 1978 statement on ordaining gays will be target during 2004 Assembly By John H. Adams The Layman Online Wednesday, December 3, 2003 The latest strategy by homosexual activists and their allies is to wipe out the memory of why the Presbyterian Church (USA) forbids the ordination of practicing homosexuals. They have taken aim at what's known as the "authoritative interpretation" of 1978. That was the year when the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church (USA) declared that "our present understanding of God's will precludes the ordination of people who do not repent of homosexual practice." It was a resounding defeat for those who sought the approval of a lifestyle that has been condemned by Scripture, the denomination's confessions and Christians of nearly every stripe. The vote for the authoritative interpretation was 600 to 50. In 1978, there was no constitutional standard that prohibited the ordination of practicing homosexuals, either in the UPCUSA or its sister denomination, the Presbyterian Church U.S. 'Authoritative' until … As a rule, "authoritative interpretations" are no more than suggestions with a potentially brief shelf-life. Any General Assembly can rescind a previous General Assembly's authoritative interpretation. Likewise, the denomination's highest court can rule that the interpretation doesn't square with the constitution. In fact, there have been numerous attempts to try to rescind the 1978 declaration, most recently in 2001, but they have all failed. In 1993, ten years after the UPCUSA and the PCUS evolved into the PCUSA, the General Assembly affirmed the 1978 statement. The 1996 General Assembly ratified it again and called on presbyteries to enact a constitutional standard that reflected the gist of the authoritative interpretation. The presbyteries responded by approving the "fidelity/chastity" requirement for inclusion in the PCUSA Constitution:
Opponents of the "fidelity/chastity" standard have twice convinced General Assemblies (1997 and 2001) to seek repeal of the constitutional provision. In both cases, the presbyteries voted overwhelmingly against allowing the ordination of practicing homosexuals. The ballot for the 2001 referendum included a rider. To repeal G-6.0106b, the presbyteries also would have had to repeal the 1978 statement, which is stronger and more pastoral than the constitutional wording. But a majority of nearly 75 percent said no to both. Excerpts from 1978 statement Here's what the 1978 statement says in part:
Even if the presbyteries had repealed G-6.0106b, the advocates for ordaining homosexuals (and adulterers, because the law applies to heterosexuals as well) have known that the statement of 1978 would remain church law as long as it was not rescinded or revised by a later General Assembly or by a different interpretation rendered by the denomination's highest court. At one point, and prior to G-6.0106b, seven of the 16 members of the General Assembly's Permanent Judicial Commission said they would probably affirm the ordination of practicing homosexuals despite the 1978 statement. Concern that the court would rule to allow the ordination of homosexuals is what prompted the constitutional amendment in 1997. The 1978 General Assembly's vote against ordaining practicing homosexuals was a response to the report of a task force on homosexuality. The task force was created by the 1976 General Assembly, which affirmed the denomination's historic opposition to ordaining practicing homosexuals but also called for "more light" – a phrase that was adopted by one of today's most adamant pro-gay lobbies: More Light Presbyterians. The task force wanted the 1978 General Assembly to rule that "avowed, practicing homosexuals who meet the constitutional requirements may be ordained as ministers, ruling elders and deacons." 1978 arguments same as today's The task force's report – which includes virtually all of the major arguments in favor of ordaining homosexuals that are repeated annually at General Assemblies – used its own "more light" approach, appealing to the authority of selective studies, particularly in psychology and psychiatry, and trying to refute Biblical teaching. But the General Assembly's 1978 authoritative interpretation challenged many of the task force's finding. For instance, the task force claimed that homosexuality was not consciously chosen and was usually irreversible. Today, activists for homosexual ordination often claim – despite a lack of convincing scientific evidence – that homosexuality is genetic. And the 1978 statement clearly indicated that homosexual behavior was not irreversible. "The repentant homosexual person who finds the power of Christ redirecting his or her sexual desires toward a married heterosexual commitment, or finds God's power to control his or her desires and to adopt a celibate lifestyle, can certainly be ordained, all other qualifications being met," the 1978 General Assembly said. During the 2004 General Assembly, which will meet in Richmond, Va., in June, the commissioners will consider a number of overtures calling for outright repeal of G-6.0106b and rescission of the 1978 authoritative interpretation. But the power player among the pro-gay lobbyists – the Covenant Network of Presbyterians – wants the assembly only to rescind the authoritative interpretation … for the time being. With 19 former moderators on its board and current Moderator Susan R. Andrews being a former board member, the Covenant Network has carved out a power base far beyond its membership of fewer than 300 congregations (compared to nearly 1,300 in the Confessing Church Movement). Claiming the center One of the Covenant Network's strategies has been to claim it belongs to the moderate center of the denomination and to curry friendships among denominational leaders. Its losses in the three referendums on ordaining homosexuals made the organization's leaders wary of adopting the strategy of other pro-gay ordination groups, who want the constitutional standard repealed immediately. Instead, the Covenant Network has called for rescission of the 1978 authoritative interpretation by the 2004 General Assembly and repeal of G-6.0106b by the 2006 General Assembly. "In 2006, the 217th General Assembly will receive the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church, drafts of which will be released in the year before," the Network's board said. "The Task Force has been asked to propose ways for the church to move into the future in the face of deep differences about sexuality, ordination and other issues. We eagerly anticipate the Task Force's findings and hope that they will pave the way toward the just, generous, holy and peaceful church for which we and so many others have been working." Several members of the task force are affiliated with the Covenant Network, including three who have taken key roles in trying to shape the theological direction of the task force: Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological Seminary; Frances Taylor Gench, a member of the faculty at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond; and John Wilkinson, pastor of Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, N.Y. |
|
Respond to this article |
|
| Home
· Archives
· The
Layman ·
PLC
Publications Presbyterian Lay Committee · Feedback · Links |
|