Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.  Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.  As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3: 23-29)

Recent events have converged to make the freedom to marry a concern to all people in California.  The California Council of Churches and IMPACT have long stood strong against discrimination against any of God’s children.  At the same time, we recognize that many churches and people of faith believe they must oppose the freedom to marry based on what they have been taught the Bible has to say on the subject.  Therefore, we have produced this study guide to help congregations in California struggling with differences of opinion on the subject of marriage equality to discuss the biblical texts, theology, church traditions, and civil rights from a place of compassion and love of neighbor — the central elements of Jesus’ teachings.

An important point for this study is the distinction between marriage as a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony or sacrament.  We call on all people to acknowledge the secular civil right even as churches wrestle with the sacramental issues.  We can agree to guarantee civil rights even as denominations deliberate with the issue of marriage equality as an element of church law/rites/blessings.   Equal protection under the law, tolerance and respect for diversity, and defining one’s own views while permitting other views, are consistent with authentic religious commitments where we all can live in a world of differences and ambiguities while still respecting other people’s secular rights.

It is very important for communities of faith of all perspectives to understand that there is no law or pressure that any individual or faith community will be forced to perform marriages against their beliefs.  Conversely, there is pressure to deny churches and individuals to have or bless same-sex unions.  Separation of church and state requires us to respect differences in each denomination or church.  Those seeking to permit same-sex marriage must have equal standing with those that do not.  To forbid such marriages across the board infringes on the religious liberty of clergy and congregations whose faith requires them to perform this pastoral care.  It is anti-democratic to impose one religious viewpoint on everyone else.

We encourage you to use our new study guide: Living Lovingly: Talking About Marriage Equality from a Faith Perspective in your congregation. You can download a PDF version of this study guide to the right. We also hope you will make use of the many other excellent study guides, videos, and resources to help move your congregation to a place of compassion and inclusiveness. It is our prayer that people of faith throughout California will engage in open and honest conversation about this important issue from a place of compassion, love, and grace.

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