June 30, 2004
Presbyterians Move Towards Gay Ordination
By Byron LaMasters
Having grown up in the Presbyterrian Church (U.S.A.), it's heartening to see several steps towards progress at the PCUSA General Assembly (convention) this week in Richmond.
On Monday a pro-gay peace activist was elected moderator of the convention (although in reality, this guy appears to have been the most moderate of the three candidates):
A peace activist who supports the inclusion of gays in the ministry was elected Saturday to lead the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. for the next two years.
The selection of the activist, Rick Ufford-Chase, comes as the church prepares for a fresh round of debate at its annual convention this week on whether to repeal a ban on gay pastors.
Mr. Ufford-Chase, 40, will serve as moderator of the denomination, which has 2.4 million members. He is the first layperson to hold the unpaid position since 1999.
Also, by a 35-30 vote, a committee at the convention recommended that "sessions and presbyteries" not be bound by "authoritative interpretation" of the Presbyterian Constitution that prohibits non-celibate gays and lesbians from being ordained in the church. Gay issues have divided the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for nearly a decade now, but the progressives in the church have steadily made progress over the past few years. Here's the news of the challenge on gay ordination:
The Committee on Church Orders and Ministry voted narrowly Tuesday to recommend that the 216th General Assembly declare that “sessions and presbyteries are not bound” by the 1978 authoritative interpretation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) constitution, which says that “unrepentant homosexual practice does not accord with the requirements for ordination.”
In the same vote, the committee decided not to recommend a constitutional amendment to delete G-6.0106b, the provision that requires “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.” The committee recommended that measures to that effect “be answered” by its recommendation on the authoritative interpretation.
If adopted by the Assembly, the measure would issue a new authoritative interpretation reading: “In carrying out their responsibilities under the constitution to determine fitness for office, sessions and presbyteries are not bound by statements of the General Assembly and its commissions regarding ordained service by homosexual persons that predate the adoption of G-6.0106b.” The vote on the measure was 35 to 30.
Good news so far. The next step is for the convention to vote on the issue, then if I remember correctly, each individual presbytery (the regional governing bodies of the church) will have to vote on it within the next year.
Posted by Byron LaMasters at June 30, 2004 03:43 PM
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I posted this on an earlier thread too, but just in case it gets missed, I hope you don't mind a repeat performance:
Note to all gay chauvinist Austinites:
ACTION ALERT!
Focus on the Family attempts to protray Federal
Marriage Amendment as Patriotic! We need your help!
On Sunday, the 4th of July, a
religious right group called TakeUp.org is
sponsoring a rally, "A Declaration of Dependence"
One Nation Under God at 4pm on the south steps of
the Texas capitol building. Advertised as a time of
"prayer and praise", the keynote speaker is Tony
Perkins, President of the Family Research Council,
an ultra right-wing religious group (the political
arm of Focus on the Family), and one of America's
most active supporters of the Federal Marriage Am
endment. To learn more about the rally go to:
www.takeup.org/july4_event.htm
LGRL of Texas is working with Soulforce Austin to
respond to the intolerance of the radical religious
right.
We need your help to galvanize a city-wide
non-violent response to the untruths about the LGBT
community and our families that will be spread to
thousands of Austinites that day.
Here is the plan:
1. LGBT singles, couples, families, and our
heterosexual allies will meet at 2:00pm at the
Metropolitan Community Church of Austin, 8601 South
1st Street for a brief training in the Soulforce
principles of nonviolence. If you have never been to
a Soulforce training, it is imperative that you attend this brief meeting prior to participating in
our Soulforce Austin action at the capitol. At the training you will receive a T-shirt, provided by
LGRL of Texas. The T-shirts read "I can't" for gay
participants, or "I do" for our heterosexual allies.
The back of both T-shirts reads "Come Out and
Support Marriage". The training meeting will be finished by 2:45pm.
2. At 4:00pm we will attend the rally on the south
steps of the capitol wearing the T-shirts provided
by LGRL. This is a silent protest. We will not yell,
call out, or otherwise respond vocally to any of the
speaker's antigay comments. In keeping with our
Soulforce principles, we will instead "absorb the
suffering" without responding in any manner that
could be perceived as violent or aggressive.
However, we will not hide who we are. We encourage
couples to hold hands or put your arms aro und each
other's shoulders as a visual expression of your
love and commitment. We encourage families to hold their children. We encourage singles to just be yourself and stand with friends . . . or if you are
comfortable, hold the hand of a friend. Let them
guess who's a couple and who's not!
That's it. Very simple. Your presence and the truth
of of your life, we believe, will challenge the
speaker's antigay statements in a way more powerful
than any words. Please note: If you do not feel you
are emotionally ready to be involved in such an
action without reacting in anger, we respectfully
ask you to decline participating in this response.
A debriefing will be held at MCC-Austin immediately
after the rally for all those who want to share
their personal experience in being involved with the
action. If you have any questions, please contact
Jeff Lutes, Coordinator of Soulforce Austin, at
jluteslpc@msn.com.
Again, please attend the brief training at 2:00pm if
you have never been trained in the Soulforce
principles of non-violence. Let's fight for our
freedom this 4th of July!
Thanks. I'll post on it tomorrow.
I grew up in a hard-core PCUSA family...I'm not an active member any more but I find it encouraging that the church continues to pursue a progressive, reformist stance on human rights issues.
That said, why the heck is Karen Hughes a Sunday school teacher and elder in the church? Does that disturb any other Presbyterians out there or is it just me?
There seem to be a lot of Presbyterians in here. Hell - my mother (the staunch democrat) was the church organist which was convenient later in life while my dad (the staunch republican) had time for his affair but I digress ---
Karen Hughes is no more frightening than some of the folks I used to know at First Pres. in Midland. Yes - I lived in Midland a number of years right around the corner from Laura's parents. The Presbyterian Church there is known as "The Frozen Chosen" - LOL!!!! I certainly would not be in Karen's Sunday school class - others maybe - not my choice.
