According to a recent press release, it appears that a
majority of the 171 presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have approved
a change to the current description of marriage in their Constitution to affirm
same-sex unions.
At its meeting on Tuesday, March 17, 2015, Palisades
Presbytery became the 86th presbytery to approve an amendment to the PC(USA)’s
Book of Order, part of its constitution. The new language reads:
Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind
for the wellbeing of the entire human family. Marriage involves a unique
commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and
support each other for the rest of their lives. The sacrificial love that
unites the couple sustains them as faithful and responsible members of the
church and the wider community.
In civil law, marriage is a contract that
recognizes the rights and obligations of the married couple in society. In the
Reformed tradition, marriage is also a covenant in which God has an active
part, and which the community of faith publicly witnesses and acknowledges.
The 221st General Assembly (2014) of the PC(USA) approved
Amendment 14-F last summer, but required a majority of presbyteries to ratify
the provision for it to become part of the church’s Constitution. The
change will take effect on June 21.
As reported by The New York Times, the nation’s
largest denominations—including the Roman Catholic Church and most evangelical
churches—recognize marriage only as between a man and a woman. Other religious
denominations that have officially decided to permit their clergy to perform
same-sex marriages include the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ,
the Quakers, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Churches and, in
Judaism, the Reform and Conservative movements. The Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America left it open for individual ministers to decide. The United
Methodist Church, with about 5.5 million members, has been debating same-sex
marriage for years, but it includes a growing membership in Africa, where there
is little acceptance of gay relationships.
“I don’t see any further large mainline denominations making
the same move,” said Alan Wisdom, a Presbyterian and the interim editor of Theology
Matters, a journal for conservative Protestants.
It’s important to note that the PC (USA) is a separate body
from The Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), which has not changed their
traditional stance on same-sex marriage. For important information on the
differences between the PC (USA) and PCA, click to this blog post by The Gospel Coalition.
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