Make A Choice

The vote of the United Church of Christ to officially approve same sex marriage hurts the American Baptist churches in the USA in a significant way. While ABCUSA debates and flounders in a battle for the soul of our denomination over the issue of scriptural authority, the United Church of Christ delegates gave public and official notice that they do not believe the revelation of God in the Bible to be authoritative for Christian living. As one commentator put it, the United Church of Christ’s Independence Day vote “declared its independence from biblical morality and natural law.” This action would be of little consequence to ABCUSA except that a number of our churches have previously identified with the United Church of Christ by dual alignment, and some have probably already declared themselves as part of the Welcoming and Affirming movement. Intended or not, the United Church of Christ has intruded upon our debate. It would have been better for us if the United Church of Christ had called upon dually aligned churches to make a choice. Either throw in your lot with ABCUSA which has not yet “officially” repudiated the Bible’s teaching on same sex sexual behavior, or come with us (the United Church of Christ) and blaze new trails in the rejection of traditional Christian Bible religion. The lack of an invitation not withstanding the dually aligned churches should take such a choice seriously and act according to conscience.