Archives for April 2015

Presbyterian Church Votes to Redefine Marriage

In March, the Presbytery of the Palisades, in California, voted to amend the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), changing the church’s definition of marriage, previously identified as between “a man and a woman.” It now reads “between two people.” Most sources were not surprised, as the PC-USA, the largest denomination of Presbyterians, is also the most socially liberal. Experts say it also speaks to the new perspectives on gender identity and marriage that have become an ordinary part of life for many “millennials,” those coming into adulthood at the beginning of the 21st century.

David Gushee, a nationally recognized authority on Christian ethics who teaches at Mercer University in Atlanta, says that today’s young adults have grown up with a greater sense of equality in all areas of life—greater gender equality, greater racial equality—and this has led them to question the church’s perspectives on sexual orientation and long-held moral tenets. Gushee, who fully supports inclusion of gays and lesbians in church services and ceremonies, believes that younger Christians want an open dialogue on the church’s response to and participation in the move toward “full civil equality.”

Studies show that, with very few exceptions, the trend among young Christians is toward acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lifestyles. Even among Evangelicals, considered by many to be among the most socially conservative (and opposed to gay marriage) among believers, the percentage of communicants favoring gay marriage has more than doubled since 2000 (from 20% to 43%). Nearly nine of every 10 self-identified Roman Catholics under the age of 30 say that homosexuality should be condoned as an ordinary part of society.

Gushee, who says he relies on the Protestant Bible as his authority, says that changing perspectives on morality is not inconsistent with Biblical teachings. He points out that church leaders and believers have dramatically changed their perspectives on what the Bible says about women, slavery and race relations.

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Nationwide Legislative Backlash Seeks to Limit Gay Marriage

Legislators across the country have been frantically pushing new legislation, seeking to impose a variety of different laws to make it more difficult for persons of the same gender to legally marry.

• In Oklahoma, the state House of Representatives passed a bill that requires marriages to be conducted by a judge, retired judge or licensed clergyperson, taking county clerks out of the marriage business. The move may have had the opposite effect of its intent, though, as it has led many in the state to obtain clergy licenses in order to perform gay marriages.
• North Carolina legislators are working on a bill that would allow government officials to “opt out” of performing any marriage ceremony if they have a “sincerely held religious objection.”

Oklahoma and North Carolina are not the only states where legislators are seeking to limit the rights of lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual persons. In the first three months of this year, 85 proposed laws have been introduced in the legislatures of 26 states, all seeking to limit or restrict same-sex marriage. A proposed statute in South Carolina would withhold the salaries of state officials who perform gay marriages. In Louisiana, a bill introduced last week would allow businesses to refuse service for same-sex weddings and deny benefits to employees in same-sex marriages.

Experts say that the bulk of these laws will likely not pass, or, if they do, will be found unconstitutional. Nonetheless, no one expects that legislative efforts to restrict gay marriage will end anytime soon.

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