Judicial decisions prompt pastor to issue a plea for honesty A commentary by Jeff Jones Layman Correspondent Friday, May 21, 1999 There is a scene in the movie “The Truman Show” that illuminates the surreal world the church has now entered. Jim Carrey is sitting in his living room looking at a photo album wondering if his world really is make-believe. Then he notices something about one of the wedding pictures in the album and grabs a magnifying glass to examine it. He makes the discovery that as his wife gazes adoringly up at him she also has her fingers crossed! It is a moment of absurdity that perfectly captures the world of deception that one could justifiably feel the PCUSA has become. In our moral and legal maneuvering over the issues related to homosexuality, there has arisen a disturbing tendency to use the language of our denomination’s constitution in a deceptive fashion. It is as if a committee or an individual would openly profess to obey the clearly understood standards of the denomination, yet do so with fingers crossed. ‘Wiggle room’ What is the evidence of this growing practice of legalistic deception? The first comes from Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. There the ministers of South Presbyterian Church have been performing ceremonies of “blessing” for same-sex couples for years. When an article in a local newspaper brought this practice into the light last fall, one church in Hudson River Presbytery sent a letter of complaint to the presbytery’s stated clerk calling for an investigation. The New York Times ran an article about the issue on November 3, 1998 and quoted Rev. Mark Tammen, a staff member in the PCUSA’s Department of Constitutional Services, as saying, “Currently the Book of Order … allows some wiggle room for ministers to decide when to bless homosexual unions.” The “wiggle room” is the argument that if the state doesn’t recognize gay marriages then same-sex unions are not marriages and are not therefore in violation of the Book of Order. This is ludicrous. Ceremonies of “blessing” walk and quack like the proverbial duck. To stand upon Presbyterian polity in defense of such a practice is cynical, manipulative, and deceptive. It is fundamentally dishonest and dishonors everyone involved. The South Presbyterian ministers might claim to be abiding by the letter of the law, but their actions reveal that their fingers are crossed. A surreal decision A more recent example of legalistic dishonesty comes from the surreal decision of the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) of the Presbytery of Southern New England in the remedial case against First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, Conn. The logic of the decision beggars belief. There the church elected an openly gay man, Wayne Osborne, who is living with another man in what they describe as a committed loving relationship, to the office of elder. It would seem to be a clear violation of G-6.0106b, the “fidelity and chastity” clause of our Book of Order. Unless, of course, you are privileged to live in the artificial world of contemporary moral and legal church discourse where nothing is as it seems to be. The PJC is correct when it states, “… this case turns mainly on our interpretation of Amendment B [G-6.0106b] and its application to the facts of this case.” However, it is precisely the commission’s interpretation and application of G-6.0106b to the facts of this case that is so surreal. The key phrases from that part of the Book of Order are, “Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.” The church in arguing its case, and the PJC in concurring with it, both echo a recent political strategy by saying, in effect, “it all depends upon what you mean by self-acknowledged practice.” The church and the PJC employ a form of reasoning that amounts to a Clintonian parsing of words and phrases to legally justify what common sense could not. When the nominating committee of Stamford’s First Presbyterian Church (FPC) asked Mr. Osborne if his relationship was sexually active he refused to answer. On this foundation the Permanent Judicial Commission declared, “Osborne has not made any public acknowledgment of personal homosexual practice(s) or any sexual practice(s) indicating non-celibacy. … Thus, the PJC finds that the FPC has not proceeded in a manner contrary to our Constitution.” If we examine the decision with a magnifying glass, pairs of crossed fingers are bound to be revealed. Despite Osborne’s public declaration of his homosexuality at a presbytery meeting, despite his acknowledgment of an intimate relationship with another man, despite the nominating committee’s alert to the congregation that Osborne’s nomination would be in violation of the Book of Order, the PJC found his refusal to answer sufficient grounds to establish compliance with G-6.0106b. This is dishonest. It is a new form of legalism that stands upon the letter of the law in order to subvert it. The Judicial Commission agreed with the church in their manipulation of the Book of Order and, thus, undermined the authority of Amendment G-6.0106b – and the whole of our constitution – by creating, expanding, and officially sanctioning loopholes. It is one thing to march with secular culture in the belief that a same-sex orientation is a gift. It is quite another to look the whole denomination in the face and make the disingenuous claim that the committee had no knowledge of any sinful practice. Honesty and integrity sacrificed These examples are signs of the morally dishonest world we currently inhabit. The weapons of warfare are the well-honed technicality and the legalistic use of language. Words are used to deceive rather than to tell the truth. Ecclesiastical fighting looks like a group of self-centered children who make up the rules as they go along in order to win the game. Honesty and integrity have been sacrificed for the pottage of temporary victory, and everyone involved is dishonored. What happens to Wayne Osborne? Is he proud of this episode? Here is a man who had the courage to stand up in a presbytery meeting and openly declare his homosexuality now reduced to the ringing affirmation, “I decline to answer.” Surely honesty is a proper virtue for the Christian. Surely it should be an essential character trait and customary rule of behavior not only for individuals but also for committees and governing bodies. Surely moral holiness is essential to the Reformed faith to which we commit ourselves when we say our ordination vows. And surely pure and simple honesty is a mark of that moral holiness. In the wake of these decisions, let us repent of the manipulation of language, of the tendency to maneuver behind legal technicalities, and of the denigration of common sense. Let us all stand upon the clear and plain meaning of words and constitutional provisions, or else, win or lose, history will discover that our fingers were crossed. Jeff Jones is pastor of Mossy Creek Presbyterian Church in Mt. Solon, Va.

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