Highland Baptist church (in Kentucky) to hold gay marriage

Kudos to Highland Baptist Church in Kentucky,,,

They have lived together for five years. They have a garden and a dog. They have a joint bank account. But only recently did they have the right to be married at their church.

David Bannister Jr., 29, and Steven Carr, 25, are to be married next May at Highland Baptist Church, which will break with most churches in its denomination by performing its first gay marriage ceremony.

"It takes courage to step out into the unknown," said Pastor Joe Phelps, who was approached by Bannister and Carr about the ceremony 2 1/2 years ago. "It's taking us courage to be one of the first churches to do this."

As state law stands, the marriage will not be recognized by the state of Kentucky, which is appealing a court ruling requiring it to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

And while a district court ruled Tuesday that same-sex marriages performed in Kentucky are legal, the judge stayed the decision, halting any legal gay marriages for now.

The church's decision "may influence the debate," said Sam Marcosson, a law professor at the University of Louisville.

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The decisions did not come without some consternation, however, and that was true for Highland Baptist. The Cherokee Road church's decision has irked some members, who have been upset over the process in which the decision was reached — and made public — as well as the decision itself.

"There are a very small number in the church" who are upset, Phelps said. "And to their credit, they have stayed with the church through all of this."

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"It was a struggle," he said. "How do you live up to this stance when you're not completely inclusive?"

Two and a half years ago, Bannister and Carr — who don't claim to be activists — approached Phelps and shared their desire to be married at the church.

"If people don't get the shades pulled back on LGBT people's lives, they won't learn. They won't see," Bannister said. "So the onus is on us and our friends to talk with those around us."

Highland Baptist church to hold gay marriage