University Baptist Church Statement

October 27, 2004

We believe the foundation of our Christian faith is to love and welcome all. Considering that some would say all Christians are opposed to same-sex marriage, we, the congregation of University Baptist Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota, state clearly that this is not our belief. Therefore,

We believe that all adults in loving, mutually supportive relationships deserve our support and respect, regardless of their sexual orientation. We believe that we best uphold the sanctity of marriage by honoring inclusivity and equality for all loving adults. When these couples seek recognition for their mutual commitment, they are entitled to enter into covenants of marriage, as the right to marry is both a human and a civil right that should never be denied on the basis of sexual orientation.

We affirm our right as a religious institution to perform marriages including blessing and performing same-sex unions. We support the extension of the benefits of marriage to all loving couples who through the institution of marriage, seek to build better lives for themselves and their communities.

Accordingly, we oppose any measures that deny recognition, respect and civil rights to same-sex couples in loving, committed relationships. This opposition includes all existing and proposed laws and initiatives at both the federal and the state levels that seek to restrict marriage to couples solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. So-called “defense of marriage” measures and similar initiatives are patently discriminatory in that they seek to codify two separate classes of citizens: heterosexual couples enjoying the exclusive right to marry and same-sex couples deprived of this civil right. We urge people of faith and legislators to advocate policies that further the cause of full inclusion and full justice for all people regardless of sexual orientation. We commend and celebrate all steps made in this direction.

Furthermore, we call on policymakers and legislators at all levels to oppose all proposed measures that would undermine the goal of according full legal equality to any citizen, particularly members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender) community and to work to repeal all existing measures that currently discriminate against LGBT citizens.

We believe such measures are contrary to our core beliefs which honor fairness and equality. We also are convinced that they are contrary to the spirit of our governmental constitutions. These venerable documents, designed to protect fundamental freedoms, should never be used as instruments of hatred, ignorance, and exclusion.