Two important civil rights bills are being debated in the Oregon Legislature and they have my support as a Christian, a minister in the United Church of Christ, a citizen, a husband and a father:
The Oregon Family Fairness Act (HB2007) would create a new Oregon law to legally recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples and their families.
The Oregon Equality Act (SB2) would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodation.
My friend and colleague The Rev. Gene Ross recently wrote in The Oregonian:
Most Oregonians believe that discrimination is wrong. What many don't know, however, is that it's perfectly legal. Some Oregonians -- our neighbors who live and work here, pay taxes and contribute to their communities -- can be denied a job, refused housing or turned away from a restaurant for no other reason than that they are homosexuals.
That kind of discrimination is hurtful, but it doesn't end there. Oregonians in committed same-sex partnerships lack the most basic protections for themselves and their children -- the right to make medical and end-of-life decisions, to access a child's school or medical records, to sue for wrongful death or to access state-provided services for families.
In 2005, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ adopted a statement in support of full marriage equality. Neither one of the bills under consideration here in Oregon goes that far but both would bring use closer to a place of justice and compassion – two central concepts in the Christian tradition.
As our General Synod said so well nearly two years ago:
The message of the Gospel is the lens through which the whole of scripture is to be interpreted. Love and compassion, justice and peace are at the very core of the life and ministry of Jesus. It is a message that always bends toward inclusion. The biblical story recounts the ways in which inclusion and welcome to God’s community is ever-expanding – from the story of Abraham and Sarah, to the inclusive ministry of Jesus, to the baptism of Cornelius, to the missionary journeys of Paul throughout the Greco-Roman world. The liberating work of the Spirit as witnessed in the activities of Jesus’ ministry has been to address the situations and structures of exclusion, injustice and oppression that diminish God’s people and keep them from realizing the full gift of human personhood in the context of human communion.
The biblical call to justice and compassion (to love one’s neighbor as one’s self) provides the mandate for marriage equality. Justice as right relationship seeks both personal and communal well being. It is embodied in interpersonal relationships and institutional structures, including marriage. Justice seeks to eliminate marginalization for reasons of race, gender, sexual orientation or economic status.
Building up the Kingdom of God here on earth means fully extending freedom to all God’s people. Many gays and lesbians still live in forms of bondage and the Christian responsibility in such moments is to set the captives free. Christians can and do come to different conclusions about where homosexuality fits into the church - and I respect that different churches might not come to the same conclusions that I do - but no one should use the Bible as an excuse for opposing civil rights for others. And so I join with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in urging the Oregon Legislature to adopt HB2007 and SB2.
