What exactly is the Manhattan Declaration? Should I sign it?

A year ago Christian leaders active in current culture wars and seeking to further social justice and human rights drafted the Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience. It was released at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20, 2009, with 150 signatures already affixed. About 500,000 people have signed it since. You ask if you should.

REASONS TO SIGN

This manifesto is a response to recent social and political efforts to move away from a biblical view of the sanctity of life, to marginalize Christian voices in the public square, and to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions. So this declaration affirms

• the equal dignity of every human being as a special  creature of God,
• marriage as a conjugal union of a man and woman  ordained by God, and
• religious liberty grounded in part in the inherent  freedom and dignity of human beings.

Who among us would disagree with the basic issues of the sanctity of life, the dignity of traditional marriage, and religious liberty? And who among us would deny that threats to these values are intensifying in our culture and jeopardizing the well-being of society? Based on these observations, we can see why professing Christians might sign the declaration in an attempt to speak the truth on vital moral issues and hopefully move our nation toward social justice and moral integrity.

REASONS NOT TO SIGN

Yet many Christians have chosen not to sign. Here is a partial but hopefully helpful rationale for abstaining: