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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJuly 1st, 2015
Three years ago, the Episcopal Church became one of the first denominations to allow the blessing of same-sex unions. But while this was generally perceived as allowing the conducting of same-sex weddings, the church did not go quite that far. They kept a distinction between the blessing and their marriage sacrament.
Today the church will vote on whether to take the final step and open the marriage sacrament to same-sex couples. The church’s Bishops voted yesterday to support the move.
If the change is made, the Episcopal Church will join the United Church of Christ, the Metropolitan Community Church, the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in allowing congregations to host and pastors to officiate same-sex weddings.
UPDATE:
The delegates have now confirmed the change, allowing same-sex marriage and authorizing two trial liturgies. Here is more detail as to the particulars. (deputynews)
The two liturgies, which were in Resolution A054, include a gender-neutral version of the current marriage service in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, as well as a version of a liturgy that was approved in 2012 for blessing same-sex unions that now also provides vows of marriage. These rites do not refer to “man and woman” or “husband and wife,” but instead use “these persons” or “the couple” to refer to the two people being married.
The 2012 rite, known as “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant,” was amended to include improvements identified since it was permitted three years ago, and then was approved by the bishops.
The language of the existing marriage liturgy in the Prayer Book remains unchanged.
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Mark F.
July 1st, 2015
You forgot the Unitarian Church.
Timothy Kincaid
July 1st, 2015
Sorry, Mark. Yes, I did. I’ll revise above.
Graham
July 1st, 2015
Amazing how the inerrant word of God just keeps changing.
Julia Soler
July 2nd, 2015
Graham: maybe our imperfect human understanding of God’s inerrant word keeps changing. And a good thing. This is a change for the better as people who did not previously have access to marriage now do.
Nathaniel
July 2nd, 2015
Julia, thank you for your response to Graham.
Timothy, I generally don’t consider UU to be explicitly Christian, so your list makes me wonder what non-Christian religious groups also recognize same-sex marriages in the US. Primarily, Jewish groups (denominations?), since, as I understand, Muslims “aren’t there yet” while Buddhism seems to be all in.
Mark F.
July 2nd, 2015
@Tim Also, I think Reform Judaism should be included.
Mark F.
July 2nd, 2015
Unitarians all deny the divinity of Christ, so I don’t consider them to be Christian.
Timothy Kincaid
July 4th, 2015
Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism and Conservative Judaism are all in. Only Orthodox Judaism is opposed to equality
Mark F.
July 5th, 2015
Also, Humanistic Judaism (a very small non-theistic denomination).
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