UCC Up for Grabs

The United Church of Christ (UCC), a 1.3 million-member denomination known for its progressive stances on social issues, will for the first time be considering opposite resolutions on same-sex marriage at its upcoming biennial meeting in Georgia. If a proposed resolution from the UCC's Southern California - Nevada Conference is approved this summer, the church could become the first mainline Christian denomination to endorse full marriage equality without regard to gender. This controversial measure marks the first time the UCC's General Synod has been asked to address the issue of marriage equality outright. The opening line of the proposed resolution states: "Ideas about marriage have shifted and changed dramatically throughout human history, and such change continues even today." The proposal goes on to delineate historical, theological and biblical reasons to affirm both civil and religious recognition of same-gender marriage as equal. Meanwhile, eight geographically-diverse congregations have come together to put forth a counter resolution calling upon the church "to embrace the scriptural definition of marriage." That measure states: "Throughout the scriptures, marriage is always defined as being between one man and one woman. We find examples of those who violated God's natural moral order to their own detriment, but God's standard and definition remained constant." The UCC's biennial General Synod, expected to include about 3,000 delegates and visitors, will meet July 1-5 at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.