
What Not to Wear
A Sermon on Marriage Equality and the Church, by Layton E. WilliamsMatthew 22:1-14 ~ Springfield Regional Conference, October 11, 2014"...Marriage matters, but we haven’t fought this long and hard because it is the only thing that matters, we have fought because it is part of something so much bigger that matters so much more—and that is the covenant of God to which we are all invited and all called. And it matters how we show up, it matters what we clothe ourselves in, what we wear, because every act of covenant with God—between two people and between all people—is not just a celebration. It’s also an act of holy protest against brokenness..."

Marriage and Singleness - A Sermon Series
We are grateful to the Rev. Jon M. Walton, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, for permission to share his sermons:Marriage, Bible StyleWhy Marriage?Marriage: A Civil Contract Between Two Persons?One Is Not the Loneliest Number

Is gender complementarity essential to Christian marriage?
An oft-cited reason claimed by opponents of same-gender marriage is the concept of “gender complementarity — the idea that men and women are different from one another in essential ways, and that Christian love depends on the pairing of just those differences.” Duke University Professor Mary McClintock Fulkerson critiques this idea in her essay from the Covenant Network’s 2006 publication, Frequently Asked Questions about Sexuality, the Bible & the Church: Plain Talk About Tough Issues.
Benton: a change of heart, a plea for forgiveness
The Rev. Marc Benton's complaint against the Presbytery of Hudson River in 1999 led to a decision by the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission forming an important precedent in the development of the constitutional interpretation about marriage in the PC(USA). In a statement to be presented at the next meeting of the presbytery, Benton explains how he changed his mind about same-gender marriage, and asks forgiveness.

Preaching Human Sexuality
A sermon series by the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey K. Krehbiel, pastor of Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, DC, exploring Genesis 2, Genesis 38, Genesis 19, Romans 1, and I Corinthians 7.

What Do Presbyterians Say About Marriage?
David Jensen: "The biblical authors and Reformed heritage both assume that a marriage covenant is between a man and a woman. The question of same-sex marriage simply does not enter their interpretive world. Since the church must continually re-interpret its heritage in light of new questions in the attempt to be faithful to the Good News of Jesus Christ, Presbyterians are warranted in asking whether or not the distinctive strands of our tradition would allow for or prohibit same-sex unions or marriages. The burden for either side, in my opinion, lies in whether proposals for same-sex unions meet the theological criteria for marriages outlined in our tradition: May such unions, as Westminster stresses, serve the common good? Are they dim reflections of God’s covenant with humanity, as the Old Testament suggests? Do they direct human persons to one another and to the ultimacy of God’s Reign as the New Testament upholds? Do they, as Calvin urged, model restraint from sin and joy in companionship? Do they, however imperfectly, anticipate God’s communion with all creation in Christ, as our liturgy celebrates?"

Study Guide for The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage
As your congregation and presbytery begin to plan for the discussion of Amendment 14-F, Marriage - On Amending W-4.9000, Westminster John Knox Press has provided a study guide to accompany the new book by the Rev. Dr. Mark Achtemeier, The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage: An Evangelical's Change of Heart.
UPDATE: Frequently Asked Questions About General Assembly Marriage Actions
We've heard from many congregations, pastors and mid-council staff that it would be helpful to have some clarity about what the 221st General Assembly did -- and did not do -- about marriage. To assist the church in processing the meaning of the authoritative interpretation and proposed amendment to W-4.9000, the Covenant Network has prepared the following list of questions and answers.
“You will know them by their fruits.”
Address to the Covenant Network by Dr. Mark Achtemeier, 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA): "There have been previous General Assemblies where I worked very hard to pass the constitutional ban on gay people serving in the ordained ministries of the PC(USA). I am co-author of the declaration of faith that the Presbyterian Coalition adopted to unite its members in their opposition to gay inclusion. I keynoted the National Celebration of Confessing Churches, which rallied conservative congregations to stand fast in the struggle to keep the constitutional ban in place.And yet here we are today. I remain fully committed to a high view of biblical authority. But I stand before you as a chastened disciple who now recognizes that the witness of scripture comes down overwhelmingly on the side of gay inclusion."
Marriage Amendment Overture Advocate Presentation
Overture Advocates from the 17 presbyteries that proposed an amendment to W-4.9000, the marriage section in the Directory for Worship of the PCUSA Book of Order, made a presentation the morning of Monday, June 16, to the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues of the 221st General Assembly. Read it here.
Authoritative Interpretation on Marriage - Overture Advocates' Presentation
Overture Advocates for three items requesting an Authoritative Interpretation on marriage - 26 overtures and concurrences, the most of any item on any subject before the 221st GA - combined their time to make one presentation to the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues. Read it here.

The Great Pentecost Struggle... Then, and Now
Ken Cuthbertson: 'It should not come as a surprise that the story of Peter and Cornelius means a lot to those of us who have struggled long and hard over the last forty years, seeking the full inclusion of LGBTQ Christians in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Many of us see the story of Cornelius, his family and friends, as paralleling our own. We know we aren’t kosher, but we love God, and feel called to be part of this ever-emerging thing called church. And, thankfully, there are friends and advocates who, like Peter, keep saying to the church: “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” (Acts 11: 17)'

Acts Then and Now
Jay McKell reflects on Pentecost, the Council of Jerusalem, and the 221st General Assembly: "God’s welcome is wide. Ancient and outdated barriers are cast aside and grace abounds."
A new video from Matthew Vines
Matthew Vines, author of the new book God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, has a new video with a brief introduction to the passages often cited in the debate. View it here!Matthew will be in Detroit for the 221st General Assembly. Come meet him at the Covenant Network booth in the exhibit hall.

It's Not About You. It Is About You
Ken Evers-Hood, pastor of Tualatin (OR) Presbyterian Church, gave this charge to David Norse at his ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament by the Presbytery of Philadelphia on January 5, 2014: "... This day. What we are doing here. It is about you…and it’s not. And you will spend the rest of your days Feeling wonderfully caught between The two, sometimes not knowing what to do But on your best days trusting that knowing that you don’t know Is the very best place to be To follow after where the one wild spirit is blowing in your ministry"

Reading the Bible in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
Dr. Terence Diggory: "I offer here my current reading of Genesis 2 and Mark 10 in an effort to keep the conversation going with people who will disagree with me as well as with those who will agree. So far, my reading has not altered my belief that same-sex marriage is consistent with God’s intention for marriage. But my reading has considerably expanded my understanding of God’s redemptive inclusiveness, beyond the confines of sexuality, and of the ways that intention can be traced throughout the Bible. The Bible itself, we should remember, took shape as a conversation that believers today have a responsibility to keep going."

Bible, Gender, Sexuality
One of the resources suggested for further reading in the study of “Christian Marriage in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)” prepared by the Office of Theology and Worship is a recent book by James V. Brownson, Bible, Gender, Sexuality: Reframing the Church’s Debate on Same-Sex Relationships, published by Eerdmans in 2013. Tricia Dykers Koenig reviews the content of Brownson's book and commends it as a valuable contribution to the church's ongoing conversation.

“Marriage Matters … Why?” - Brian D. Ellison
A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 7:1-11, 25-38 preached at the Covenant Network Conference, November 2, 2013: "It’s not that the text suggests something simple in the sense of something sentimental, that 'all you need is love.' No mention of love here in this chapter about marriage at all, in fact, not even from the man behind 1 Corinthians 13. No, the simple summary of Paul’s response to the swirling questions about marriage here, about celibacy and abstinence, about mutuality and submission, about complementarity and about sex, we might actually say, is: 'All you need … is God.'”

"A More Perfect Union" - Sharon K. Youngs
A Sermon on Ruth 1:1-22 preached at the Covenant Network Conference, November 1, 2013: "What is married? We say it all the time at weddings, we say it to partners getting ready to marry, we say it to couples working hard to stay married: At its core, marriage is not about passion or emotion or physical attraction. It is not about feelings. At its core, marriage is about covenant, commitment. It is about shared hopes and shared struggles and shared life. At its very best, marriage is an embodiment of God’s hesed – God's steadfast love and faithfulness."

"It's Time" - Amy Plantinga Pauw
An Address to the 2013 Covenant Conference, November 1, 2013: "... I want to linger for a little while on appeals to creation that have resulted in damaging views of marriage, because they have been so pervasive and influential in Christian tradition. I want to make clear at the outset that these views of marriage have been destructive for all people, not just LGBT folks. The movement for marriage equality is an opportunity for Christians to go back and articulate a better theology of marriage for everyone. Why should Christians support marriage equality? It’s time..."