Synopses & Reviews
The Supreme Court's June decision on same-sex marriage is fundamentally about far more than sexuality—it's about the civil institution of marriage, the reach of the federal government over state laws, and the future of the American family. Heritage Foundation scholar Ryan T. Anderson deconstructs the decision and provides a roadmap for pro-marriage Americans wondering what's next for our country.
Review
"Every leader in America needs to read this book! It's by far the best summary of what's at stake, combining rigorous research, solid documentation, and brilliant analysis of the implications. Ryan Anderson has written a tour de force."
Dr. Rick Warren, Author of The Purpose Driven Life and Pastor of Saddleback Church
"We live at a privileged moment: a time for what Bonhoeffer called costly grace; a time for Christians to bear witness to the truth in the public square. Ryan Anderson has been doing this courageously for several years now. His new book, Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom, is vital reading for anyone seeking to defend the goodness that remains in our nation, and our rights to live in accord with the truth."
Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia
"It takes great courage and extraordinary eloquence to effectively defend the truth about marriage in the public square today, and Ryan Anderson has both. All Americans who are rightly concerned about the future of marriage and religious liberty are greatly indebted to him for this important book."
Rabbi Meir Y. Soloveichik, Ph.D., Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, Yeshiva University
"Ryan Anderson's presence among us at a time such as thisas evidenced most recently by this bookis nothing less than profoundly encouraging and inspiring to all of us who know that our dear country has lost its way. If we can find a path out of our current Slough of Despond, it will be in large part due to winsome heroes like him. Read this book."
Eric Metaxas, New York Times Bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
"Novelist Walker Percy said of the abortion rights movement a generation ago: 'You may get your way. But you're going to be told what you're doing.' And ever since Roe v Wade, prolifers have been telling abortionists that abortion stops a beating heart. When it comes to the question of marriage and family, Ryan Anderson is a Walker Percy for a new day. Anderson is the brightest intellectual star in the pro-marriage movement. He seeks to persuade and provoke with reason, logic, and honesty. This book will equip to bear witness to ancient convictions in a strange new world."
Russell D. Moore, Ph.D., Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Southern Baptist Convention
"Ryan Anderson is our nation's most compelling and courageous defender of marriage as the union of husband and wife, and of the rights of people who share that belief to express and act on it in their civic, professional, religious, and personal lives. In Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom he charts the path forward for those of us who refuse to yield to the destruction of marriage and who will not be bullied into acquiescence or silence."
Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
"With the social and legal significance of marriage in debate as never before, and with religious freedom at risk of becoming a second-class right, Ryan Anderson's book could not be more timely. His well-documented analysis of the likely implications of redefining a basic social institution plus his sober forecast of coming inroads on freedom of conscience and religion should give pause to all but the most hardened ideologues. At the same time, his roadmap for fortifying the rights of conscience while rebuilding a culture of marriage will provide encouragement to all who are concerned about Americas moral ecology.
Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University
Synopsis
The Supreme Court has issued a decision, but that doesn't end the debate. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled, Americans face momentous debates about the nature of marriage and religious liberty. Because the Court has redefined marriage in all 50 states, we have to energetically protect our freedom to live according to conscience and faith as we work to rebuild a strong marriage culture.
In the first book to respond to the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage, Ryan Anderson 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.
Attacks on religious liberty--predicated on the bogus equation of opposition to same-sex marriage with racism--have already begun, and modest efforts in Indiana and other states to protect believers' rights have met with hysterics from media and corporate elites. Anderson tells the stories of innocent citizens who have been coerced and penalized by the government and offers a strategy to protect the natural right of religious liberty.
Anderson reports on the latest research on same-sex parenting, filling it out with the testimony of children raised by gays and lesbians. He closes with a comprehensive roadmap on how to rebuild a culture of marriage, with work to be done by everyone.
The nation's leading defender of marriage in the media and on university campuses, Ryan Anderson has produced the must-read manual on where to go from here. 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. We will decide which side of history we are on.
About the Author
Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D is the William E. Simon Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, where he researches and writes about marriage and religious liberty. He is also the editor of Public Discourse, the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute of Princeton, N.J. In 2012, Anderson co-authored What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense” (Encounter Books) with Princeton University's Robert P. George and Sherif Girgis. Anderson has appeared on several news networks including CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, and his work has been featured in or published by major newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, National Review, Weekly Standard and Christianity Today. It also has appeared in journals such as Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, First Things, Claremont Review of Books, New Atlantis, Touchstone, Books and Culture, The City and Human Life Review.
Anderson received his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. He earned his doctoral degree in political philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. He currently resides in Washington, D.C.