Good News from Scotland: The Church of Scotland's (Presbyterian) Pastors Can Officiate at the Wedding of Same-Sex Couples

 Maybe it is because I am preparing to get married to Christian Halstead in July that I am reading up on weddings of same-sex couples. Or maybe it is because I needed to read of good news in a world in which members of the LGBTQIA2S+ people are being targeted with laws against our very being in the world. 

Here's the good news: As of today, May 23, 2022, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) has voted to allow clergy to conduct same-sex marriages for the first time!

While LGBTQIA2S+ people could be out and ordained in the Church of Scotland, LGBTQIA2S+ people could not officiate at the wedding of same sex couples. For example, the Rev. Scott Rennie, who is 2009 became the first openly gay pastor in the Church of Scotland to have his appointment approved--despite protests by some section of the Church. He was not able to marry his husband in a religious ceremony, as he would have wanted. He told the General Assembly: "I sincerely hope the assembly will find it in itself to support the deliverance, even those who have their doubt... I want to say that marriage is a wonderful thing. My marriage to my husband Dave nurtures my life and my ministry. Frankly, I couldn't be a minister without his love and support. It is much the same as opposite sex marriage in its joys and its glories."

The results of the vote in their General Assembly were 274 and 136 against. The moderator of the General Assembly said, "The Church of Scotland is a broad church and there are diverse views on the subject of same-sex marriage among its members. There has been a lengthy, prayerful and in-depth discussion and debate about this topic for many years at all levels of the Church to find a solution that respects diversity and values the beliefs of all. The church is committed to ensuring that debates on this subject are held in a spirit of humility and grace, the tone and tenor of discussions are civil and people are respectful of those who hold opposing views." 

Of course, there is a conservative group in the Church of Scotland, the Covenant Fellowship Scotland, who issued a statement accusing the Church of making a serious mistake, calling the actions of the Church "both unbiblical and sinful... This decision contradicts everything the Bible has to say about the complementary nature of men and women, and of the character and purposes of marriage." 

Interestingly enough, the British Methodist Church became the largest religious denomination in the United Kingdom to permit same-sex marriages (in 2021). 

Same-sex wedding could take place in Church of Scotland buildings later in 2022.

Here's a link to the story: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-61547729

This is some good news, indeed.

May it be so!



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