General Assembly asks presbyteries to prohibit same-sex union ceremonies By John H. Adams The Layman Online Saturday, July 1, 2000 LONG BEACH, Calif. -- In a vote preceded by silent and spoken prayers and the spontaneous, hushed singing of Spirit of the Living God, Fall Afresh on Me, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) recommended that the denomination prohibit ministers from conducting same-sex unions. The vote on Friday night was 268-251-4. The decision now goes to the denomination's 173 presbyteries for confirmation. If a majority of the presbyteries concur, the prohibition will become part of the Book of Order. Before the General Assembly's vote, Moderator Syngman Rhee and Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick urged the commissioners and observers not to celebrate or protest the decision. There were no demonstrations inside the hall where the Assembly was meeting, but after the vote a small group of gay activists and their supporters met outside and began singing to protest the decision. Earlier in the day, commissioners approved an overture to prohibit demonstrations within 25 feet of the Assembly hall. The protestors stood beyond that 25-foot line. The same-sex union issue generated the most protracted debate of the 212th General Assembly, both in committee and on the Assembly floor. The General Assembly Committee on Health and Spiritual Well-Being heard from more than 60 people. Twenty-two people spoke on the Assembly floor before commissioners voted to cut off debate. There were two votes on the same-sex union issue. First, the commissioners, by 273 to 247, rejected a minority report which would have allowed Presbyterian ministers to continue blessing homosexual couples. The minority report called for a "spirit of dialogue which supports the value of discussion of unity in diversity … honors our denomination's long-standing tradition of valuing the discretion of pastors and sessions in ordering worship and pastoral care" and asked the denomination to "continue exploring the diversity of scriptural interpretation within our Reformed Tradition seeking faithfully to discern the Word of God in our time." The second vote was to approve the San Joaquin overture. The overture, one of three submitted to the General Assembly to prohibit same-sex blessings, calls for changes in the Book of Order that would prohibit ministers from blessing same-sex unions and congregations from using their buildings for such services. The vote coincided with the issuance in Vermont of certificates that allow homosexual couples to enter into civil unions that extend the rights and privileges of marriage. The vote by the PCUSA was in line with a decision earlier this year by the United Methodist Church, which voted 2 to 1 to prohibit same-sex unions. Friday night's debate -- lasting more than an hour -- recycled many of the same arguments made during the committee hearings. Few seemed to have their minds changed, or, as Commissioner Fred Cook of the Presbytery of the Covenant said, there was "an exhilarating absence of self-doubt." The principal argument against prohibiting same-sex unions was that the General Assembly should not limit the freedom of pastors to minister to their congregations as they see fit. "I emphasize the word freedom," said George McCall of the Missouri Union Presbytery. "I urge this assembly, do not bind our conscience or tie our hands as pastors." But the Biblical and confessional injunctions against homosexual activity shaped the words of many who supported the prohibition. Scott Weimer of the Greater Atlanta Presbytery asked, "Are we prepared to suggest to the PCUSA that Jesus, the Scripture and the confessions sanction sexual relationships outside of marriage? I for one am not." And the majority agreed.

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