An open letter to all Presbyterians"The institution of marriage between one man and one woman, an essential cornerstone of civil society, is under cultural assault. The Presbyterian Lay Committee believes with Scripture that God ordained the lifelong marriage of a man and a woman in the very order of creation and that Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, blessed and sanctified this relationship.
"For centuries, the Church universally has affirmed this most precious relationship, believing from Scripture that it is a gift of the Creator God. We call on all believers in Christ to affirm their unequivocal support for marriage and to endorse "A Christian Declaration of Marriage" as an important and timely ecumenical commitment. We urge the governing bodies of our denomination publicly to affirm and implement this declaration."
The Presbyterian Lay Committee
April 24, 2004 |
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Decrying what it called a "cultural assault" on the institution of marriage between a man and a woman, the Presbyterian Lay Committee has affirmed the traditional understanding of the institution, "believing from Scripture that it is a gift of the Creator God."
Issuing an "Open Letter to All Presbyterians" in Columbus on April 24 during its semi-annual meeting, the board of directors called marriage between one man and one woman "an essential cornerstone of civil society," and called on "all believers in Christ to affirm their unequivocal support for marriage and to endorse 'A Christian Declaration of Marriage.'"
The board's action comes at a time of a national controversy over marriage, prompted by the unlawful civil marriages of same-sex couples in San Francisco and other cities and state supreme court decisions in Vermont and Massachusetts supporting marriage benefits for homosexual couples.
In addition, two high-level staff members of the Presbyterian Church – Washington Office Director Elenora Giddings Ivory and Unzu Lee, who is leadership director of Women's Programs in the National Ministries Division – recently delivered public speeches to groups lobbying for same-sex marriages.
Giddings Ivory erroneously said that the PCUSA favored same-sex marriages. Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick did not publicly reprimand her, but did retract her error with a statement posted on the PCUSA's Web site.
Lee decried the use of Scripture in considering what is sexually appropriate. "Scripture is the site of our struggle," she said. "By giving such authority to written text, we lose our ability to intuit and listen to signs around us and be compassionate. I wonder if Scripture is helpful in sexual orientation."