The United Church of Christ endorsed marriage equality at the denomination’s General Synod, meeting in Atlanta on July 4th. It is the first major Christian denomination to do so.
“Roughly 80 percent of the representatives on the church’s 884-member General Synod voted to approve the resolution Monday,” reports The Associated Press. “The resolution calls on member churches of the liberal denomination of 1.3 million to consider wedding policies ‘that do not discriminate against couples based on gender.’ It also asks churches to consider supporting legislation granting equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples and to work against laws banning gay marriage….”.
“UCC churches are autonomous, meaning the General Synod does not create policy for its more than 5,700 congregations.”
Its a move that may not change many minds on the subject. But the church’s stand demolishes the perception promoted by the Christian Right that all Christians are opposed to marriage equality. Signficantly too, in the run up to the vote, Rev. Andrew Young, a UCC minister, African-American civil rights leader, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, endorsed the resolution.
For all the noise and spin that will undoubtedly follow when the PR offices of the Christian Right open on Tuesday morning, it is worth listening to this major Christian denomination speaking in its own voice first. Here is part of a moving report on the vote from a UCC press release.
“Afterwards, instead of loud applause, there was a dignified moment of stillness broken only by the voice of the Rev. John H. Thomas who offered a prayer.”
“‘Lord Jesus. We give thanks for your presence, especially here this morning,’ the UCC’s general minister and president prayed in a soft, pastoral voice. ‘We have felt your warm embrace, stilling us as we tremble with joy, with hope, with fear, with disappointment…Let us use our hands not to clap, but to wipe away every tear.'”
“As the plenary adjourned for lunch, the mood remained as one would expect after a service of worship, rather than a session of earnest debate and serious deliberation. The most demonstrative sights were those of couples of all ages and genders locked in tearful embraces of thanksgiving for what Thomas would later also refer to as ‘freedom.'”
“Later, in a press conference, Thomas acknowledged that it was not lost on the gathering that this historic stand was taken on the nation’s Independence Day.”
“‘On this July Fourth the General Synod of the United Church of Christ has acted courageously to declare freedom, affirming marriage equality, affirming the civil rights of same gender couples to have their relationships recognized as marriages by the state, and encouraging our local churches to celebrate and bless those marriages,’ he said.”
“Thomas also acknowledged that the issue of marriage equality is ‘the source of great conflict’ not only in society but also in the churches. The UCC, he said, ‘is no exception’ and ‘there are clearly great differences among our own members over this.’”
“Synod action, he added, ‘does not presume a consensus of opinion among our members or our local churches, which are free and responsible to come to their own mind of this as on any other (issue). The General Synod speaks to and not for our local churches.’”
Chuck Currie has more details over at the UCC blog.
