GA committee refuses to recommend redefining marriage, but seeks God’s blessing for covenant between two people
Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman, June 25, 2008
A General Assembly committee declined to change the definition of marriage, but added a comment to its recommendation to the full assembly. The committee trusts that “The PCUSA will continue to seek ways and means to see God’s blessing on alternative forms of covenant between two people.”
The General Assembly Committee on Church Polity voted 38-20 with two abstentions Tuesday not to approve the overture (04-08) from Baltimore Presbytery that asked commissioners to change the definition of marriage from between “a man and a woman” to between “two people.”
The full comment added to the committee’s disapproval read, “Whereas the Committee on Polity deeply debated, with honor, the justice and legacy of the definition of marriage, this committee recommends a motion to disapprove the overture at this time, while trusting that the Church (PCUSA) will continue to seek ways and means to seek God’s blessing for alternative forms of covenant between two people.”
There were several close votes during the committee’s deliberations. At one point, there were two motions up for debate. The “main” motion was to approve the overture and change the definition of marriage, and the substitute motion that would have reaffirmed the historic, Biblical definition of marriage. The vote to make the substitute motion the main motion failed 28-30 with two abstentions.
A second vote to approve changing the definition of marriage also lost, this time by a vote of 26-34.
Committee discussion
One commissioner, who is celebrating his 54th wedding anniversary this week, said that marriage “is ageless, and a gift from God. … I would prefer the committee say what Scripture says,” adding that the committee “needed to look to Scripture and find our answer there.”
A commissioner who was in favor of changing the definition of marriage, was “not throwing the Bible down; I just do not take it literally.”
Another commissioner said that the PCUSA needed to be about justice, but “justice needs a standard. Is our standard God and His Word or is our standard each other and each other’s happiness? … The one who gives the gift should define the gift; and to try to redefine the gift is disrespectful.”
“If we have the courage to do something different,” said one advocate of change, “then the Holy Spirit will do something different.”
Another admitted his reading of the Bible was different from others, but that “we can’t deny anyone the privilege of that sealed covenant.”