Church’s stance influenced by society


On March 17, the United States Presbyterian Church ended the three-decade debate of same-sex marriage, but it leads to some confusion between the purpose of the government and the purpose of the church.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln gave one of the most referenced speeches in history, the Gettysburg Address. In it, he claimed that the United States government was a  “[g]overnment of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Because America was founded upon the ideologies of democracy, the government caters to the needs of the people. The government is the police of freedom, making sure that the American citizen has the right and the power to freely live and love.

The church, on the other hand, is not an establishment based on democracy. The purpose of the church is to carry out the passages of the Bible. T.S. Eliot once said, “The True Church can never fail. For it is based upon a rock.” That rock is the Bible. Just as our free nation is based on democracy, the church is built upon the Bible.

The church and state have been separate for more than 100 years now, but as our society progresses forward, the church seems pressured to follow suit. Eighty-seven of the 171 regional presbyteries, local leadership bodies within the PCUSA, have voted “yes” to changing the definition of marriage in their constitution from “between a man and a woman” to “between two people, traditionally a man and a woman.” This change will take effect on June 21 in the Book of Order, which is part of their constitution.

This change leads the church in an entirely opposite direction from its beliefs. As the United States rests on democracy, the church rests on the Bible. Imagine America walking away from democracy, from the core values that have built this country. It would completely change the fundamentals of the country. And by declaring its support for marriage equality as more and more states legalize gay marriage, the church stops being the church and risks becoming another denomination of the government.

The Presbyterian Church is one of the largest presbyterian denominations in the nation, with about 1.8 million members. The church, however, has been declining in number as the more conservative congregations and individual members move to other denominations due to the Presbyterian Church’s shift toward liberal theologies over the past several years. In 2011, for example, the Presbyterians ratified the decision to ordain gays and lesbians as pastors, deacons and elders. The PCUSA has lost 37 percent of membership since 1992, and the vote to change the marriage definition could accelerate more departures.

The Rev. Brian D. Ellison, executive director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians said, “Finally, the church in its constitutional documents fully recognizes that the love of gays and lesbian couples is worth celebrating in the faith community.” He continues, “There is still disagreement, and I don’t mean to minimize that, but I think we are learning that we can disagree and still be church together.” But the church cannot be something that is together if most of the conservative Presbyterians have left.

The church should be a place where differences could be set aside because, as the Bible commands, everyone is to be loved. The gays and lesbians should not have to be shunned away, and the church should not have to surrender its stance to accommodate them. It’s a gathering of those who wish to worship and a refuge to those who’ve soldiered through a difficult week. It’s not a place to fight against those who are different. The church and its members missed the central teaching of the Bible; they forgot the entire mission of being a believer: to love a person while never faltering in their own beliefs.

Paul Detterman, the national director of The Fellowship Community, a group of conservatives that have stayed in the church, explains, “Our objection to the passage of the marriage amendment is in no way, shape or form anti-gay. It is in no way intended as anything but concern that the church is capitulating to the culture and is misrepresenting the message of Scripture. We definitely will see another wave, a sizable wave, of conservative folks leaving [but] this conversation is dreadfully important to be a part of.”

Instead of changing the definition of marriage, the church must return to its foundation to plan the next steps toward a future of being the church that the Bible meant it to be. Instead of surrendering to society, the church might have to go back to the basics and rediscover the rock it’s been built upon.