First Church Backs Same Sex Marriage
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Good Decisions, ReligionThe United Church of Christ approved “equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender” on July 4th, and I for one am happy it happened. This NY Times article also goes on to say:
On its Web site, the denomination says it and its predecessors were among the first churches to take a stand against slavery, in 1700, the first to ordain a woman, in 1853, and the first to publish an inclusive-language hymnal, in 1995.
However, the decision wasn’t without dissent.
There was some evidence that the denomination could comfortably encompass dissenters, in part because the mood after the vote was more conciliatory than triumphant. The Rev. Barbara Headley, pastor at a predominantly black United Church of Christ church in Hartford, said she voted against the resolution and that many blacks were more “orthodox” in their interpretation of Scripture.“There are those of us who live in the tension of affirming love and relationships for people who have not had enough of that, and feeling like the theological evidence for it just hasn’t been presented,” she said.
And then, just because I’m from Missouri, I had to include this part too.
Jeanette Mott Oxford, who described herself as the first openly lesbian member elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, said she was pleased by the “brave prophetic witness” of the vote, but “very concerned about my brothers and sisters who may be hurt by this.”
This is good news for many like Andrew Sullivan (although I have yet to see him blog about it), but I’m guessing many others out there will think this is yet another sign that the apocalypse is coming.
However, I think those of us in the middle can see a clear trajectory for everybody being granted the same equal rights regardless of sexual preference. And yes, I’m calling it a preference. I know many who think they’re born this way, and I’m not saying they’re wrong. I think there could be certain physiological factors, such as smell, that determine a person’s sexual preference from an early age.
But this isn’t the same as being born into a particular race. An African American can’t simply just switch sides. And I’ve had too many friends who have experimented with their sexuality to know that the distinction is valid.
And I’ll also say that if gays expect to be granted equal rights across the board, they’re going to have to get a lot more vocal and a lot more active. History has shown what it takes to change things, and the process is messy. But there’s no time like the present, and seeing churches like UCC take a step in the right should provide the GLBT community with a great rallying cry.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 6th, 2005 and is filed under Good Decisions, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
