A YAAD from the Presbytery of Alaska, spoke from his heart. “As much as it pains me to say it, from what I read in the Bible and Paul’s letters, as confusing as this is, as much as I don’t like to believe it, I believe the practice of homosexuality is a sin. I don’t believe people in the church have done a good job at loving others, but I also don’t think it’s okay saying this is okay. We need to follow Jesus’ example to respond with love and then say ‘go and leave your life of sin.'”

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – At the end of a nearly 13-hour work day Tuesday, the Committee on Civil Unions and Marriage voted to pass item 13-04 from the Presbytery of Hudson River Valley, which would change all references in the Directory of Worship (w-4.9001) to marriage being between “a man and a woman” to “two people.” The committee took actions on three other specific items. It approved a two-year study of the issues of same-sex marriage. It disapproved item 13-07, an authoritative interpretation on the traditional understanding of marriage, by a vote of 18-29, and, by a slim two-vote margin, it disapproved an authoritative interpretation which would allow pastors to conduct marriages for any couple with a civil marriage license.

“Parliamentary quagmire” is one way to describe the day. After a brief time of discernment and reflection, the moderator opened the floor for motions. The first motion on the floor was made by Michael Wilson, a commissioner from Donegal Presbytery. He proposed a motion describing a way the presbyteries and congregations could study the issue for two years and provide feedback to a special task force, which would then compile the feedback and their findings to the General Assembly in 2016.

Item 13-07, the authoritative interpretation on the Biblical understanding of marriage was proposed as a substitute motion to this study. Another commissioner challenged whether this motion was germane to the issue, according to Robert’s Rules of Order, but the motion was ruled out of order by the moderator. The committee then voted to overrule the moderator and disallow the substitute motion. This was the first of three times the moderator was overruled by the committee during the day. It is rare to see even one time that the moderator is overruled, but for it to happen three times is almost unheard of.

Finally, after lunch, Allen Foster, a commissioner from Glacier Presbytery, proposed a substitute motion in the form of a second proposal for a study, this one only lasting for two years. The process of perfecting and debating these two motions finally concluded at 6 p.m. when the two-year study passed by a vote of 29-23-1.

After the dinner break, Joel Aelick, ruling elder commissioner from Charlotte Presbytery, made a motion to make a statement in response to the overtures before the committee, addressing the definition of marriage in the Book of Confessions. “Our confessions, based on their understanding of scripture,” the statement read, “define Christian Marriage as a union of one man and one woman. Any redefinition of marriage should recognize the confessional nature of the definition and should be preceded by careful and prayerful formal confessional amendment process.” After a tense debate with additional parliamentary quagmire, this motion failed 19-30-1.

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