Presbyterian Church Declares Its Position on Marriage Bill
Major Mainline Church Denomination Declares Its Position on Marriage Re-Definition Bill
This media release is to help draw the attention of media to a development which we believe needs to be reported to the public.
On the weekend the (biennial) General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, one of New Zealand’s biggest mainline church denominations, declared its mind on marriage and the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill.
The General Assembly decisions are significant. While the resolutions are consistent with the Church’s existing teachings on marriage, the Presbyterian Church had not previously declared its position on the bill currently before Parliament.
The Church has issued at least one official media release on this matter.
The
resolutions were as follows…
Carried with 75%
majority:
[12.107] "That General Assembly declares
that it upholds the historic Christian understanding of
marriage as the loving, faithful union of a man and a woman
(reflecting the complementarity of male and
female
created in God’s image), which is grounded in nature and
in Scripture, is supremely revealed in Jesus’ teaching
about marriage, and is given by God for the well-being of
human society, and this be communicated to our
government.”
Moved together and carried with
a 77% majority:
[12.108] "That, in faithfulness to
the historic Christian understanding of marriage as grounded
in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus and in consistency
with previous resolutions of the General Assembly
relating to marriage (1991 and 2004), General Assembly
resolves that the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New
Zealand does not support same-sex 'marriage' and urges
Parliament not to proceed with the
proposed amendment
to the Marriage Act and [that this be communicated to
Parliament] through the select committee process as the
majority view of the General Assembly."
[12.109] "That
General Assembly urges Parliament not to alter or confuse
the meaning of marriage, which has always been about the
union of male and female, and is of deep spiritual
significance for New
Zealanders of many faiths and
cultures; and the General Assembly also asserts that - with
regard to equality - the Civil Union Act (2004) already
provides for clear societal recognition and legal protection
of
same-sex relationships."