GC43 or earlier

Marriage, A United Church of Canada Understanding

When the 38th General Council-the highest decision-making body of The United Church of Canada-decided in 2003 to ask the federal government to recognize same-sex marriage in the marriage legislation, it was acting on a lengthy history of earlier actions. The purpose of this paper is to describe the United Church's historical and theological understanding of marriage. Our theological understanding of marriage is informed by

  • people, the very neighbours Jesus has invited us to love
  • scripture, which grounds our faith and our understanding of the nature and purpose of marriage
  • history, which affirms the importance of marriage as a social institution
  • social expectations, which regard marriage as a contractual relationship governed by legal sanctions and customs
  • marriage as sacred covenant, a means of God's grace not only for the marital partners but also for their offspring and for the wider community

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Social Policy
Originating Body
Other
Topic
Gender and Sexuality

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