In a dramatic sign of how far some church leaders have moved in the direction of full LGBT inclusion in church, comes a report that a bishop has agreed to officiate at the wedding of two gay men - in Alabama.
This marriage will not (yet) have legal force, but it is also a reminder that same - sex marriages, blessings and commitment ceremonies were being conducted in selected churches, of a range of denominations, in many parts of the world long before legal recognition became a reality anywhere. The couple already have legal recognition, having been married earlier in DC. Now they want the real thing, in their home state, in church:
Bishop Melvin Talbert
A retired United Methodist bishop from Tennessee says he will perform a wedding service for two men in Alabama despite opposition from the presiding bishop, who says the ceremony will violate church law.
Bishop Melvin Talbert, who has been active in efforts to eliminate barriers to gay marriage from United Methodist doctrine, said it will be an honor to officiate at the ceremony later this month in metro Birmingham for Joe Openshaw and Bobby Prince. Talbert said he was contacted by the longtime partners after they learned they could not be married in the area church where they are active members.
On the other side of the Atlantic, a majority of Norway’s Lutheran bishops are in favour of conducting same - sex weddings in church, as their counterparts in Sweden, Denmark and Iceland already do. .
Most of Norway’s 12 bishops favour religious same-sex marriage but may settle for a simpler civil ceremony because the issue remains controversial, the Church of Norway which professes the Lutheran Christian faith said Thursday.
At a meeting earlier this week eight bishops were in favour of allowing religious weddings for same-sex couples, against four of the opposite opinion.
-Global Post
It would be wrong to underestimate, on the strength of these reports, the strength of the opposition that remains. Bishop Talbert in Alabama was approached precisely because the couple could not find another pastor willing to co-operate, and was able to help out only because he is now retired, and so more free to act outside church rules. The Norwegian bishops supporting inclusion represented two thirds of the total - but have chosen to opt for a compromise proposing church blessings rather than full weddings, because the minority in opposition feel so very strongly on the issue. And even in Uganda, there is a bishop who has been noted for his support of inclusion, but this support has had him excommunicated by his church.
Even so, we must not be discouraged by this opposition. Progress over the last twenty or thirty years has been extraordinary, and will continue. In time,faith - based opposition to sexual and gender minorities will become as rare in some denominations as racial discrimination has now become.
