man is required to take extended business trips in company of a woman who is not his wife. For high reasons does a man such as Bill Stevenson, a magistrate judge in Gaston County, N.C., quit. Mr. Stevenson refused to perform same-sex marriage unions because of his Christian convictions. We appreciate his testimony for Christ, and his witness for the gospel truths about marriage.
“Romans Chapter 13 says people who believe in the Lord should submit to governing authorities and we have to face the fact this is the law now. I reasoned I couldn’t both follow the law and follow the dictates of the Lord.” But is it true that gay marriage is “the law of the land”? Is he legally correct? Is he justified in his analysis under his state constitution — his state’s source of authority and protection of the rights of the people? I propose that Mr. Stevenson labors under a legal error that overlooks an important source of personal authority he could have exercised in his office. That of his oath to uphold his state constitution until such constitution changes or is revised. Magistrates have quit; will magistrates, judges and county clerks stand their ground? One who has is Pasquotank County, N.C., magistrate Gary Littleton. — DJT]
By Kirsten Andersen / Lifesitenews.com
In the wake of a federal court decision legalizing same-sex “marriage” in North Carolina, at least six judges in the state have resigned rather than be forced to officiate such unions. All stepped down, since Oct. 10, because they believe marriage is a union between one man and one woman.
They are John Kallam Jr. (Rockingham County), Gilbert Breedlove (Swain County), Bill Stevenson (Gaston County), Tommy Holland (Graham County), Gayle Myrick (Union County) and Jeff Powell (Jackson County).
The decision wasn’t easy for Stevenson, whose family depends on his $50,000 per year salary as their primary income.
“I prayed about it; I asked for wisdom,” Stevenson told the Christian Examiner. ‘I think our hearts have been led away by the cares of the world, our desires, and ultimately, our intense arrogance – our hubris – against the Lord.
“We’ve rejected the prime authority of the scriptures, something our Nation’s Founding Fathers, such as John Adams, knew better than to do. … In both the Old and New Testaments, homosexuality is something the Lord does not approve of, and since He doesn’t, I could not put the sanction of the state on a relationship that runs afoul of scripture,” Stevenson said.
In a separate interview with the Christian Post, Stevenson said of the decision to give up his income without a backup plan, “I hate to wax it so biblical but it says ‘what good is it for a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?’ So, that’s the stakes I put on this.”
Holland, who had served as a magistrate for 24 years, said he made the decision to quit after the state issued a memo stating that there would be no religious exemptions for judges who believe same-sex “marriage” is immoral.
Sources: Amy Cowman, “Gaston Co. Magistrate latest to quit over gay marriage,” TV station WCNS.com, Oct. 28, 2014.
