 Draft paper suggests possibility of ordaining 'committed' gays By John H. Adams The Layman Online Thursday, October 14, 2004 LISLE, Ill. – After reviewing a variety of opinions about the ordination of homosexuals, the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church began to look at one of its own: A draft from a subcommittee that raised the prospect of allowing presbyteries to ordain practicing homosexuals if they are in committed relationships. A spirited discussion accompanied the presentation of the draft document Wednesday afternoon. But there was no vote and no obvious consensus that would suggest that the task force will pursue the essential direction of the subcommittee's paper. William Stacy Johnson, a professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, issued a lengthy disclaimer of "Fidelity and Chastity," saying, "These are not anything more than proposals for discussion – provisional, hypothetical, ways to get conversation started." But Johnson, who described himself as the primary writer of the document, aggressively defended it when other task force members raised questions or objections. The other members of the subcommittee are John Wilkinson, pastor of a More Light congregation in Rochester, N.Y.; John "Mike" Loudon, a Confessing Church pastor in Lakeland, Fla.; and Sarah Sanderson-Doughty, a New York pastor. Johnson said the 10 statements in the paper represented a theological and logical order. The gist of those assertions:
Gary Demarest, co-moderator of the task force, wasn't as worried about the wording as what it seemed to imply. He rephrased No. 1 to mean, "If I can get you to agree with this, then I'm going to take you somewhere you may not want to go." And Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City, added on the same point, "I'm not prepared to answer the question the way you ask it." There was some disagreement over what constitutes promiscuity. Johnson's paper suggested that committed homosexual couples in monogamous relationships were not promiscuous. But Loudon, who has said he will oppose any effort to allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals, said they were promiscuous. "My understanding of promiscuous would be anything outside the bounds of marriage," Loudon said. In defense of the paper, Johnson emphasized that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has declared sexual orientation in itself is not contrary to church law. He added, "I would say that the church has lost ground in its understanding of its own mind on sexual orientation." The Rev. Jose Luis Torres-Milan of Puerto Rico said the paper's conclusion that honoring covenantal relationships between same-sex partners "is a red flag. ... Even though there's no decision, it's kind of implied. Many will say, uh, uh, don't take me there." Mark Achtemeier, professor of theology at Dubuque Seminary in Iowa, acknowledged that there is a constituency in the Presbyterian Church (USA) that clings to a slam-door, firmly articulated no. That constituency was not acknowledged in Johnson's paper but, Achtemeier said, "If that's widespread, it may be something we need to acknowledge and address." "Just as some might be taken aback by the language of covenant monogamous relationships, don't they also need to hear from the other side?" Johnson asked. "We're not advocating promiscuity." But, Loudon replied, "There are only two views: Biblical and non-Biblical." "Isn't that just the difference in interpretation?" Johnson asked. "You're not saying that those on the other side have non-Biblical views, are you?" Loudon did not answer. But he defended the discussion of what could lead to a task force statement on ordination. "I think one of the reasons we're discussing this is because to sidestep the issue would really be a disservice to why we were appointed to the task force. The church is looking at us to see if there is something we can say that is constructive." |
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