Presbyterian Church (USA) Close to Saying 'No' to Gay Clergy

If 10 additional presbyteries vote "no," the latest battle over whether to ordain homosexuals in the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be settled - for now.

The latest tally in the national referendum is 78-35 against Amendment 01-A. That means that 69 percent of the voting presbyteries have affirmed the constitutional ordination standard that is known as the "fidelity/chastity" clause in the Book of Order. "That affirmation is the strongest yet," according to The Layman Online.

In 1996-97, the Layman reports, 57 percent of the presbyteries voted in favor of the "fidelity/chastity" clause. In 1997-98, 66 percent of the presbyteries affirmed that standard. There were no votes in 1998-99 or 1990-00 because successive general assemblies decided to observe a two-year moratorium on the issue.

Defeat of Amendment 01-A is close, say those who are monitoring the tally. The amendment would have to be approved by 88 of the PCUSA's 174 presbyteries before it would be included in the Book of Order as a substitute for the "fidelity/chastity" clause.

"But the voting trend against changing the standard - and against invalidating the denomination's official declaration that homosexual activity is sinful - has been uniform throughout this current referendum," says the Layman Online.

Even most of the presbyteries that continue to support the ordination of homosexuals are doing so by closer margins than in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Fourteen presbyteries that voted against the ordination standard in 1996-97 have affirmed that standard during the current referendum. Only one presbytery has switched in the other direction.

Confessing Church Movement

The Layman Online is a publication associated with the "Confessing Church," a conservative movement generated by local congregations inside the PCUSA. So named for the public confession of "I believe" statements relating to basic theology, the movement has captivated the attention and conversation of many Presbyterians.

Summit Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania's Beaver-Butler Presbytery was one of the first to make a public faith statement regarding three foundational points: (1.) "That Jesus Christ alone is Lord of all and the way of salvation, (2.) That Scripture is the Triune God's revealed Word, the Church's only infallible rule of faith and life, and (3.) That God's people are called to holiness in all aspects of life. This includes honoring the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, the only relationship within which sexual activity is appropriate."

Bob Davis, executive director of the Presbyterian Forum, told Religion Today this past summer that when Summit Presbyterian issued the confession and adopted it as their own, "they made national news and that truly was a catalyst to other folks stepping on board."

According to Davis, "The real significance of the Confessing Church Movement is that it is a grassroots movement. The seeds of it have been around for quite a while, particularly as General Assemblies continue to dwell on sexuality as a prime topic."

What has happened, Davis said, is that congregations around the country "have been embarrassed by the national denomination to the point that attendance and membership is hurt by having the name 'Presbyterian' out in front. The Confessing Churches have decided to stop being embarrassed by the denomination and say 'this is what our church here will proclaim.'"

Davis said he does not know whether this will grow into a separate branch of the denomination. "As far as I can tell, there is an investment in 'being the church' where they are. It is not about driving a schism or wedge," he added.

The Layman Online explains that one of the reasons the Confessing Church Movement evolved is because "the leadership of the PCUSA seems to be in sympathy with this drift away from Biblical standards and also seems to be encouraging it."

According to the Layman Online, there have been a complex of events within the Presbyterian Church (USA) that oppose Scripture and the PCUSA's Book of Confessions. This includes:

* the PCUSA's "unstinting support by money and personnel, including staff, for the Re-imagining Conference in which the autonomous self was exalted, the transcendence of God was denied, and the atoning work of Jesus Christ was rejected;
* the refusal of leadership to deal with the heresy [embraced] last year at a denominational Peace Conference and the most recent General Assembly's (213th) failure to clearly acknowledge Jesus Christ as universal Lord and Savior for all humankind;
* affirmation of homosexuality as a gift of God and homosexual behavior as a legitimate expression of human love;
* and, singularly, not adhering to the Bible which has been considered irrelevant in the context of modern culture and nature.

Is the Confessing Church Movement going to split the PCUSA? The Layman Online responds with the following: "Where the Holy Spirit leads is not ours to question. Emphatically, however, it is neither the design nor purpose of the Confessing Church Movement to cause schism. It is the design and purpose to bring about reconciliation of the whole PCUSA with God Almighty, Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Scripture, its Confessions of faith, and one another."