This month the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to make same-sex marriage legal in the United States. While the courts and lawmakers have been wrestling with the rights of gay and lesbian Americans, so too have the countryâ??s churches. In recent decades, more than ever, Christian denominations have been debating what the Bible says about homosexuality and what it means for LGBT persons. Several mainline Christian denominations, from the Episcopal Church to the United Church of Christ, allow clergy to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies or blessings. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America grants congregations the power to decide the issue for themselves. And earlier this year, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to change its definition of marriage as a commitment â??between two people,â? not just between a man and a woman.
Despite rapid changes in church polity and public opinion, and with gay marriage now legal in all but 13 states, the nationâ??s largest mainline denominationâ??the United Methodist Churchâ??remains officially opposed to same-sex marriage.
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