Civil Unions and Marriage Issues:
The debate about the definition of marriage.
The
General Assembly, during its afternoon session on Friday July 6, debated the
question of marriage as presented by the General Assembly Committee on Civil
Union and Marriage Issues. The Committee brought a Report asking for a
Constitutional Amendment to change our definition of marriage. The Committee
also brought TWO minority reports.
The first Minority Report recommended a time of discussion until 2014. After
lengthy debate the first Minority Report was defeated.
The first Minority Report is copied here. NOTE: this
recommendation was DEFEATED by a vote of 323 Yes to 346 No:
A
Call for Listening
a.
The General Assembly charges the Office of Theology and Worship to design and
implement a discussion in each presbytery around the meaning of marriage and
proposing ways for us to remain unified as a denomination.
These
conversations would answer the following questions:
(1)
What is the meaning of marriage in our post-Christendom environment in United
States and Puerto Rico.
(2)
How do our officers live and make faithful decisions about officiating at
marriages in this environment?
(3)
How can our denomination respect difference in opinion about the meaning of
marriage?
These
conversations are to provide a safe space for listening to Scripture, to the
confessions, and to one another, and to propose solutions to the missiological
issues raised by challenges to the traditional definition of marriage in our society
and the prevalence of divorce in church and society. They are to take into
account the effects of globalization, changing gender roles, and differences in
the church over human sexuality. Each presbytery is encouraged to implement
this conversation in each of its sessions around the same three questions.
These conversations and the report should be completed by August 2014.
Presbyteries shall report on these conversations to the Stated Clerk and the
Office of Theology and Worship by August 2014.
b.
The General Assembly directs the Presbyterian World Mission office to receive
feedback from our worldwide mission partners about their understanding of the
meaning of marriage and their suggestions about how to move forward
missiologically as a denomination, and to forward this feedback to the Stated
Clerk and the Office of Theology and Worship by August 2014.
