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Friends don't embrace their counterparts' take on gay marriage |
The Multnomah Friends' support of gay marriage
incongruous with beliefs of local congregations |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
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Reverberations of a stance taken by the
Quaker community in Portland on the validity of gay marriage have
already been felt in local Friends churches, causing if not a buzz
in the congregation, at least a discussion point.
The issue that has stirred both interest and dismay is the official
position of the Multnomah Friends – who are part of the North
Pacific Yearly Meeting (NPYM) – to support same-sex marriage.
According to information provided by the NPYM, Quakers in Portland
are acting on behalf of the same-sex couples that have been married
in its meeting. This week, Multnomah Monthly Meeting, a Quaker
congregation in Portland, released position statements from four
Quaker Meetings in Oregon opposing marriage discrimination. In
addition, they reported on actions taken at the annual regional
gathering of Quakers from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and
Northern Wyoming.
However, that feeling is not mirrored by local Quaker
congregations. NPYM members are a separate denomination of the
Quaker faith than the groups housed in Newberg under the auspices of
the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (NYMF) and do not
necessarily share the same views of same-sex marriage with their
counterparts to the south.
Paul Almquist, pastor at West Chehalem Friends Church, said he personally
is opposed to gay marriage and feels the Oregon Constitution
intended for marriage to be between a man and a woman.
But West Chehalem Friends has not made an official statement other
than to point to the book “Faith in Practice.” The book of Christian
discipline written for members of the NYMF states, “We hold that
only marriage is conducive to godly fulfillment in sexual
relationships for the purposes of reproduction and enrichment of
life. We consider sexual intimacy outside marriage as sinful because
it distorts God’s purposes for human sexuality.”
It goes on to point out that “we denounce, as contrary to the moral
laws of God, acts of homosexuality, sexual abuse and any other form
of sexual perversion. The church, however, as a community of
forgiven persons, remains loving and sensitive to those we consider
in error. Because God’s grace can deliver from sins of any kind, we
are called to forgive those who have repented and to free them for
participation in the church.”
Although both the NYMF and the NPYM are of the Quaker faith, the
Newberg branch is officially affiliated with Evangelical Friends
International, a more conservative group than members of the NPYM,
Almquist said. Issues like same-sex marriage may display a broader
spectrum of liberalism and conservatism than others that are more
widely agreed upon in the church.
“We have churches in Multnomah County, but Multnomah County Quakers
are part of a different body,” he said.
A petition asking to clarify the language in the Oregon
Constitution to identify marriage as the union between one man and
one woman was distributed a few months ago by the Defense of
Marriage Coalition to churches all over the state. Names of members
of West Chehalem Friends were added to the thousands of others
placed on the petition, Almquist said.
The coalition was founded in response to Multnomah and Benton
counties’ definition of the law, which both counties claim allows
for a legal union between same-sex couples.
“This is an area we try to be sensitive, but feel strongly that
it’s an issue the church should be actively involved in,” Almquist
said. “A lot of West Chehalem people have signed the petition to put
the measure on the November ballot.
“We recognize that when marriage was written about historically, it
would be between a man and a woman, and we shouldn’t have to change
the constitution to say something we thought was implicit.”
Greg Koskela, pastor of Newberg Friends Church, said the majority
of Friends churches in the area believe that God intended marriage
to be between a man and a woman. But within that varying range of
response, some are in support of the constitutional amendment.
So far, the church has not issued an official stance on the
constitutional amendment, he said, but its members are united in the
feeling that marriage is between a man and a woman.
“We believe that it’s important to extend God’s love to anybody no
matter what they believe and what lifestyle they choose,” Koskela
added.
Although Newberg Friends Church members were active in collecting
signatures for the petition, just as many worked to ensure the
church doesn’t appear to be angry or hateful to people in the gay or
lesbian community.
“We see Jesus being very faithful and loving toward all kinds of
people,” Koskela said. “We want church to be place where anyone
feels welcome and loved.”
Lynn Clouser Holt, pastor at North Valley Friends Church, was
not surprised by the decision made by the NPYM.
“It was to be expected,” Clouser Holt said. “I had read earlier in
the year that several (gay and lesbian) church members received
licenses and were to be married at the church.”
Clouser Holt said North Valley Friends Church members’ beliefs on
the issue run the gamut. “We’re not one size fits all,” she said.
She issued this statement:
“Because Friends are a non-credal faith community, individual
Friends hold a diversity of views on homosexuality and gay marriage.
As a member of Northwest Yearly Meeting, the association of
Evangelical Friends churches in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, North
Valley Friends Church shares a statement of faith and practice that
does not support gay marriage or homosexual practice. But we desire
to remain loving and sensitive to gay and lesbian persons.” |
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From
Aug. 7, 2004,
Newberg Graphic
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