Where should we, as Christians, stand on gay marriage? What is a Christian rponse to the same-sex marriage bate?
Contents:
- WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
- GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS
- WHERE SHOULD WE, AS CHRISTIANS, STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE?
- MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
- ALL 4 NY EPISPAL BISHOP NDIDAT WILL ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE IF ELECTED
- EXCLUSIVE: TAYLOR MARSHALL SAYS POPE FRANCIS MAY CHANGE POSN OF CATHOLIC CHURCH ON GAY MARRIAGE
WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
* gay marriage and the church *
The Supreme Court lg earlier this year legalizg same-sex marriage natnwi has ntued to raise qutns about how the cisn will affect relig groups – pecially those that rema opposed to allowg gay and lbian upl to wed. ) (not to be nfed wh the Prbyterian Church Ameri, which oppos same-sex marriage) and the Epispal Church have wrtled wh the issue for years, often as part of a larger bate on the role of gays and lbians the church. Frank Schaefer, a Methodist pastor who had performed a same-sex marriage ceremony for his gay son.
Schaefer’s se has spl the church, wh some clergy floutg the l and marryg same-sex upl and other, more nservative members threateng to leave if the church do not hold to s current l prohibg gay marriage. Overall, a solid majory of whe male Prottants (62%) now favor allowg gays and lbians to wed, wh jt 33% opposed, acrdg to a 2015 Pew Rearch Center survey.
GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS
The Uned Church of Christ has a history of supportg equaly and jtice for the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) muny that * gay marriage and the church *
A siar share (63%) say there is “no nflict” between their relig beliefs and homosexualy. " It lled on Catholics "to wele wh rpect and sensivy persons wh homosexual clatns.
" The Vatin also said that s refal to give relig approval to same-sex marriage do not preclu givg blsgs to homosexual people. The Vatin's msage ced Francis' own words om 2016, when he wrote, "there are absolutely no grounds for nsirg homosexual unns to be any way siar or even remotely analogo to God's plan for marriage and fay. Pope Francis has been viewed wh ut optimism by LGBTQ groups bee of remarks like his statement, wily published 2020, that homosexuals are "part of the fay" and that same-sex and other nontradnal upl need a "civil unn law.
WHERE SHOULD WE, AS CHRISTIANS, STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE?
That special missn nclud wh 53 percent of church lears and lay people votg to tighten language on s same-sex marriage ban at a general nference last Febary, a measure sayg “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg. Epispalians followed su 2018, expandg the right of gay ngregants to get married all ngregatns. Pope Francis has drawn acclaim for sayg “Who am I to judge gay people?, ” but the Catholic Church has shown no sign of changg s strict anti-LGBTQ doctre.
MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
Siarly, the Southern Baptist Conventn, the largt Prottant nomatn the US, ntu to margalize LGBTQ ngregants, wh msag that have bee culture-war talkg pots agast queer rights — like homosexualy is not a “valid alternative liftyle” and “genr inty is termed by blogil sex and not by one’s self-perceptn. Patrick's Semary, offered the remarks as part of a panel on Gay Marriage held Jan. Social nservativ are not only ncerned about marriage, but also the rise of a gay and lbian culture.
Statistics suggt, however, that gays and lbians are not creasg number, if we accept the bt rearch data of Edward Lmann, who puts the number at about 5% of the populatn1. What has grown is a much greater acceptance of gays and lbians our culture, as well as the social and enomic eedom for gays and lbians to emerge om the closet that has nfed them for so many generatns.
ALL 4 NY EPISPAL BISHOP NDIDAT WILL ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE IF ELECTED
The recent addn of same sex mment ceremoni the Sunday New York Tim weddg and engagement announcements and the populary of shows as "Will and Grace" and "Queer Eye…" dite a shift our culture's attu toward gays and lbians. In every class, for the past 20 odd years, I have ved a gay former stunt, Lee FzGerald, to speak on gay relatnships.
My tent was two-fold: first to ve stunts to dialogue wh people different om themselv; send, to work to elimate, whatever small way I uld, homophobic attus on our mp and our muny. The attus of Santa Clara stunts have evolved signifintly the last two s vis à vis gay and lbian relatnships. My purpose today is not to support or fend gay and lbian marriag—ed, many gays and lbians do not want to marry—but simply suggt a theologil approach that might open up the possibily for greater Christian acceptance of, and eccliastil approval for, same sex unns.
This is jt as te if the person is gay, lbian, or straight. A gay or lbian orientatn is not a matter of choice but simply the way an dividual is. A person is born gay and lbian and grows up this way; is not a matter of cisn, one possibily among others for the mature dividual.
EXCLUSIVE: TAYLOR MARSHALL SAYS POPE FRANCIS MAY CHANGE POSN OF CATHOLIC CHURCH ON GAY MARRIAGE
G., Anglinism: re of blsg New Wtmster, Canada; nsecratn of Gene Robson as an openly gay bishop. "Consiratns Regardg Proposals to Give Legal Regnn to Unns Between Homosexual Persons" (CDF): nnot promote any form of civil regnn of same-sex unns, formally or materially. Catholic sistence: one n uphold the digny of homosexual people while not upholdg their right-to-marry; no unjt discrimatn towards homosexuals is acceptable; they mt be treated wh rpect, and their rights fend.
A Christian n e at the issue of gay marriage om several different directns. To a person—Christian or not—who is an tegral, lovg part of the world, gay marriage almost mak sense.