Supreme Court’s LGBT Decision Could Pose ‘Grave Threat to Religious Liberty,’ Christian Leaders Say

Christian leaders and legal experts alike warned Monday that religious liberty is in danger after the Supreme Court ruled the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment.

The case consisted of three separate lawsuits, one of which involved a Christian funeral homeowner who dismissed an employee who is biologically male but identifies as female and wants to dress as a woman at work. The funeral home has a sex-specific dress code.

The Supreme Court, in its 6-3 decision, ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, makes it unlawful to fail to hire or to fire someone on the basis of their LGBT identity. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said “sex” in the 1964 law encompasses “homosexuality or transgender status.”

Gorsuch acknowledged the justices were “deeply concerned with preserving the promise of the free exercise of religion enshrined in our Constitution” and that other cases may arise with “free exercise arguments that merit careful consideration.”

“But how these doctrines protecting religious liberty interact with Title VII are questions for future cases,” he wrote.

Future cases also will decide how the court’s ruling impacts religious organizations.

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern…