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Last week, a Texas judge effectively overturned the state's marriage law, ruling that a gay couple that had married in Massachusetts could file for divorce in Texas.

The judge ruled the the state's marriage statutes and constitution violate the federal constitutional right of equal protection.

Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said that Indiana and Rhode Island have previously refused similar requests, and that a same-sex divorce case is on the docket in Oklahoma.

"The government cannot consider issuing a 'divorce' for a 'marriage' it doesn't recognize," Nimocks said. "This ruling runs contrary to the voice of Texans and the historic purposes behind the state's marriage laws."

Washington, D.C.'s City Council is garnering criticism from the FRC and Concerned Women for America for a bill that would allow same-sex marriage in the district. The U.S. Census — which is turning into a "propaganda institute," according to the Beverly LaHaye Institute — reported that there were 150,000 same-sex couples with legal marriage status in 2008.

And finally, the FRC gave a surprising argument against same-sex marriage. Spokesman Peter Spriggs pointed to a recent report that a species of primate (and an ancestor of humans) living 4.4 million years ago displayed the equivalent of opposite-sex coupling. Spriggs concluded that marriage is "a natural institution, whose definition as the union of male and female is rooted in the order of nature itself. And it doesn't take a Bible to prove it. In this case, evolutionary theory points to the exact same conclusion."

Evangelical groups used last week's Muslim prayer service at the Capital as a religious freedom object lesson.

BreakPoint pointed out that Muslims "can't pray to Allah on government property in a Muslim country, but they can pray to Allah on government property in a country founded upon Christian principles."

The FRC's Ken Blackwell expressed indirect concerns about Islam.

"We respect the constitutional rights to peaceable assembly and religious free exercise," he said. "But we continue to view with alarm the spread of any ideology that countenances slavery and murder. Let us all pray that we hear strong and convincing condemnations of terrorism coming from this Friday's gathering."

Conservative advocacy groups launched two programs this week.

Liberty Counsel announced Adopt a Liberal, which encourages people to "pray for those in leadership to restore poor leaders to right thinking." Its website lists 14 liberals in politics and the media, with a bonus "unknown liberal" card for visitors to add their own.

Focus on the Family Action announced a new website just in time for Virginia's and New Jersey's statewide elections: FocusVoter.com. The site lists candidates' stances on various issues.

Finally, global warfare and global warming have attracted evangelicals' attention on the international front. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission's Doug Carlson questioned environmental legislation, saying, "the premise of the bills — that humans are the main culprits for global warming — rests on a flawed interpretation of science."

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October (Web-Only) 2009, Vol. 53