 Former moderator signs ad advocating gay marriages The Layman Online Friday, July 28, 2006
Rogers and 10 other representatives of different religious organizations signed the advertisements, which were sponsored by three groups: the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Freedom to Marry. Other signers included a range of entertainers, politicians and gay advocates. In spite of a succession of state court rulings that have upheld civil prohibitions against same-gender marriages, the group spent $250,000 for advertisements in 51 newspapers this week, including The New York Times, to keep pressing their agenda. The only legal quote in the ad was from a dissent in a New York case in which the New York Court of Appeals ruled against recognition of homosexual marriages. The court's chief judge, Judith Kaye, said, "Indeed, the true nature and extent of the discrimination suffered by gays and lesbians is perhaps best illustrated by the simple truth that each one of the plaintiffs could lawfully enter into a marriage of convenience with a complete stranger of the opposite sex tomorrow, and thereby immediately obtain all of the myriad benefits and protections incident to marriage. Plaintiffs are, however, denied these rights because they each desire instead to marry the person they love and with whom they have created their family." Rogers' signature on the ad should be no surprise. Even before he became a candidate for moderator of the General Assembly, he advocated for changes in public and church policies to recognize homosexual marriages. Rogers, formerly a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, has often described himself as an evangelical. But he challenged traditional Reformed beliefs and strongly attacked the Confessing Church Movement, which began shortly before he was elected moderator. He once compared the Presbyterian Lay Committee to Islamic terrorists. Membership losses in the Presbyterian Church (USA) began growing dramatically during Rogers' tenure and have increased every year since, reaching a record 48,484 in 2005. By signing the advertisement, Rogers is promoting a dissent that is contrary to the Constitution of the PCUSA, which recognizes marriage only between a man and a woman. When an employee of the denomination, Elenora Giddings Ivory, did the same, State Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick issued a statement reaffirming the constitutional position, although her supervisors never publicly reprimanded her for her position. The 2006 General Assembly voted down three proposals to reaffirm traditional marriage. Another well-know denominational leader, John Thomas, president of the United Church of Christ, also signed the ad. Thomas' endorsement, however, agrees with his denomination's advocacy of gay marriages. A copy of the advertisement can be downloaded as a pdf file from the Web site of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. |
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