经长达十年的辩论 美国基督教长老会承认同性婚姻

经过长达十年的辩论，美国基督教长老会决定修改教会宪章，正式承认同性婚姻。

美国长老会的同性恋牧师保罗·莫里(Paul Mowry)

该教会最高立法机构在去年6月已经通过相关议案，但仍需171个教区的领导机构批准。17日公布的投票结果显示，多数教区赞成将宪章中的婚姻定义从“一男一女之间”修改为“两人之间，传统为一男一女”。

这一改变将于今年6月21日正式生效，之后美国长老会的神职人员可以在自愿的前提下，为同性婚姻合法地区的同性伴侣主持婚礼。另外，曾因主持同性婚礼被教会处分的神职人员，其处罚记录将被撤销。

支持婚姻平等的牧师布莱恩·艾利森(Brian Ellison)对上述决定表示欢迎，同时呼吁教会成员求同存异、保持团结。

美国长老会拥有180多万信众，是北美地区最大的长老教会。

Leaders of PresbyterianChurch USA congregations voted to change the definition of marriagefrom the union of “a man and a woman” to “twopeople.”

Come June 21, the new policyallowing the church to marry homosexuals will take effect, theBlaze reported.The church’s 171 bodies, known as presbyteries, voted on theconstitutional change Tuesday, months after the General Assemblyrecommended it, the New York Times reported.

“Finally, the church in its constitutional documents fullyrecognizes that the love of gays and lesbian couples is worthcelebrating in the faith community,” said Rev. Brian Ellison,executive director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, to theNew York Times. “There is still disagreement and I don’t mean tominimize that, but I think we are learning that we can disagree andstill be [in] church together.”

The Presbyterian Church USA is headquartered in Louisville,Kentucky, and touts about 1.8 million members, making it thelargest of the Presbyterian denominations in the nation. Still, asegment of the church’s membership – mostly in the moreconservative camps – cut ties in 2011 after the governing bodyratified a decision to let gays and lesbians serve as ordainedpastors, elders and deacons.

The New York Times reported the membership drop of the conservativebase in 2011 likely cleared the way for the new definition ofmarriage to pass church muster.

But not all remaining church members are happy about thechange.

Political correctness would banish this book, which bluntlyexplores the mainstreaming of homosexuality. Get “A Queer ThingHappened to America.”

Paul Detterman, national director of The Fellowship Community, abody of conservatives that maintained membership in the churchpost-2011, said in the New York Times: “Our objection to thepassage of the marriage amendment is in no way, shape or formanti-gay. It is in no way intended as anything but concern that thechurch is capitulating to the culture and is misrepresenting themessage of Scripture.”

Detterman also said that it’s likely “another wave, a sizable wave,of conservative folks” will now abandon the church.He also said he and his fellow conservative group members wouldn’tbe among the wave of those exiting.

“This conversation is dreadfully important to be part of,” he said,the newspaper reported.

As for ripple effects in other church denominations, Alan Wisdom, aPresbyterian who serves as the interim editor of Theology Matters,said not to worry.

“I don’t see any further large mainline denominations making thesame move,” he said, the New York Times reported.

So far, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, theQuakers and the Unitarian Universalist Association of Churchesallow clergy to perform gay marriages.