Prbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - PC(USA) relax nstutnal prohibn of gay and lbian ordatn

Contents:

• PCUSA VOT TO ALLOW OPENLY GAY CLERGY
• PC(USA) RELAX NSTUTNAL PROHIBN OF GAY AND LBIAN ORDATN
• PCUSA APPOTS OPENLY GAY MEMBER TO BE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MISSN AGENCY
• GAY, CHRISTIAN AND CELIBATE: THE CHANGG FACE OF THE HOMOSEXUALY BATE

PCUSA VOT TO ALLOW OPENLY GAY CLERGY

Survey general studi and rearch, and asss theori and assumptns about homosexualy light of biblil and theologil perspectiv and current unrstandgs about homosexualy the social and behavral scienc, homophile groups, and society at large. Suggt guil for fahful Christian rponse to the nflicts between valu, rights, and human muni manift relatn to homosexualy, both the life of the church, cludg ordatn, and wh rpect to broad social polici. ” Meanwhile, on Twter, the Relign News Service announced that wh the PC(USA) change “male Prottants have solidified their support for gay marriage.

Jt as the church changed her stance on slavery and women’s role the church, some of have e to unrstand the biblil prohibns of homosexual behavr to refer stead to vlent sexual acts agast anyone, wh specific reference to sexual acts between men and children. To allow the ordatn of gay and lbian follows a majory vote by the 173 prbyteri (district erng bodi) on Tuday to change the body’s nstutn orr to allow openly gay people same-sex relatnships to be ordaed as misters, elrs and move do away wh the nstutnal requirement for clergy to live “ fily wh the venant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chasty sglens.

”It also ends 33 years of wranglg between supporters and opponents of the move and revers the oute of a key vote two years ago, when the majory of prbyteri blocked the year, the PC(USA)'s hight legislative body voted to remove the ban agast noncelibate homosexual clergy. General public opn on gay rights is trendg pretty dramatilly the liberal directn, ” he Uned Church of Christ, the Evangelil Lutheran Church Ameri and The Epispal Church already allow the ordatn of openly gay ordatn of the openly gay Gene Robson 2003 ed an irreversible fissure The Epispal Church, which led to the breakaway of orthodox members and the formatn of a new body, the Anglin Church North Ameri. Though the global Anglin Communn, of which TEC is part of, bans openly gay clergy, TEC adopted a rolutn 2009 openg the ordatn procs to all baptized members, which would clu practicg have also been occurrg the ELCA, which opened the door to partnered gay and lbian clergy 2009, and the PC(USA).

PC(USA) RELAX NSTUTNAL PROHIBN OF GAY AND LBIAN ORDATN

Though the Prbyterian church body had not approved gay ordatn until this year, many orthodox ngregatns were disntent wh the liberal directn was already movg . The much smaller and more nservative Prbyterian Church Ameri prohibs the ordatn of women and openly gay Relig Freedom UpdatJo thoands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for ee, sent twice a week om The Christian Post. The Prbyterian Church (USA)’s Office of Theology and Worship has clared the nomatn “agnostic around issu of homosexualy, ” s rponse to the recently released Nashville Statement.

Wrten and signed by more than 150 evangelil Christian lears, the Nashville Statement upholds the Biblil standards that marriage is between one man and one woman and “homosexual immoraly” and “transgenrism” is sful. The petn ntued: “Sayg about the Prbyterian Church (USA) that ‘we have bee agnostic around issu of homosexualy’ munit that while so many of the LGBTQI+ muny have put our heart and fah and ll to the Prbyterian Church (USA), the church do not have fah . WE AFFIRM that is sful to approve of homosexual immoraly or transgenrism and that such approval nstut an sential parture om Christian fahfulns and wns.

PCUSA APPOTS OPENLY GAY MEMBER TO BE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MISSN AGENCY

WE DENY that the approval of homosexual immoraly or transgenrism is a matter of moral difference about which otherwise fahful Christians should agree to disagree.

GAY, CHRISTIAN AND CELIBATE: THE CHANGG FACE OF THE HOMOSEXUALY BATE

Toward the end of s munitn the Office of Theology and Worship quoted om the Denver Statement, wrten by “some of the queer, trans, gay, lbian, bi-sexual, genr-queer, asexual, straight, sgle, married image-bearerg Christians at Hoe for All Sners & Sats, ” Denver, Colo., rponse to the evangelil’s statement. The 222nd Prbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly (2016) stated that “actns we and our members have taken over the years have at tim led God’s beloved children who are lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and qutng to feel that they stand outsi the grace of God and are unwele the PCUSA. In 2010, the PC(USA) voted to allow prbyteri to orda non-celibate homosexuals and changed s fn of marriage 2015 om "a man and a woman" to "two people, tradnally a man and a woman.

Some Prbyterians and prbyteri “are ready to get past this argument, which has been gog on sce at least 1978” (when policy prohibg gay/lbian ordatn was first adopted). A (PCUSA) announced on Wednday that will, for the first time, appot an openly gay member to head of one of s Anton "Tony" De La Rosa will be the terim executive director of the PCUSA's missn agency (Prbyterian Missn Agency).

Another factor for PCUSA has been the theologil directn of the church, as s affirmatn of gay clergy led several ngregatns to leave the nomatn prott recent years. Ex-gay groups such as Rtored Hope Network stepped to the gap, but many relig lears are now enuragg those wh same-sex orientatn or attractn to nsir a life of celibacy. But as groups like Exod have bee creasgly unpopular, Rodgers is among those who embrace a different mol: celibate gay Christians, who seek to be te to both their sexualy and their fah.