A case in the courts of the Presbyterian Church filed against a minister, The Rev. Jean Southard, for performing the marriage of two women, congregants in her church, has finally been resolved at the General Assembly (national and final)level. The decision exonerates the Rev. Southard, stating that she was not in disobedience to her ordination vows which call all clergy to honor church law. Massachusetts, in legalizing same sex marriage had opened the door for clergy to officiate at such marriages. They reasoned that since no church interpretation had been made since the establishment of new civil marriage laws in Massachusetts, she was therefore not in violation of church law.
However, the decision states clearly that civil law cannot dictate Presbyterian law and the church’s interpretation of marriage. Right now, they affirmed the fact that marriage is currently interpreted as being between a man and woman in the Book of Order. With this case behind us, Presbyterian Clergy cannot claim to perform same sex marriages as Christian marriages in the church, even where permitted by civil law.
Some of those on the Commission who decided this case, while agreeing with the decision, called upon the church to change its laws to honor the full participation of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered people in the life of the church.
Clearly, the full acceptance by our church of gay marriage will not come through a court case but rather through a change in our Book of Order. The conversation goes on. In states where civil law permits, can Presbyterian clergy perform marriages if they do not claim ecclesiastical authority in so doing?
As a clergy person who has performed many marriages, I find this an interesting question. As a Christian clergy person, whenever I perform a marriage, I make it clear to the couple involved that by asking me to officiate, they are asking a religious agent who believes that God is a party to their covenant. The Divine is involved, invoked as they enter the Covenant of Marriage. We talk about what this means to them. Can I invoke God’s presence without invoking the name of the church?
As for myself, I see marriage as a covenant into which either heterosexual or homosexual couples ought to be able to enter with all the rights and responsibilities thereof, hopefully, ultimately, with the blessing of their religious tradition.
Furthermore, marriage has a questionable history when it comes to women’s rights. and men’s financial responsibilities. It has not been until recent years that marriage has become an institution that has supported equality between spouses. When women are subordinate to men and when men carry more responsibility than they can bear, in its estate, I see this as a violation of God’s will for humanity. The church is being continually called to foster deep and abiding love and well being; we are being called to support just relationship between two people in marriage. Let’s worry about the quality of marriage for partners, not whether the partners are heterosexual or homosexual..
Happy Valentines Day!