Church says amendment denies equal treatment

The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, which includes Red Wing, voted Sept. 11 to join a number of Christian denominations and other Minnesota-based organizations in expressing opposition to the proposed marriage amendment to the Minnesota Constitution. By a 99-38 vote and four abstentions, the presbytery said it is inappropriate to exclude persons from equal treatment under the law. The amendment would define marriage as only between one man and one woman.

The resolution cites the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Book of Confessions which states: “The church is called to bring all men [and women] to receive and uphold one another as persons in all relationships of life: in employment, housing, education, leisure, marriage, family, church, and the exercise of political rights…. Congregations, individuals, or groups of Christians who exclude, dominate, or patronize their fellowmen, however subtly, resist the Spirit of God and bring contempt on the faith which they profess.”

The resolution does not obligate area Presbytery members to support the resolution. The authors “encourage its congregations and its members to stand opposed to divisive politics and to advocate for the dignity and worth of all citizens within our state.”

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