Four Northeastern Synod cases test PCUSA ordination standard By John H. Adams The Layman Online Tuesday, October 5,1999 BEDFORD, N.H. – Four cases that test whether the Presbyterian Church (USA) should enforce its constitutional ordination standard go before the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Northeast Oct. 7-9 and Nov. 3-4. The cases involve congregations and presbyteries that have defied G-6.0106b, which requires candidates for minister, elder and deacon to confine their sexual activity to marriage or remain celibate. The Northeast has been a hotbed of activity against the constitution. In the 1997-98 national referendum, 90.5 percent of the presbyteries in the Synod of the Northeast voted to water down the constitution so that it would no longer prohibit the ordination of self-affirming, practicing homosexuals. Nationally, 66 percent of the presbyteries approved the constitutional standard. Since the referendum, congregations and presbyteries in the Northeast have been lobbied intensely by gays, lesbians, people who have undergone sex-change operations and people who insist that the denomination endorse their having sex with men and women. The four hearings before the judicial commission of the Northeast are:
After the hearings, the synod's judicial commission will deliberate in private to reach and write its decisions. Copies of the decisions will be mailed to all parties involved before they are released to the public. Southern New England In a 4-1 decision in March, the Permanent Judicial Commission of Southern New England Presbytery ruled that First Presbyterian Church of Stamford could install Wayne Osborne, 38, as an elder. Osborne had openly admitted during his congregation's nominating process that he was "in a relationship with another man." When he was interviewed by the session before his installation, Osborne refused to answer whether it was a sexually active relationship. The four members of the presbytery's judicial commission decided that "Osborne has not 'self-affirmed' or 'self-acknowledged' any practice which the confessions call sin." William P. Showalter cast the lone dissenting vote in the case. Showalter cited several documents that referred to the session's nomination of a man who is in a same-sex partnership, contrary to Amendment B. He wrote in his minority opinion, "If there was any prior knowledge or assumption of knowledge of Mr. Osborne's sexual activity as a single person, the Session was remiss in not pursuing further its examination of him. His response to the question 'Is this a sexually active partnership' – to which he responded 'I decline to answer this question' – should not have been allowed to stand. Further questioning was required because of prior or assumed knowledge. At no time through the entire nominating, electing and examination process did Mr. Osborne attempt to correct the assumptions raised by the above documents." Northern New England Case In December, 1998, the Presbytery of Northern New England reversed an earlier decision and authorized Christ Presbyterian Church in Burlington, Vt., to openly defy the constitution's ordination standard. The vote was 46 to 32. That latter decision upheld the language of a "Resolution of Dissent," in which the session of Christ Church declared, "We vow to continue welcoming persons living singly or in committed relationships, regardless of sexual orientation, into the life, membership and leadership of this congregation on an equal basis, including eligibility for election and ordination as a ruling elder or deacon." The statement condemned G-6.0106b as "bad polity which will serve only to further distrust, intolerance and chaos in the Church" and called the standard "a thinly disguised and dramatic reflection of the Presbyterian Church's hypocrisy regarding inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in the full life of the Church." In March 1998, the presbytery said it could not affirm noncompliance with the Book of Order and ordered Christ Church "to be in conformity with … G-6.0106b as pertains to the ordination of elders and deacons and report such compliance to the PNNE by the March 1999 stated meeting." But the presbytery rescinded that order after revisiting the issue and declaring "that Christ Church carries on a valid and sacred ministry in Burlington [and] that the [Resolution of Dissent's] alleged inconsistencies in the Book of Order do exist." Hudson River Presbytery The Hudson River Presbytery voted 105 to 35 in January 1999 to allow clergy to participate in "holy unions" of same-sex partnerships and to use church property for the ceremonies. The vote was challenged by a minority of commissioners, who declared that "homosexual behavior is contrary to the will of God, is inconsistent with Scripture, and is a direct violation of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). To allow ministers to bless unions of same sex partners would be to sanction behavior which God, through Scripture, has revealed to be sinful." The presbytery's statement said that "these ceremonies do not constitute marriage as defined in the Book of Order." West Jersey Presbytery On March 16, 1999, the West Jersey Presbytery voted 81-61 to receive Graham Van Keuren under care, despite his written and verbal statements that he is "an openly gay man." Van Keuren said he was not in a relationship at the time of the vote. But when asked by the Rev. Alison Bucklin whether he would commit to living in celibacy as a candidate seeking ordination, he replied, "I understand God's call to encompass all my life – including future relationships." When asked by a commissioner, "Would you practice active sex in a same-sex relationship if given the opportunity in the future?" Van Keuren replied, "I intend to participate in a fully sexual way in any future relationship." |
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