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This is not the end. It's not even the beginning of the end. It may not even be the end of the beginning. But it's a big step forward from where the world stood yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that. You don't get to see that kind of a change too often.

The practical effects of this decision may be limited, though I suspect that the plaintiffs - among many others - would dispute that. But the symbolic effects are huge.

Marriage is a sanctifying institution; it hallows relationships, sealing them with society's blessing and transforming them from sordidness into sanctity. When we extend that institution that to same-sex relationships, we are asserting the primacy of love and love alone among our values and in our judgments.

And when we make same-sex marriage legal across the nation, we are asserting that there is no longer a place in America for the idea that some loves are holier than others. That is a symbolic statement of enormous significance.

In short, I do not desire to dispute any of the misgivings that have been voiced by any of my friends here. I am, after all, not a member of the LGBT community; what right do I have to second-guess your concerns about what comes next?

But nonetheless, the world looks different to me this morning. And for that much, as a Christian and an American, I am as proud of my country as I have ever been.