Overture 04-70. On Endorsing “A Christian Declaration of Marriage”—From the Presbytery of Santa Barbara.

The Presbytery of Santa Barbara overtures the 216th General Assembly (2004) to do the following:

1. Endorse “A Christian Declaration on Marriage” as an apt expression of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s commitment to work ecumenically and practically to strengthen marriage—an institution that is honored in the Scriptures and important in U.S. society today. “A Christian Declaration on Marriage,” in full, states:

As we celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, entering the third millennium, we pledge together to honor the Lord by committing ourselves afresh to God’s first institution – marriage.

We believe that marriage is a holy union of one man and one woman in which they commit, with God’s help, to build a loving, life-giving, faithful relationship that will last for a lifetime. God has established the married state, in the order of creation and redemption, for spouses to grow in love of one another and for the procreation, nurture, formation, and education of children.

We believe that in marriage many principles of the Kingdom of God are manifested. The interdependence of healthy Christian community is clearly exemplified in loving one another (John 13:34), forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32), confessing to one another (James 5:16), and submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:21). These principles find unique fulfillment in marriage. Marriage is God’s gift, a living image of the union between Christ and His Church.

We believe that when a marriage is true to God’s loving design it brings spiritual, physical, emotional, economic, and social benefits not only to a couple and family but also to the Church and to the wider culture. Couples, churches, and the whole of society have a stake in the well being of marriages. Each, therefore, has its own obligations to prepare, strengthen, support and restore marriages.

Our nation is threatened by a high divorce rate, a rise in cohabitation, a rise in non-marital births, a decline in the marriage rate, and a diminishing interest in and readiness for marrying, especially among young people. The documented adverse impact of these trends on children, adults, and society is alarming. Therefore, as church leaders, we recognize an unprecedented need and responsibility to help couples begin, build, and sustain better marriages, and to restore those threatened by divorce.

Motivated by our common desire that God’s Kingdom be manifested on earth as it is in heaven, we pledge to deepen our commitment to marriage. With three quarters of marriages performed by clergy, churches are uniquely positioned not only to call America to a stronger commitment to this holy union but to provide practical ministries and influence for reversing the course of our culture. It is evident in cities across the nation that where churches join in common commitment to restore a priority on marriage, divorces are reduced and communities are positively influenced.

Therefore, we call on churches throughout America to do their part to strengthen marriage in our nation by providing:

• Prayer and spiritual support for stronger marriages,
• Encouragement for people to marry,
• Education for young people about the meaning and responsibility of marriage,
• Preparation for those engaged to be married,
• Pastoral care, including qualified mentor couples, for couples at all stages of their relationship,
• Help for couples experiencing marital difficulty and disruption,
• Influence within society and the culture to uphold the institution of marriage.

Further, we urge churches in every community to join in developing policies and programs with concrete goals to reduce the divorce rate and increase the marriage rate.

By our commitment to marriage as instituted by God, the nature of His Kingdom will be more clearly revealed in our homes, our churches, and our culture. To that end we pray and labor with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

May the grace of God, the presence of Christ, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit be abundant in all those who so commit and be a blessing to all whose marriages we seek to strengthen.

2. Direct the Stated Clerk to communicate this endorsement to U.S. Christian communions that have already endorsed the declaration, as well as to other communions that might be encouraged to endorse the declaration in the future.

3. Instruct appropriate General Assembly entities to seek ways of working with other Christian communions in “prayer and spiritual support for stronger marriages; encouragement for people to marry; education for young people about the meaning and responsibility of marriage; preparation for those engaged to be married; pastoral care, including qualified mentor couples, for couples at all stages of their relationship; help for couples experiencing marital difficulty and disruption; influence within society and the culture to uphold the institution of marriage.”

4. Urge synods, presbyteries, and local congregations to seek ways of working with other Christian bodies in their areas toward these same purposes.

5. Ask all church members to join in a year of prayer for marriage renewal and reconciliation.

Rationale

Almost every couple contracting marriage desires sincerely “to commit themselves to a mutually shared life, and to respond to each other in sensitive and lifelong concern” (The Book of Confessions, The Confession of 1967, 9.47). But many of today’s marriages are more tenuous, the vows less certain of fulfillment, than marriages of one or two generations ago. The church has not been exempt from this trend, as nearly half of all U.S. marriages—both inside and outside of the church—end in divorce.

The church must take responsibility for its part in this troubling situation. We must confess that when we do not teach youth about God’s plan and purpose for marriage, when we perform wedding ceremonies without proper counseling, and when we do not provide support for persons in struggling relationships, we have failed to live up to our call to tend God’s flock.

In 2000, a nearly unprecedented coalition of Christian leaders came together to draft “A Christian Declaration on Marriage.” They recognized, “With three-quarters of marriages performed by clergy, churches are uniquely positioned not only to call America to a stronger commitment to this holy union but to provide practical ministries and influence for reversing the course of our culture.” The declaration called “on churches throughout America to do their part to strengthen marriage in our nation by providing: prayer and spiritual support for stronger marriages; encouragement for people to marry; education for young people about the meaning and responsibility of marriage; preparation for those engaged to be married; pastoral care, including qualified mentor couples, for couples at all stages of their relationship; help for couples experiencing marital difficulty and disruption; influence within society and the culture to uphold the institution of marriage.”

This declaration was signed by top officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the National Council of Churches. Subsequently, NCC General Secretary Robert Edgar withdrew his name, saying that he had not thoroughly consulted NCC member communions before signing the document and he was concerned that “misinterpretation of the declaration may be used by some as a pretext for attacks on gay and lesbian persons.” But the declaration takes no position on the contentious issue of homosexuality. Even after Edgar’s withdrawal, the declaration is still supported by leaders of two-thirds of U.S. Christians—more than fifty denominations representing more than 100 million members. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can join itself to this broad ecumenical coalition, and encourage more denominations to do the same, by adding its endorsement to the declaration.

The declaration expresses an appreciation of marriage that is shared by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), along with virtually every major branch of the Christian tradition. Our Presbyterian confessions teach, “Christian marriage is an institution ordained of God, blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, established and sanctified for the happiness and welfare of mankind, into which spiritual and physical union one man and one woman enter….” (The Book of Confessions, The Westminster Confession of Faith, 6.131). Endorsing the declaration would be a way of communicating this teaching more publicly, in a larger company of voices, to a wider audience.

The declaration’s focus on practical means of strengthening marriages accords well with one of the emphases in the proposed General Assembly policy statement on “Transforming Families.” A General Assembly endorsement of the declaration would be an excellent complement to a new PC(USA) policy on families, linking that policy to expanding ecumenical efforts to address problems in our most basic social institution. Together, these actions would be an important step in leadership for the General Assembly, providing guidance for church members and witness to the culture. Combined with a year of prayer for marriage renewal and reconciliation, these actions could re-energize the church’s family ministries.

Concurrence to Item 10-11 from the Presbytery of San Diego.