Presbyterian General Assembly Rejects Marriage Equality

Word has come down from the highest, official-est conclave of Presbyterian Christianity: Gay marriages are verboten. (The "blessing" of gay "unions," however, remains groovy.)

In Pittsburgh late this week, the Presbyterian General Assembly voted 338-308 against altering their denomination's definition of marriage from a "civil contract between a woman and a man" to a "covenant between two people." (Both of which sound distressingly vague.)

The Washington Post's coverage of the vote notes that disagreements over the definition of marriage have lately caused considerable strife within the global Presbyterian presbytery. The Rev. Jane Spahr was censured by the church's governing body in 2007 for signing same-sex couples' marriage licenses during the brief legal interregnum when doing so was legal. And last week, the General Assembly's moderator resigned after causing controversy by signing a gay couple's marriage license.

From the Post:

Opponents of the new definition of marriage said it would violate the word of God, divide the Presbyterian Church and alienate the denomination from its many partner churches overseas. If the assembly had approved the redefinition, it would have required ratification from a majority of the church’s 173 presbyteries, or regional districts, a process that usually stretches for months.

“I must affirm definition of marriage as between one man and one woman,” said Jodi Craiglow, of the Miami Valley Presbytery in Ohio. She directly addressed gay Presbyterians. “As much as my heart breaks for your pain and frustration, I must simply hold to the standard of the God I love,” she said.

Despite such sentiments from Presbyterians allegedly in touch with the omnipotent creator of the universe, Presbyterians have for some time been shedding anti-marriage congregants. Pro-equality ones, too. From the Post:

Last year, the denomination dropped just below 2 million members, and several theologically conservative churches have left to affiliate with like-minded denominations. In an unusual move, one liberal California congregation, the West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, recently split off to join the United Church of Christ, saying Presbyterians have been too slow to support gays and lesbians.

Presbyterian Minister on Trial for Marrying Gay Couples in California

A Presbyterian court is set to hear the case of the Reverend Jane Spahr, who married same-sex couples when gay marriage was legal in California, before Proposition 8 was passed.

The AP's Lisa Leff reports:

"The Rev. Jane Spahr, 67, has been charged with 'publicly, intentionally and repeatedly' violating Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) doctrine by presiding at the weddings of 16 couples between June 2008 and November 2008, before California voters outlawed same-sex marriages. 'To turn my back on the love and lifelong commitments of these wonderful couples would have gone against my faith, the ministry where I was called, and most of all, against God's amazing hospitality and welcome where love and justice meet together,' Spahr said in a written statement. She has pleaded not guilty, explaining there are other parts of church doctrine that are just as important such as being welcoming and valuing diversity."

The L.A. Times adds:

"The case of the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr has gained national attention because 'what is being tested is the definition of marriage' in the Presbyterian faith, said the Rev. Carmen Fowler, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, a conservative organization that opposes same-sex marriage...Although the Presbyterian constitution does not explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage, it defines marriage as 'a civil contract between a woman and a man.' But same-sex marriage is legal in five states and the District of Columbia and is working its way through the courts in California."

The potential punishment?

"If found guilty, Spahr faces censure that could include being defrocked. But the San Francisco resident, who lives with her son and granddaughter, does not think such punishment is likely. She sees the trial as 'a tremendous opportunity to invite the church to become open, to listen to the stories of these amazing couples,' she said. 'I hope that more hearts and minds are opened.'"

(image source)