Episcopal Church to remove ‘husband and wife’ ‘procreation’ from marriage liturgy to appease LGBT community
The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States is set to remove the terms “husband” and “wife,” as well as references to “procreation,” from its marriage liturgy.
The change is meant to make the church’s marriage ceremonies more “gay-friendly.” Gay and lesbian Episcopalians have complained that the language of the current liturgy is offensive and exclusionary.
“The new service removes the phrase ‘the union of husband and wife’ and replaces it with ‘the union of two people,’” according to a report in the U.K. Telegraph. It also “replaces the section which talks about part of God’s intention for marriage being ‘for the procreation of children’ with the phrase ‘for the gift of children’ to make it more relevant for same-sex couples who may wish to adopt.”
Couples can still use the words “husband” and “wife” when making their vows, though the gender-neutral “spouse” is also an option.
The Anglican LGBT group, One Body One Faith, recently penned an open letter calling the TEC’s proposed changes “courageous, just, and Christ-like.”
“It should not need saying, but it bears repeating,” the letter continued. “No one is attracted to a group of Christians who profess the love of Christ but seem incapable of recognizing it in the loving, committed relationships of two people. These matters are not disconnected.”
The Episcopal Church of Sweden added gender-neutral language for God by removing all references to “He,” “Him,” of “Father” from their liturgy.
“Dating as far back as 1976, the Episcopal Church has engulfed itself in controversy surrounding its goal of becoming a radically inclusive church, regardless of Biblical doctrine,” ChristianJournal.net reported, as it has made acceptance and incorporation of homosexuality and transgenderism a priority.
photo Julyo based on work by Gilbert Baker, 1979 via wikimedia commons
