Just what did Ivory say? By John H. Adams The Layman Online Thursday, March 18, 2004 Just what did Elenora Giddings Ivory, director of the denomination's Washington Office, say about the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s position on same-gender marriages? In a March 3 speech notable for its conflict with the denomination's constitution, Ivory said General Assemblies "have affirmed the civil right of same sex-couples to civil marriage," The Layman Online said, quoting from the text of her comment, which were e-mailed to Washington Office subscribers. In that speech, she also said, "Notably, while the Presbyterian Church General Assemblies have affirmed the civil right of same-sex couples to civil marriage, it retains its religious practice and view that "'Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. *** For Christians, marriage is a covenant through which a man and a woman are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong commitment is made by a woman and a man to each other, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith. [Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order W-4.9001].'" The Layman Online discovered that she omitted the second sentence in W-4.9001 [indicated by ***], which would have shattered her argument that the PCUSA supports same-gender marriages. That sentence also deals directly with civil marriages. It says, "Marriage is a civil contract between a woman and a man." So The Layman Online followed up with a story titled, "Ivory speech omitted constitutional prohibition against gay marriage." Ivory's speech apparently caused a ruckus in Louisville. Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick prepared a list of constitutional citations and General Assembly decisions to ensure Presbyterians that the PCUSA has not endorsed same-sex marriages. That was originally posted on the Office of the General Assembly Web site, which, for the uninitiated, is hidden beyond the layers of other Web pages. Later, making certain that the church's position is not misinterpreted because of Ivory's comments, the beginning of the story was moved to the center section of the home page. Interestingly, the PCUSA followup published Ivory's quotation of the constitutional statement on marriage just as she said it – without the reference to what the denomination believes about civil marriage. Nonetheless, one of our readers contacted Ivory and said she denied omitting the sentence about civil marriage. The Layman Online backtracked its coverage and her official statements and concluded that she did - just as the stated clerk's office reached the same conclusion. In introducing the stated clerk's compilation of statements on marriage, the Presbyterian News Services made no effort to explain Ivory's omission. And there was no public reprimand of Ivory, whose job is to advocate only for issues on which the denomination has expressed a view – especially the constitution. The PCUSA story simply said that the stated clerk's compilation "came in response to public debate of a proposed marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution and to complaints about the accuracy of comments made during a press conference in the nation's capital last week by the Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory, director of the Presbyterian Washington Office."

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