On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that redefined marriage in our nation. Since then, many of you have had questions and concerns about how the legalization of same-sex marriage affects you, the nature of marriage and our religious liberty as a whole.

 

It’s a debate that is only beginning as we start to see how the ruling will impact our country. We want to help you navigate this debate as you seek to live out your faith and speak out on the truth about marriage we find in God’s Word.

 

In this special issue of Christian Doctor’s Digest STAT Dr. David Stevens discusses this issue with Dr. Ryan Anderson, the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow in American Principles and Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation. He is the author of Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom, the first book-length response to the Court’s ruling. In this book, he draws on the best philosophy and social science to explain what marriage is, why it matters for public policy and the consequences of its legal redefinition.

 

You definitely do not want to miss this interview. We have a responsibility as Christians to stand up for truth. There are reasonable and compelling arguments for the truth about marriage, but too many of our neighbors haven’t heard them. Truth is never on “the wrong side of history,” but we have to make the case. Dr. Anderson helps provide a roadmap for us to do just that in our communities, our profession and our culture.

 

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Ryan Anderson, PhD researches and writes about marriage and religious liberty as the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow in American Principles and Public Policy. He also focuses on justice and moral principles in economic thought, healthcare and education, and he has expertise in bioethics and natural law theory. Dr. Anderson is also the Founder and Editor of Public Discourse, the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute of Princeton, New Jersey. His recent work at Heritage focuses on the constitutional questions surrounding same-sex marriage.

 

Dr. Anderson was cited by Justice Clarence Thomas in his dissenting opinion in the 2015 Supreme Court case involving state marriage laws. And Justice Samuel Alito cited him twice in his dissenting opinion in the 2013 Supreme Court case involving the Defense of Marriage Act. In addition to a memorable 2013 debate about marriage on CNN’s Piers Morgan Live, his news interviews include appearances on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, CNN’s New Day with Chris Cuomo, MSNBC’s The Ed Show with Ed Schultz, and Fox News’ Hannity.

In April 2015, the Washington Post ran a front-page profile of Anderson, and his work has been featured in or published by major newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Washington Examiner, National Review, the Weekly Standard and Christianity Today.

Dr. Anderson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and earned his doctoral degree in political philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, where he received his master’s degree.