PCUSA Allows Same-Sex Marriage - Timeline Event
Time Period
06-19-2014
Description
Amendments regarding the role of openly gay/lesbian members in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) had become more lenient over time, with the approval of "openly" gay/lesbian ordination in 2010 perhaps the most indicative of the changing guidelines in the church.
The mainline Protestant denomination took another step in this direction on June 19, 2014. The General Assembly voted to allow pastors to perform same-sex marriages in legal jurisdictions. Moreover, they voted to change the definition of marriage as "between a man and a woman" to "between two people, traditionally between a man and a woman." The amendment passed 71 percent to 29 percent. It was ratified in March 2015.
This event made PCUSA one of the largest Christian denominations in the world to openly accept same-sex unions, joining other denominations like the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalists, and Reform/Conservative Jewish groups.
The mainline Protestant denomination took another step in this direction on June 19, 2014. The General Assembly voted to allow pastors to perform same-sex marriages in legal jurisdictions. Moreover, they voted to change the definition of marriage as "between a man and a woman" to "between two people, traditionally between a man and a woman." The amendment passed 71 percent to 29 percent. It was ratified in March 2015.
This event made PCUSA one of the largest Christian denominations in the world to openly accept same-sex unions, joining other denominations like the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalists, and Reform/Conservative Jewish groups.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Presbyterian-Reformed Family: Other ARDA LinksPresbyterian-Reformed Family: Religious Family Tree
Photographs
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Same-sex marriage ceremony- Flickr- photo by edenpictures (CC BY 2.0)
Web Source(s)
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/20/us/presbyterians-vote-to-change-definition-of-marriage-to-two-people.html"Presbyterians Vote to Allow Same-Sex Marriages" by Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times. Printed on June 19, 2014.
Web Page Contributor
Benjamin T. GurrentzAffliated with: Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in Sociology
