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 | "...religion is a great source of pain among families dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity issues." Kirsten Kingdon, spokesperson for Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) at a dinner meeting of the 2000 General Assembly. |
Overview:
Many authors divide Protestantism into three groups: conservative, mainline and liberal. A near consensuses can be attained among conservative on matters such as abortion, physician assisted suicide, evolution vs. creation, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, and a few dozen other hot topics. A near but opposite consensus can be reached among the liberal denominations. But a consensus among the entire denomination is impossible to attain; they are divided at the family, congregation and presbytery levels between conservative and liberal ideation. Divisions on matters of human sexuality seem to be particularly difficult. Gulfs have opened between young and old members, between urban and rural areas, and between northern and southern sections of the country. Presbyterians read the same Bible but come to opposite conclusions about what it says.
The concept of homosexual marriage is a relatively new development. Most gay and lesbian groups had been giving priority to reducing anti-gay violence, and attaining security in employment and accommodation. Then a group in Hawaii mounted a campaign to widen the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. Although actual marriage is currently only possible for gays and lesbians in the Netherlands, registered civil unions with many of the same rights and obligations of marriage have become available in the state of Vermont and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Religiously liberal congregations, synagogues have conducted union services for same-sex couples for years. Some Presbyterian same-sex couples have asked to have similar recognition of their relationship in their church. This has kicked off a vigorous debate within the denomination.
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The path towards recognition of same-sex unions:
| 1991 Report: The report: "Keeping Body and Soul Together: Sexuality, Spirituality and Social Justice" discussed same-sex civil unions. it recommended that: "the moral for Christians ought not be marriage, but rather justice-love...Where there is justice- love, sexual expression has ethical integrity. That moral principle applies to single, as well as to married, persons, to gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, as well as to heterosexual persons." A minority found that Scripture condemned homosexuality as immoral. One source reports that, by a lopsided vote of 501 to 7, the General Assembly voted to reject the majority report and accept the minority report. They declared that God's intention is that sexual activity be confined to one woman and one man within a marriage; offered compassion and forgiveness for gays and lesbians who cannot follow that path; and confirmed that no openly homosexual persons can be ordained. However, General Assembly documents indicate that no decision was made on either report; neither the majority nor the minority position was accepted. | ||
| 1991 General Assembly: The General Assembly did issue an "authoritative guidance" that "the session should not allow the use of the church facilities, and a minister of Word and Sacrament should not officiate at a ceremony determined to be the same as a marriage ceremony." | ||
| 1994 General Assembly: The General Assembly passed a constitutional amendment that would prevent clergy from blessing same-sex unions. This was later was rejected by the presbyteries in 1995. | ||
| 1998-NOV: NY: Same-sex union ceremonies are openly
performed at South Presbyterian church in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The nearby Bethlehem
Presbyterian Church in New Windsor NY objected to this practice and filed a complaint with
the Presbytery of the Hudson River in 1998-NOV. In 1999-JAN, following a study of the complaint, the Presbytery voted 107 to 35 to allow ministers to perform same-sex union rituals. 1 They also stated that this action "reflects our understanding at this time that these ceremonies do not constitute marriage as defined by 'The Book of Order.'" 2 Steve Geckeler of the Presbyterian Church in White Places, NY, said: "I think that God's tears are a lot less every time we affirm monogamy over promiscuity." This action will probably trigger some action by the Church on union ceremonies. This could take the form of a complaint against the presbytery or session or minister. It could trigger an amendment to the The Book of Order which would totally prohibit such rituals. The 1994 General Assembly passed such an amendment, but it was rejected by the presbyteries in 1995. More details | ||
| 1999: GA PJC: PCUSA NEWS reported that "In a case that is now under appeal to the General Assembly's Permanent Judicial Commission (the church's highest court), lower courts have ruled that amending the church's constitution to flatly prohibit same-sex unions is a better way of resolving the issue than depending on court cases. At least three presbyteries (district governing bodies) have submitted overtures to that effect." 3 Any resolutions intended to change the denomination's constitution would presumably have to wait until the 2001 General Assembly because of the two year moratorium. | ||
| 2000-MAY-25: NY, NJ: The PJC decided that Presbyterian ministers may perform same-sex union services as long as they reflect "our understanding at this time that these ceremonies do not constitute marriage as defined in the Book of Order." They also decided that a church session may accept a gay person as a candidate for ministry, even though a sexually active gay person cannot be ordained. Due to the "high number of cases," the court had to defer a decision on the Vermont case. | ||
| 1999-NOV: NY, NJ: ON NOV-22, the Permanent Judicial Commission
(PJC) of the Synod
of the Northeast dismissed complaints against two presbyteries. One was
related to union ceremonies:
| ||
| 2000-JAN-11: NY, VT, NJ: According to PCUSA NEWS, three judicial cases from the Synod of the Northeast have been appealed to the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC). In the Hudson River Presbytery's case, the synod PJC ruled that same-sex union ceremonies are not marriages and are thus permitted in churches. "In his arguments...Gordon Fish, who represented the complainants, argued that the synod PJC's ruling that same-sex unions do not constitute marriage is a 'case of semantic hair-splitting' and a 'sham.' He urged the court to overturn it... Blessing what the church historically has considered sinful, Fish said, is unconstitutional. He claimed that that view is supported by both the scriptures and the confessions." 4 He said that they gay couple "didn't talk about being holy-unioned, but about being married...They didn't order a holy union cake, but a wedding cake." | ||
| 2000-MAY-20: NY, VT, NJ: Tampa Bay, Charlotte and San Joaquin have filed overtures to this year's General Assembly seeking to amend the constitution to prohibit same-sex unions. 5 | ||
| 2000 General Assembly: The 212th General Assembly was be held from JUN-24 to JUL-1 in Long Beach, CA. Delegates considered three overtures (resolutions) to revise the Book of Order to specifically prohibit ministers from conducting same-sex unions. In its then current wording, the Book does not mention civil unions. Soulfource, a gay advocacy group that is external to the Presbyterian church issued a statement to the Assembly saying that "Your current official policy of exclusion has the effect of condemning all sexual minorities as unloved by God and unwelcome in the Presbyterian Church. It leads to discrimination, suffering, and even death for Presbyterians and non-Presbyterians alike." Mitzi Henderson, co-coordinator of More Light Presbyterians, said "Soulforce doesn't speak for the Presbyterian Church. Our group has members who feel this kind of impatience, and it's well founded. On the other hand, we are in and of the church, and part of that means we need to work with the family -- because we believe our cause is just, and because we ultimately believe the church will recognize that." |
Bill Giles, executive coordinator of the Presbyterian Coalition which opposes gay/lesbian ordination commented: "Everyone is fatigued by this 20 years of debate. The ultra-liberal and ultra-conservative members of the church appear to be talking more about the division than the vast middle of the church, which is trying to find its way through this maze and come up with a response."
The Assembly Committee on Physical and Spiritual Well Being accepted Overture 00-26 from San Joaquin Presbytery. It passed by a narrow vote (25 to 22). It stated:
"Scripture and our Confessions teach that God's intention for all people is to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or in chastity in singleness. Church property shall not be used for, and church officers shall not take part in conducting, any ceremony or event that pronounces blessing or gives approval of the church or invokes the blessing of God upon any relationship that is inconsistent with God's intention as expressed in the preceding sentence."
Elder David Rue, the vice-moderator of the committee from Western Reserve Presbytery said, "I see God as in favor of diversity." Rue said he believed there is a continuum of human sexuality along which everyone falls and "to deny same-sex sexuality is to deny our own heterosexuality." Rebecca Smith, a Youth Advisory Delegate from the Presbytery of the James said: "Our sins are forgiven but not blessed. We should not condone or bless a sinful relationship." 6
Overture 00-26 was accepted without modification by the General Assembly and was sent to the Presbyteries for a vote as Amendment 00-O. The overture would add section W-4.9007 to the "Directory for Worship" The overture passed by a vote of 268 to 251 - a gap of only 3%. This demonstrates that the church, as before, is split into two approximately equal parts. "A minority report, brought to the Assembly by Madeline Jervis of National Capital Presbytery, representing 16 members of the Assembly Committee on Physical and Spiritual Well Being, asked the Assembly to 'support the spirit of dialogue' around unity and diversity issues and to honor what it says is 'our denomination's longstanding tradition of valuing the discretion of pastors and sessions in ordering worship and pastoral care.' The minority report failed 247-273." 7
Elizabeth O'Brien, a Youth Advisory Delegate from the Presbytery of the Peaks, said that the church "has a responsibility to provide a clear standard to upcoming generations. If we bless what the Bible calls sin, what kind of standard are we setting? We cannot deny the word of the Lord." . The Rev. Dick Carlson of Mid-Kentucky Presbytery, who said he is the father of gay child, said, "The people coming before us asking [that their same sex unions be blessed] are not strangers or aliens, they are our children who we have baptized and confirmed. They have not changed. What has changed is our perception of them, they are seen as outsiders and as odious...Instead of giving stones when they ask for bread, we should be a community of support for them. Closets are for praying in, not living in." Rev. Kirk Bottomly of San Diego Presbytery commented: "There is a lot of confusion in our denomination. We need to get the message straight and tell it. When ordained, we take vows to be bound by Biblical teaching and Confessional standards. We've talked for 30 years about this, now's time to decide." 7 Rev. Rick Carlson of Kentucky, the father of a gay man, commented: "People coming before us asking us to bless their relationships are not strangers from outer space. They are our friends, our kids, our children...Suddenly as they find the courage to come out of the closet, they are no longer seen by us as 'Johnny' and 'Judy' but as outsiders, not-OK people. We see them as 'unrepentant, self-avowed homosexuals.' This [characterization] is deeply offensive to me."
| 2001-JAN-25: Late in the year 2000, 19 former General
Assembly moderators released a public statement urging the defeat
of Amendment O, which it said "would lead us away from the
traditional rights and responsibilities exercised by sessions and
ministers." 8 This group constitutes the
majority of living moderators. Meanwhile, a group of 113 presbytery executives and other officers issued a statement calling for a "third way" out of the impasse over sexuality issues in the PC(USA) through dialog. Several gay-positive Presbyterian groups agreed to dialog, but five leaders of the main conservative group, Presbyterian Coalition, refused to cooperate. Their statement said, in part:
The National Korean Presbyterian Council, which represents
350 Korean-American-Presbyterian congregations, issued a statement
urging Presbyterians to support the proposed amendment. They argued
that it is "clearly and
unambiguously written in the Scripture" that "homosexual
partnerships are incompatible with God's created order." 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001-JAN-22 onward: If Amendment 00-O passes, then same-sex
unions would be specifically banned in The Book of Order. 87 affirmative votes
were required to
pass the measure; 87 negative votes were required to kill it. Conventional wisdom states that that more liberal presbyteries tend to vote first; conservative ones vote later. However, the voting pattern on this measure did not strictly follow this pattern. Up-to-date totals were available online. 9
|
* According to the church web site. ** According to PCUSA News.It turns out that conservative presbyteries cast their votes in the middle of the process. The 87th "no" vote was registered on MAR-13. The amendment did not pass. The legal status of ministers performing civil unions to committed gay and lesbian couples remains murky, but not specifically outlawed. The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission ruling in early 2000 that same-sex union ceremonies are not specifically prohibited by the constitution as long as they "are not considered the same as a marriage ceremony."
Strong, polarized reactions were expressed at the news that the amendment was defeated:
|
| 2001-MAR-3: The church's Research Services office
conducted a poll of church members, elders, pastors and specialized
clergy. They found:
Specialized clergy are The first statement read: "Presbyterian ministers should be prohibited from performing a ceremony that blesses the union between two people of the same sex." | |||||||||||||||
| 2002-MAY: General Assembly avoids homosexual union question: Essentially all matters related to human sexuality were off the table at the 214th General Assembly in Columbus, OH. | |||||||||||||||
| 2003-MAY-30: Report on families returned for rework: A controversial report, titled "Living faithfully with families in transition" had been prepared over five years by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy. It was presented to the 215th General Assembly. After about one hour's debate, by a close vote of 279 to 232, the report was returned for a rewrite. Conservatives criticized the report because it treats families headed by one adult, an unmarried man and woman, and a same-sex couple as morally equal to those headed by a married couple. It discussed how various kinds of families can raise children faithfully and responsibly. They regarded this as a violation of scripture and of Christian morality. 10 |
Related Presbyterian essays on this web site:
| Menu: Homosexuality and the Presbyterian Church |
| Lesbian/gay ordination in the Presbyterian Church |
| Resolution by Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (Minneapolis/St. Paul) titled "Resolution of Witness to the Gospel in Response to Amendment B." |
| The Covenant Network of Presbyterians' "A Call to Covenant Community" |
| Statement of aplology by Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area |
Internet and Media References
- News summary, Religion Today 1999-FEB-1
- J.L. Van Marter, "Hudson river Presbytery Affirms 'Freedom' to Conduct Same-Sex Union Ceremonies," PCUSA News, 1999-FEB-3, #99054
- PCUSA News release, 2000-APR-25 #00166
- "PJC Says Gay Man May Be Ordination Candidate, Ministers May Bless
Same-Sex Unions," PCUSA NEWS, 2000-MAY-24 #00209 - "PC(USA)'s highest court hears appeals on three gay rights-related cases," PCUSA NEWS, 2000-MAY-20 #00203
- "Assembly committee recommends prohibition of same-sex unions," OCUSA NEWS, 2000-JUN-27
- "Assembly sends same sex union ban amendment to presbyteries," PCAUSA NEWS, 2000-JUN-30.
- "Vote on same-sex union amendment will be close, early returns indicate," PCAUSA NEWS, 2001-JAN-24.
- "Proposed amendment vote tallies," at: http://www.horeb.pcusa.org/oga/
- John Sniffen, "Controversial report on families sent back for more work," The Presbyterian Outlook, at: http://www.pres-outlook.com/
Copyright © 1996 to 2001 incl.
by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Last update: 2003-JUL-26
Author: B.A. Robinson
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