Recommendation two (of four) has just passed on the floor of the ELCA 2009 General Assembly. The vote was 61% for and 39% against, and it reads as follows:
Resolved that the ELCA commit itself to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable, life-long, monogamous same gender relationships.
During debate, both opponents and proponents of the recommendation suggested that this open ended recommendation will allow local congregations to conduct gay marriage ceremonies (if allowed in that state). They are probably right. I think the ELCA has just approved rites for gay marriage, in principal.
Didn’t they amend the social statement to exclude the use of “marriage” regarding same-gender committed relationship? (If they did: foolish, in my eyes, but, oh, well…)
Legal marriage is, technically, a function of the state, which the allows the church to perform upon issuance of a valid marriage license. In Germany, which is not that unusual with regard to much of Europe, couples must first be legally married by the state, then may choose to have that marriage blessed by the church — akin to “blessing of a civil marriage” in Occasional Services. Personally, I have come to feel that is the better way to deal with legal marriage. After all, the Church cannot “issue” a divorce: a marriage can only be dissolved by the state.
I question why folks are saying that the ELCA’s resolution would allow the Church to conduct gay marriage ceremonies (only) in states that allow it. Such a resolution should allow the church to conduct such blessings of relationships, in a churchly sense, without legal restrictions within the state. It simply needs to be clear that this is the church’s doing in such states that do not allow gay marriage, and is not a legal marriage. A significant number of states allow such official relationships as registered partnerships, under one name or another. The church could easily officially bless these “official” relationships, without calling them marriages.
Obie,
Please keep us updated. I’m trying to follow this closely from afar and you’re my best link into the action….
–Russ