A recent vote by Maryland Presbyterians to ask the larger church to permit same-sex marriage speaks to the age-old ? and often sundering ? question of how literal scripture interpretation must be in order to be sound, parties in the controversy said.

“My read of this is that this language would only permit it in states where such marriages are already permitted. I don?t think it endorses it [overall],” the Rev. Peter Nord, executive director of the Presbytery of Baltimore, said of his group?s 76-71 vote petitioning the governing General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to allow same-sex marriage.