The three largest religious bodies in Arkansas say Friday's Supreme Court ruling hasn't altered their opposition to same-sex marriage.
But leaders of smaller religious group rejoiced and called for their pastors to officiate same-sex unions.
Arkansas is home to 500,000 Southern Baptists, the state's largest faith group by far. Catholics follow with more than 140,000 members and United Methodists come in third with 138,000 members. All three denominations urge members to show love and compassion to gays, but they consider marriage strictly a union of one man and one woman.
On Friday, the Rev. Ronnie Floyd of Springdale, president of the 15.5-million member Southern Baptist Convention, said in a statement that he still believed in "biblical and traditional marriage." Earlier this month at the Baptists' annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, the Northwest Arkansas megachurch pastor said it is wrong to redefine marriage.
"Our #1 concern at this point is that religious freedom is protected in every way, honoring our God-given conscience, and that we not be discriminated against for our biblical and traditional stand," Floyd said in the statement.
Floyd planned to preach about religious liberty Sunday at Cross Church, the multicampus congregation he leads.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday's ruling bound the state but not its houses of worship.
"It is not a directive for churches or pastors to recognize same-sex marriage," he said. "The decision for churches, pastors and individuals is a choice that should be left to the convictions of conscience."
The Catholic Church also is against gay marriage.
"Today, the Court is wrong again," Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement. "It is profoundly immoral and unjust for the government to declare that two people of the same sex can constitute a marriage."
The Most Rev. Anthony Taylor, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, has reviewed the ruling and fully supports Kurtz's statement, a spokesman said Friday.
The United Methodist Church's Book of Discipline says that the practice of homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." But the topic has been causing disagreements for years within the ranks.
The Rev. Gary Mueller, bishop of the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, on Friday offered guidelines for ministers in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. Clergy cannot officiate over a same-sex couple's wedding -- and cannot sign the marriage license for a gay couple, it noted. United Methodist property cannot be used for same-sex marriages either, according to the guidelines.
Clergymen are, however, allowed to help gay couples find other venues for a wedding and may provide premarital counseling.
According to the Pew Research Center, some faith groups and denominations that already allowed clergymen to officiate gay marriages include the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and both Conservative and Reform Jewish Congregations.
The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. voted this year to redefine marriage as "a commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman."
The Episcopal Church approved a liturgy for same-sex blessings in 2012, but the denomination so far hasn't set an official stance on gay marriage. The church's General Convention started this week in Salt Lake City.
The Rt. Rev. Larry Benfield, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, said he was leading a committee meeting at the General Convention when the Supreme Court's ruling was handed down.
"There was audible agreement and some applause when it happened," he said. "I am happy with the decision of the Supreme Court. I think civil marriage is something that should be extended to people who want to be part of marriage and should not be denied because of sex or gender."
In Arkansas, Benfield allowed priests to sign gay couples' marriage licenses, something that he said he expects will become the policy going forward. Soon, priests will be able to use a 2012 liturgy to bless a same-sex couple wishing to be married.
Benfield said he expected the General Convention to consider changes to its marriage canons during the next week. If gay marriage is authorized, Benfield expects same-sex couples will have to follow the same formalities as opposite-sex couples -- undergoing premarital counseling and publicizing their marriage plans at least 30 days before the wedding.
The Rev. Randy Eddy-McCain had been glued to his television since Thursday, waiting to hear of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage.
"I was all hyped yesterday," said Eddy-McCain, a gay pastor at Open Door Community Church in Sherwood.
When a ruling on the matter wasn't issued, the hype turned into nonchalance Friday, he said.
Then the media reported the court's decision, and he called out for his husband.
"I yelled out, 'Gary,'" Eddy-McCain said. "He came running in, and I said, 'We won.' He just hugged me, and tears started welling up."
The couple, who married in New York in 2012, planned to head to the Pulaski County Courthouse to help officiate any weddings. He expected "a lot of tears and a lot of joy," he said.
"Wow, what a historic day," he said. "Heaven rejoices when justice is done. And I believe justice was done today."
Metro on 06/27/2015