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From: crs@carson.u.washington.edu (Cliff Slaughterbeck)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Homosexuality issues in Christiani
Message-ID: <May.13.02.29.15.1993.1490@geneva.rutgers.edu>
Date: 13 May 93 06:29:16 GMT
Sender: hedrick@geneva.rutgers.edu
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Lines: 58
Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

OFM writes:

>This is an issue throughout the Presbyterian Church.  On the other
>side, one of the major churches in Cincinnati has been ordaining
>homosexual elders, and has ignored Presbytery instructions not to do
>so.  And the church in Rochester where the judicial commission said
>they couldn't install a homosexual pastor has made her an
>"evangelist".  These situations, as well as the one you describe, do
>not appear to be stable.  This will certainly be a major topic for the
>General Assembly next month.  If the church can't come up with a
>solution that will let people live with each other, I think we're end
>up with a split.  Clearly neither side wants that, but I think we'll
>get pushed into it by actions of both sides.
>
>--clh]

The Moderator of the General Assembly, the Rev. John Fife, visited our
church about a week ago (just 4 days after Rev. Spahr--it's been a busy
week for our small church!!).  He was asked specifically about the issue
of homosexuality and what he thinks will happen at the GA meeting next
month.  Evidently, there are 15-20 known resolutions pending that range
the gamut from "outlawing" homosexuality altogether to "legalizing" it
completely.  He will readily admit that this is probabaly the most difficult
issue that the church has had to deal with since the Presbyterian church
split in two over the issue of slavery more than 100 years ago.  Without
question, the issue may split the church again after we've been reunited
for all of a dozen years or so.  He is hopeful that it will not and is
pushing the same attitude that helped the church deal with the abortion
issue last year as a solution.

He is hoping to pass a resolution that more or less states that we, the
members of the church "Agree to Disagree" on the issue, admitting that
both sides have honestly studied the Scriptures and had the Spirit lead
them to different conclusions.  It worked last year when the abortion
issue threatened to do more or less the same thing, and he is hopeful that
the GA can foster a loving and caring attitude about people who disagree
with their own view.

--
Cliff Slaughterbeck           | 
Dept. of Physics, FM-15       |   It's time for the sermon on the
University of Washington      |   Grand Torino!
Seattle, WA 98195             |

[It's going to be hard to agree to disagree.  If we allow
disagreement, then some presbyteries and churches are going to ordain
people that others will not recognize.  That's a difficult situation
in a connectional church.  I could live with it, but I think a lot of
people would not be willing to.  Note that the church was not willing
to live with this kind of compromise with ordination of women.  The
one thing that will definitely prevent a person from becoming a
Presbyterian minister is if they indicate that they don't accept
ordination of women.  The argument is that we can't have half the
church not accepting the leaders of the other half.  Maybe people will
decide to live with it in this case when they didn't in the other, but
I wonder.  I admit that my own Presbytery submitted an overture to the
GA that would have exactly this effect, and we considered the
ambiguity better than the current situation.  --clh]
