This isn’t the first group but could be part of a growing trend. The United Church of Christ, arguably the staunchest liberal church in America, has endorsed same-sex-marriage.
Endorsement wasn’t enough. They asked their churches to fight any constitutional amendments that would limit marriage according to gender. This got under the skin of the more conservative congregation in Suffolk, VA.
The action was in response to the vote by the UCC’s General Synod, a biennial meeting of delegates from member churches, affirming “equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender.”
Though the synod doesn’t dictate policy to its member churches, the congregations are stuck with the liberal image many say don’t represent who they are as Christians. The other issue that set some off was the opposition to the war in Iraq.
The synod’s action made the church the first major Christian denomination to endorse gay marriage. The United Church of Christ already was the only major Protestant denomination to allow ordination for gays and lesbians.
Other more liberal denominations are not all that far behind the UCC. For some it may be just a matter of a few years. Only time will tell.
