Constitutional ordination rule affirmed 3-1 By John H. Adams The Layman Volume 35, Number 2 Posted April 8, 2002 The regional governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have decided that sex outside of marriage is not acceptable for ministers, elders and deacons. With only one presbytery still scheduled to vote as The Layman went to press, the latest proposal to delete the “fidelity/chastity” clause from the PCUSA Constitution had been soundly defeated 126-46, a shade short of a 3-1 margin. Even Pam Byers, executive director of the pro-amendment Covenant Network, was pessimistic that there could be any change of attitude quickly. She guessed that it might take 10 years before the denomination allows the ordination of practicing homosexuals. Laird Stuart, who championed the cause of homosexual ordination when he was co-moderator of the Network, says he will not make the issue part of his agenda during his campaign for PCUSA moderator – adding, however, that “it will come up again.” Besides expunging G-6.0106b from the Book of Order, Amendment 01-A would have invalidated the denomination’s declarations that homosexual practice and adultery are sinful. Meanwhile, the ordination issue is headed for judicial tests. The Presbytery of Redwoods in California has been charged with an irregularity because it ordained a self-affirming lesbian who publicly said she was in a sexually active relationship. Disciplinary cases have been filed against pastors whose sessions have repudiated G-6.1016b. Dozens of congregations have declared that they intend to violate the constitutional standard or already are doing so. One congregation – in Stamford, Conn. – which had previously elected a homosexual elder but was never able to install him because of a three-year church court case, has elected and installed that person’s homosexual partner as a deacon. Furthermore … “We are not going away! A large number of churches have said that this decision is immoral, and that they will not abide by it! We salute them!” That All May Freely Serve “Amendment A is only a feint. The main attack has shifted to the denomination’s courts.” Richard LaHue, Carrollton, Texas “So what now? Three cheers and then back to the same old fight? It is time for those who defy Biblical morality to be shown the door.” Gary Nusbaum, Prairie Village, Kan. “We rejoice in the PCUSA’s commitment to hold fast to our unity with the worldwide Christian church. Our prayer is that the Lord will strengthen our church’s resolve to put this matter behind us.” Greg Roth and David Hackett Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship “It is evident that there is a very significant level of support for removal of the ban on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and single heterosexual members for ordination.” More Light Presbyterians “Each time that the church has reaffirmed its position, it has done so by increasingly wider voting margins.” Tom Sweets Coordinator of the Presbyterian Coalition’s national campaign against Amendment A “It is about turning the Presbyterian church, with its great tradition of liberal openness to the Spirit of God, into a much narrower, more conservative, far more rigid religious tradition.” John Buchanan Former moderator of the PCUSA and pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago “In reaffirming our Constitution, Presbyterians have once again asserted what the Church has declared for more than 2,000 years … We pray that those who tend the institutional structure of this denomination will listen to the voice of the Church, and that they will do their duty to preserve and defend the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA).” Robert L. Howard and Parker T. Williamson Presbyterian Lay Committee

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