The head of an organization of African-American pastors has called on Christians to oppose the Supreme Court's ruling that made same-sex marriage legal across the United States.
In a landmark ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court termed attempts by conservative states to ban gay marriage unconstitutional.
In an interview with Newsmax on Saturday, Rev. Bill Owens, president of the Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP), said Christians should object the ruling through civil disobedience.
"I was in the civil rights movement, so I know how to do it" said Owens. "When we sat at the counters at restaurants, we knew we were going to be arrested. You do things to get arrested, to call attention to it.”
"So many people were silent," he added. "The church people were absolutely silent on this issue. A few leaders spoke out, but the masses of the church people were silent."
He said white people did not protest President Barack Obama’s support for the ruling as Obama “endorsed it so strongly and they didn't want to be called bigots.”
He added that African Americans did not object either because they “didn't want to say they were betraying a black man.”
On Friday, five of the nine court justices issued verdicts ruling that the right to marriage equality was enshrined under the 14th amendment, striking down bans in over a dozen states.
The ruling means the number of states where same-sex marriage is legal will jump from 37 states to all 50.
Owens said “the Supreme Court doesn't always get it right. This is one time they really got it wrong."
AT/HRJ