The Institute on Religion & Democracy notes in a press release that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has dropped its sexuality standard for elders, deacons, and ministers:
This evening, the 87th presbytery in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to delete the denomination’s standard for sexual conduct of its ordained officers. With a majority of local presbyteries now ratifying Amendment 10-A to the PCUSA Book of Order, the previous requirement for “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness” will disappear in July. It will be replaced by a vague statement that gives no specific guidance for sexual behavior.
The PCUSA Book of Confessions still affirms traditional Christian teaching reserving sexual relations for the marriage of man and woman. However, the ambiguity introduced by this latest amendment will allow PCUSA bodies so wishing to ordain ministers, elders, and deacons involved in same-sex or opposite-sex relationships outside of marriage. In this departure from traditional teaching, the PCUSA follows the declining United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Many Presbyterians committed to the traditional teaching will be re-evaluating their connections to the PCUSA. Some will leave the denomination. Others will alter their patterns of involvement within the PCUSA. Many are concerned that the new tolerance toward homosexual relationships may soon turn into intolerance for any who raise biblical or moral objections to those relationships.
I have some friends and family who attend PCUSA churches and have been hoping for years that the denomination would return to upholding and reinforcing Biblical standards on sexual issues. That’s not likely to happen, at least not anytime soon. The leaders of most mainline churches are fully committed to following the sexual revolution to its logical conclusion. Whether they have any members left when they reach that point seems not to matter to them.
May 11th, 2011 | 10:06 am
As in the Mikado, they won’t be missed.
May 11th, 2011 | 10:14 am
The United Methodist Church, where I was raised and served for nearly a decade in ordained ministry, hasn’t done this yet (although there has been great lobbying efforts to ordain homosexuals). But for all intents and purposes in many conferences a don’t ask, don’t tell type policy (for a variety of sexual conduct) is what exists. And theological confusion and “Christianity and water” (to quote C.S. Lewis) rules much of the denomination.
The results? In 1968 when The Methodist Church merged with The Evangelical United Brethren to form The United Methodist Church it was the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. (with ~11.1 million members). As of 2009 it had 7.9 million members (losing ~30% of its membership at a time when the U.S. population grew well over 20%).
What a waste.
May 11th, 2011 | 10:15 am
UCC, ECUSA, ELCA, and now PCUSA should simply merge. After all, they’re all more or less agreed that the one non-negotiable doctrinal standard to uphold is the full subordination of Christianity to left-liberal ideology wherever the two of them conflict.
May 11th, 2011 | 10:26 am
“The leaders of most mainline churches are fully committed to following the sexual revolution to its logical conclusion.”
Joe, I think you’re right, that performing gay marriages and ordaining gay clergy is the “logical conclusion” of the sexual revolution, as you say. But all of this acceptance of homosexual relationships is the inevitable consequence of something else: a progressive move away from Biblical truth and church tradition.
I often say (and I’m certainly not the only one!) that acceptance of such relationships is less the primary problem for these denominations and more a symptom of something systemically wrong.
So do we treat the symptom–gay marriage and/or ordination–or do we target the core issue, namely, the loss of Biblical fidelity, tradition, doctrinal truth, theological accuracy, etc.? It’s the same thing in the greater American culture: is the problem really same-sex marriage, or is it a culture that no longer recognizes marriage as important or sacred at all?
May 11th, 2011 | 10:57 am
Isn’t it true that many of these mainline groups already share ordained ministers? I believe I read that their ministers can go form one assembly to the next, at least as long as the assembly votes on it.
And an aside…
In my mind these groups are more concerned with process, management and bureaucracy than the Gospel. My mother-in-law is a deacon in the PC USA. During my courtship with her daughter I asked my MIL about her church and what it believed. She spent 95% of her time explaining organization and 5% of her time saying something like, “oh yes, Jesus was a good man.”
May 11th, 2011 | 11:06 am
I think the Bible needs to be examined very hard before this decision is made. There are laws in the Bible that have been modified through scripture (such as not being able to eat certain foods to being able to eat anything, or sacrifice through animals to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, for example), but neither homosexuality NOR infidelity have been modified through scripture. Just because those things have become mainstream, God has not changed his mind on the issues. Don’t get me wrong, I am completely comfortable with gay people, I am not a gay activist, and even though it is a sin, everybody has sinned and needs forgiveness through repentance. But keep in mind that every sin will lead to destruction, and following God’s laws will lead to blessings. Period. 1 Corinthians 10:23 says, “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive.” Sure, every sin can be made permissable, but only the following of God’s laws will be beneficial. He is our father who has put these laws in place for our own good. Salvation will give each of us (regardless if we commit infidelity or are homosexual) cleansing of all of our sins, both past and future. But if the Holy Spirit is living in us (which begins at the moment of Salvation), then it will guide us to hate sin and strive towards righteousness. Though infidelity and homosexuality are permissable, Jesus was not homosexual and did not commit infidelity. We are to be made to the likeness of Christ in order to grow in our Christian life, and clearly the Bible does not say that these things lead towards righteousness.
May 11th, 2011 | 11:22 am
Yay!!! Jeanine is my girlfriend and now we can have premarital sex!!! Yay!!! Funny cause its true. I’m converting to the press. Church. Lady Gaga for the win!!
May 11th, 2011 | 12:06 pm
The PCUSA has been irrelevant to American Christianity for decades now. It has been losing members for the same amount of time. People do not want pablum preached to them. They will either stop going to any church, or they will go to a church that preaches orthodoxy. Better that than simply being told in church what the wider culture seems to tell you.
May 11th, 2011 | 6:19 pm
is the problem really same-sex marriage, or is it a culture that no longer recognizes marriage as important or sacred at all?
I think it’s an even bigger problem.
Anything – marriage, family, behavior, sin – anything can be cherry-picked.
Keep the parts you like. Ignore the rest.
The problem is, integrity actually is important. It is hard to see, when you are focusing only on “trees” and trying your best to ignore “the forest” (as the saying is). But breaches in integrity have consequences, even if it’s not always easy to see the link between the cause and the consequence.
May 11th, 2011 | 7:53 pm
performing gay marriages and ordaining gay clergy is the “logical conclusion” of the sexual revolution, as you say.
Eh, don’t think so. Polyamorists are probably the next up to bat, and more may follow.
May 11th, 2011 | 8:59 pm
My first thought was “Who cares what the 87th presbytery thinks or does?” Apparently, people do, though. Still, my experience tells me that unbelievers respond to proselytizing from individuals. Not synods, deaconates, conventions, etc. And PCUSA undoubtedly has individuals that love Jesus and feed His sheep. One day (barring a denominational Heaven) we will all have a chance to get to know each other. I wonder if God finds denominations relevant. I’m persuaded God is much more interested in us as individuals. Personally, I am disheartened by the seeming willingness among some Christians to not expect professing gays and lesbians to uphold normal sexual fidelity standards. Of course, divorce is, also, not something that a lot of churches blink at. Would a (theoretical) gay man who had one partner for life be more or less sinful than an unmarried man who had multiple female partners? This question doesn’t keep me up at night but I’m struck that I don’t have a sure answer.
May 11th, 2011 | 9:54 pm
“Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial…”
I think Jeanine hits the nail right smack on the head – way too many “Christians” misinterpret this pericope with a seriously ignorant eisogesis. Murder can be permissible? Or worshipping other gods, etc.? This is simply not what this verse is talking about. Indeed, a Christian – one who is indwelt by the H.S. – will hate sin. Why? Because the indwelling H.S. hates it.
More to the point, a verse in Hebrews comes to mind, “once [one] has known the truth, but then leaves it, there is no more sacrifice left.” Now, where does that leave the ECUSA, ELCA, PCUSA, and others to follow? This is the sin of Jeroboam at its most poignant, is it not? Watch now as these denominations are brought through the judgment process.
May 11th, 2011 | 10:15 pm
Steve and Blake hit the key points. They brought to mind a quote from a secular writer some years ago: reflecting on churches oppositon to homosexual acts, she wrote, “I think in due time this thinking will change, just as most churches’ opposition to divorce, for example, has changed,..”
And one of the key facets that is “systemically wrong” is that even conservative leaders have allowed the world to redefine Christian basics like love, forgiveness, etc.
After all, ‘love’ is the key ingredient espoused by those promoting the accetptance of sinful behaviour like homosexual acts, extramarital acts, divorce, etc.
I just ran across this sentence elsewhere [can sentences be classified as oxymorons?], a newsreport describing Newt’s wife: ‘a devout Catholic who began her relationship with her husband via a lengthy extramarital affair’
May 11th, 2011 | 10:47 pm
Mary,
Polyamory is next on the list and then ephebophilia. After that, Katie bar the door.
May 12th, 2011 | 10:24 am
Personally, I am disheartened by the seeming willingness among some Christians to not expect professing gays and lesbians to uphold normal sexual fidelity standards. Of course, divorce is, also, not something that a lot of churches blink at. Would a (theoretical) gay man who had one partner for life be more or less sinful than an unmarried man who had multiple female partners?
The big problem with homosexuality is not the sin, it’s the fact that they’re unrepentant. They think that if what they wants conflicts with teachings, it’s just self-evident that the desires of the flesh wins over all other considerations.
What sort of Christian would pretend unrepentant sin is irrelevant? What about “leading others” toward or away from the kingdom of heaven?
Not to mention that gay marriage is based on coveting someone elses children/family.
May 12th, 2011 | 7:32 pm
Joe,
Yes, here we go again. The very evidence in the decline of mainline denominations lies in
putting man before God and therefore letting all manner of relationships be determined whatever the feel good love of one individual for another at any “particular moment”.
How wonderful, however, that God in Christ loved us so much that he conquered sin “for all time” through His death, resurrection and ascension. Where does one find out about Christ ? The Bible of course.
The challenge before man in the early 21st Century is to read the bible as evidence of one among many faith traditions to follow or follow Christ by seeing the Bible as His unique revelation to man.
May 13th, 2011 | 1:32 am
[...] so you’ve probably heard that the largest body of Presbyterians in the U.S. have voted to allow gay clergy. I’m not actually going to delve into that here because it is clear to me that mainline [...]
May 13th, 2011 | 12:27 pm
Gay marriage killed the dinosaurs.
May 13th, 2011 | 7:00 pm
[...] PCUSA Drops Sexuality Standard First Thoughts [...]
May 13th, 2011 | 10:48 pm
There is only one Church.
The PC(USA) has left it.
May 23rd, 2011 | 3:32 pm
[...] completa: First Thoughts Blogs, Destaques, Non Nise Te! Frutos da Anglicanorum Coetibus: mais protestantes [...]
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