Presbyterian church cancels Victorian couple’s wedding because they support gay marriage

A Presbyterian church in Victoria has refused to marry a couple because they expressed support for same-sex marriage on Facebook. Minister Steven North was unapologetic in his stance, saying the online post had “practical consequences” for their wedding.

The young couple was to be married in the Ebenezer St John’s Presbyterian Church in Ballarat in November, but the bride-to-be’s support of marriage equality changed that plan. The 26-year-old bride posted in August, “I know it’s something not everyone will agree on and that’s fine but this is what I stand for and frankly it doesn’t effect [sic] my relationship with [groom-to-be] one bit.”

The bride and the 25-year-old groom, who talked to Fairfax Media on the condition of anonymity, were later called to North’s office and were told he would not marry them anymore nor would they be allowed to be married at the church. He said their “conflict of views” with the church’s resulted in his decision.

“After the pre-marital counselling that you attended and the sermons delivered at Ebenezer on this subject, you must surely appreciate that your commitment to same-sex marriage opposes the teaching of Christ Jesus and the scriptural position practiced by the Presbyterian Church of Australia and by me,” he wrote in a letter to the couple and which he provided to the publication. “By continuing to officiate it would appear either that I support your views on same-sex marriage or that I am uncaring about this matter. As you know, neither statement is correct.”

He continued that if they held their wedding in the church, it would suggest that the Presbyterian denomination held the same views as theirs, and this, he said, would be wrong. According to Presbyterian Church of Victoria clerk of assembly John Wilson, while it was the discretion of ministers on which marriages they should accept to officiate, the members were told to oppose marriage equality. He published a blog post to call on the members to campaign for the “no” vote on marriage equality actively.

The couple, meanwhile, wrote a response to North, saying they would no longer attend Ebenezer St John’s. “We feel this decision is absolutely disgraceful and is a disgrace to you and all the church, especially when we have been loyal and valued members of this congregation for 10 years,” they wrote.

They said the minister was made aware that they had gay friends and that they would be invited in their wedding. “How could you assume that we would abandon them or degrade them with regards to same-sex marriage?”

The couple continued that even though they agree with the teachings of the church for their own lives, it doesn’t mean that they would push their beliefs onto others. They said North’s decision to cancel their wedding in the church had caused “a great deal of stress and upset” to their families.

The views of the Presbyterian church on marriage equality were not reflective of the views of the entire Christian community. According to a recent poll, majority of Christians and other religions agree with allowing same-sex couples to marry.