Every community has “that guy,” the minister of the gospel who thinks he is called by God to be a Justice of the Peace, officiating as a kind chaplain at the weddings of whoever asks.
Last week, The Gospel Coalition ran an article of mine on whether a minister should officiate at weddings of unbelievers. I said, and say, “no.” Marriage is a creation ordinance, given to all people, yes. But the church has authority to bless and sanctify only what the church has the authority to discipline and hold accountable. Here is a longer version of the original post, from here at this site.
Since the post has run, I’ve received several questions from folks asking whether a minister should officiate at funerals of unbelievers, to that I say yes, and you can read this article to find out why this isn’t the same thing as officiating at the weddings of unbelievers.
