Presbyterian assembly: Gay marriage is Christian
DETROIT (AP) — The top
legislative body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted by large
margins to recognize same-sex marriage as Christian in the church
constitution, adding language that marriage can be the union of "two
people," not just "a man and a woman."
The amendment
approved Thursday by the Presbyterian General Assembly requires approval
from a majority of the 172 regional presbyteries, which will vote on
the change over the next year. But in a separate policy change that
takes effect at the end of this week's meeting, delegates voted to allow
ministers to preside at gay weddings in states where the unions are
legal and local congregational leaders approve. Nineteen states and the
District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage.
The
votes, during a national meeting in Detroit, were a sweeping victory
for Presbyterian gay-rights advocates. The denomination in 2011
eliminated barriers to ordaining clergy with same-sex partners, but
ministers were still barred from celebrating gay marriages and risked
church penalties for doing so. Alex McNeill, executive director of More
Light Presbyterians, a gay advocacy group, said the amendment was "an
answer to many prayers."
The
Rev. Krystin Granberg of the New York Presbytery — in a state that
recognizes gay marriage — said she receives requests "all the time" from
friends and parishioners to preside at their weddings.
"They
want to be married in the church they love and they want me to do it,"
Granberg said during the debate. "I want pastoral relief."
But
Bill Norton, of the Presbytery de Cristo, which covers parts of Arizona
and New Mexico, urged the assembly to delay any changes. "We are laying
hands on something that is holy, that God has given us, so we need to
be sure any changes we make are in accord with God's will revealed in
Scripture," Norton said.
Since the 2011 gay
ordination vote, 428 of the denomination's more than 10,000 churches
have left for other more conservative denominations or have dissolved,
though some theological conservatives have remained within the
denomination as they decide how to move forward. The church now has
about 1.8 million members.
The
conservative Presbyterian Lay Committee decried the votes in Detroit as
an "abomination." The assembly voted 371-238 to allow ministers to
celebrate same-sex marriages, and 429-175 in favor of amending the
definition of marriage in the constitution.
"The
General Assembly has committed an express repudiation of the Bible, the
mutually agreed upon Confessions of the PCUSA, thousands of years of
faithfulness to God's clear commands and the denominational ordination
vows of each concurring commissioner," the Presbyterian Lay Committee
said in a statement.
Of the
mainline Protestant denominations, only the United Church of Christ
supports gay marriage outright. The Episcopal Church has approved a
prayer service for blessing same-sex unions. The Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America has eliminated barriers for gay clergy but allows
regional and local church officials to decide their own policies on
ordination and blessings for same-sex couples.
The
largest mainline group, the United Methodist Church, with about 7.8
million U.S. members, bars ordaining people in same-sex relationships.
However, church members have been debating whether to split over their
different views of the Bible and marriage. Gay marriage supporters have
been recruiting clergy to openly officiate at same-sex ceremonies in
protest of church policy.
By JEFF KAROUB and RACHEL ZOLL
This is an abomination, "come out them!" no church, no other name cannot save you, is Only Jesus who can save you.The only way is Jesus Christ, The Messiah is coming, the time is over.
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