Monday, Jun. 16, 2008

Same-sex marriage: Modesto church leaders, others take sides

Modesto church leaders, others look at law in terms of faith and societal effect

In the June newsletter from College Avenue Congregational Church, the Rev. Michael Schiefelbein says, "This is the most traditional thing I'll ever say as a pastor: I urge all of you couples living together and calling yourselves partners to make honest people of yourselves and get married."

He'll perform the first two same-sex marriages in Modesto on Tuesday, if all goes according to plan, on the first day that such marriages become legal. One lesbian couple and one gay couple plan to be among the first to apply for a marriage license when the Stanislaus County clerk's office opens at 8 a.m. Instead of lines for "bride" and "groom," the new forms say "Party A" and "Party B."

The change follows a May 15 ruling by the California Supreme Court. In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that the state constitution gives same-sex couples the same right as heterosexual couples to wed. The court later, on the same 4-3 split, denied an attempt to stay the ruling until a November vote on a ballot initiative, which if passed would change the state constitution to ban gay marriages.

"For us, it's a cause of celebration," said Schiefelbein, who married his partner, Steve Klinkerman, in 2005 in Toronto. "It's a matter of recognizing relationships that exist and have existed for a long, long time, some for 30 years, some with children or property. It gives dignity to their relationship and helps them to have that standing in the community."

It also, he added, is a matter of faith for many.

"It's a faith issue because people are all created in the image of God," he said. "This is recognizing the worth of every person to enter into a covenant with another person and be held accountable within our community of faith."

He rejects the views of Christians who say that homosexuality is a sin or a perversion.

"In Galatians, it says: 'No Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male or female.' The distinction (against homosexuality) that Christians make shouldn't happen. We recognize we're all one in Christ."

And now, one in marriage as well.

Scripture as ethical guidelines

Other area faith traditions and leaders agree with Schiefelbein.

The Rev. Grace Simons, pastor of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County, said her church has "been providing ceremonies of union for decades" and is "glad to see the state of California recognize these commitments."

"Some of these couples have been together for decades, far longer than the average length of heterosexual marriages," Simons said. "They are stable fam-ilies and contributors to our communities."

Simons has been booked to officiate at "a couple" of same-sex weddings later this year.

The Rev. Debra Brady of Modesto's First United Methodist Church said she's personally in favor of gay marriages, but because her denomination narrowly defeated a proposal for such unions at its national convention last month she can't conduct those weddings in her church. However, she said two same-sex couples in the congregation have said they plan to be married elsewhere this summer.

"It's a complicated issue," she said, acknowledging the Bible does speak against homosexuality. "But I think that the Bible did not envision the situation we have today. There are some places where homosexuality is talked about in the Old Testament. It's in the purity codes, along with don't eat lobster and don't wear cotton with wool.

"There are a lot of things about our life that the Bible doesn't refer to -- stem cell research, environmental pollution. We have to draw ethical guidelines from the Scriptures and apply them to our life."