ARTICLE X: MARRIAGE, GENDER, SEXUAL IDENTITY,  AND SANCTITY OF LIFE

Section A:

Marriage, as instituted by God, is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love.  They commit themselves completely to each other and to the wondrous responsibility of bringing children into the world and caring for them.  The call to marriage is woven deeply into the human spirit.  Man and woman are equal.  However, as created, they are different from, but made for each other.  This complementarity, including sexual difference, draws them together in a mutually loving union.

Genesis 1:27-28 (NASB)

27   God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28   God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply

Section B:

The natural structure of human sexuality makes man and woman complementary partners for the transmission of human life.  Only a union of male and female can express the sexual complementarity willed by God for marriage.  In marriage, husband and wife give themselves totally to each other in their masculinity and femininity.  They are equal as human beings, but different as man and woman, fulfilling each other through this natural difference.  This unique complementarity makes possible the conjugal bond that is the core of marriage.

Section C:

This congregation upholds the biblical concept that marriage is between one man and one woman. (Gen. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10, 18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4)

Section D:

This congregation upholds the doctrine that Gender matters. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.)  Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.  Biological sex means the condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s chromosomes, and is identified at birth by a person’s anatomy.

Section E:

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps 139.)

Section F:

Orcutt Christian Church will not allow marriage ceremonies to be conducted on or in its facilities.