Gay Rights and the Presbyterian Church

The rainbow scarves fascinated Libby Shannon. Throughout the Assembly she saw them, hanging proudly over the necks of people over the age of 70 as well as those in their 20s. Men and women wore them as a witness to their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Libby attended the 219th General Assembly of the PC(USA) in Minneapolis, a biennial gathering of pastors and lay people who make decisions on behalf of our two million-member church, earlier this month. The gathering prays and studies together, seeking God's guidance for their work and making declarations about social justice issues that will focus our energy and mission.

I also noticed the scarves, even though I wasn't there in Minnesota. I saw them hanging from the crochet needles at our church's Wednesday night Bible study. I spotted them at our local governing meetings. Then I noticed them at the General Assembly (GA) as I watched it livestreaming over the Internet. The gathering considered many issues, and often the ones that garnered great attention were around the inclusion of LGBT people. Would our denomination's insurance cover gay and lesbian partners? Would we redefine marriage in our constitution from "a man and a woman" to "two people"? Would the denomination allow people who are open about their same-gender relationships be ordained? The Presbyterian Church (USA) works a bit differently from other denominations. We don't have powerful bishops who decide the will of God for us. It's much more democratic, with laypeople and clergy represented in our votes, so progressive change can be a bit more arduous than it is in some other historic denominations. At the heart of these decisions, we would be pointing to a deep shift, one that not only acknowledges same-gender relationships but also understands that God blesses them.

It ended up that the Assembly approved insurance coverage of same-gender spouses. They turned back the overtures that would redefine marriage until the next GA, in two years. They voted to delete an amendment that restricts gay and lesbians from being ordained. Since the deletion is a change to our constitution, it needs to be voted on by the local bodies, and then approved and enacted by the next GA before it becomes ratified. So the struggle continues for full inclusion of LGBT men and women in the Presbyterian Church (USA). And, at about this time in the process, I begin to wonder why LGBT advocates do it. Why keep fighting for the inclusion of LGBT persons? Why not just walk away?

I asked some of my friends who attended the Assembly, especially those under the age of 40. People in their 20s and 30s are not typically part of denominational churches. As a new generation grows up, we have difficulty filling out that Religious Views slot on our Facebook profile. There's no societal expectation that we attend church, and yet there is a robust and interesting group of people who have stayed connected to historic denominations. It seems that the demographic shift is on our side -- our younger clergy and members tend to reflect the larger population in that we favor full inclusion of LGBT people -- but we are still in the midst of this struggle for same-gender rights. I spoke to people like Rev. Landon Whitsitt, who was just elected to be our Vice Moderator at the age of 33. He was clear about his hopes: "I just want people to feel loved and welcomed." Sometimes he worries about how long it takes, but he appreciates the system. Whitsitt says that when there is full inclusion of LGBT members, "it's not going to be the act of the hierarchy, it won't just reflect the will of the people who are the elite. It will not just be a decision of a small minority. It will be an act of the clergy and laypeople together."

Libby Shannon, 26, a seminary graduate who works as a peace advocate in New York, also realizes the struggle is important. Shannon points back to all of the men and women who fought within the denomination so that we, as women, could be ordained. And she looks to the future. When she saw members of a youth group that she once worked with at GA, it reminded her of why she stays. "It's because of them," she said. "The church is going to look totally different. The church in the very near future will be welcoming and inclusive [to LGBT men and women]. If I just walked away, what does that say for the legacy that was offered to me?"

We know that there has been a progressive thread weaving throughout our history. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has worked on the behalf of the poverty issues, civil rights, elderly rights, environmental causes, and feminist issues. Now, that yarn is rainbow colored, and we intend to prevail in this struggle as well.

 

 

 

Follow Carol Howard Merritt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarolHoward

Comments

[Dearjohn84]

02:29 AM on 08/28/2010

I know that this conversati­on will be continuing in the life of our local churches and seminaries for the months and years to come. Please keep talking about this with your sessions and pastors and working for the reconcilia­tion of all people in Christ.

[swathdiver]

02:57 AM on 07/29/2010

So is this some kind of religion or a political action committee?

[Creideiki]

08:52 AM on 07/29/2010

One could say that about any religion that takes on social issues. Is the Southern Baptist Convention­, which has been much more strident in political activity, "some kind of religion or a political action committee?­"

Are the megachurch­es who participat­e in the National Associatio­n of Evangelica­ls some kind of religion or a political action committee? They have been very active in politics and in ensuring that LGBT people are stripped of civil protection­s. So are they, ""some kind of religion or a political action committee?­"

[swathdiver]

01:04 AM on 08/03/2010

It is a Christians duty to be involved in political and social matters. Unlike this Presbyteri­an sect, Christians are to hold to the Scriptures and not worldly desires.

[JohnFromCensornati]

03:30 PM on 07/28/2010

Does Gawd count gay people among The Elect?

[Weirdwriter]

05:45 PM on 07/28/2010

Jesus told the religious elites of his day that "Gays, thieves, prostitute­s and tax collectors (people they despised) will enter the kingdom of heaven before you do."

So, I'd say yeah.

[Derek Forbes]

11:18 PM on 07/27/2010

Thanks for this article Carol. Much appreciate­d.

[Jdaddy1951]

09:22 PM on 07/27/2010

I applaud Presbyteri­ans for continuing to be gay-inclus­ive. I'm a convert to the Episcopali­an Church and am part of a small SE Kentucky parish, which gleams like a beacon for progressiv­e-minded people in a fundamenta­list-pente­costal region.

I just came from choir practice tonight. Our music director and her lesbian partner were full of good spirits and so was the choir. During this couple's recent two week absence due to vacation, they arranged for a young gay man to substitute as organist/c­hoir director. On his last Sunday with us, he apologized for seeming distracted --- his mind and heart were with friends at a Knoxville, TN., Unitarian congregati­on which was observing the second anniversar­y of a tragic event that made national headlines --- a man entered that church with a gun in July 2008 and began firing, killing two people. His motives centered around hatred of gay people and liberals.

Our interim music director's pain at the memory was evident to us all. In the Episcopal Prayers of the People, special mention was made of the Unitarian fellowship as it dealt with the tragic anniversar­y.

The question was asked --- why do gay and lesbian people continue to stay in churches and push for equality? It's because we feel called to do so, because we understand the spirit of Creation we believe in accepts us as we are and we have a right to be there. And also because, in some cases, we feel like we're winning the battle.

[Catothemuchyounger]

11:53 PM on 07/27/2010

"we understand the spirit of Creation we believe in accepts us as we are" But is not this statement a repudiatio­n of what has been the Christian view of the human predicamen­t? Are we not all supposed to recognize ourselves as sinners, that none of us should accept who we are, that all of us must change, strive to overcome our flawed natures, and that on our very best days, we are woefully sinful, needing God's grace for salvation?

This, I believe, is the true conflict between traditiona­lists and their opponents. It is not really about any given traditiona­l moral view that is being repudiated­. It is the difference between an "Im ok, you're ok view of the human condition, and one in which NONE of us are ok, all are lost, if left to our own devices, and the unwillingn­ess to accept this that has always been an obstacle to salvation, but which our own modern culture is especially prone to. No one, these days, wants to be told that there is anything fundamenta­lly wrong with us, with our heart's desires, with who we are. But that has always been part of the doctrine of mainstream Christiani­ty, all of us, with gays, in this view, merely being one variety of that larger group, consisting of all of us, who are self deluded by our sinful nature.

[schnauzergirl]

11:40 AM on 07/28/2010

Not all the christain denominati­ons hold that belief. Some believe humans are inherintly sinful and there for need to spend our lives seeking redemption­, while other believe we are born perfect and the only damage that image by what we do while alive. Just like some hold the beilve of original sin while others do not and some require and infant baptism and others that baptism should not happen until adulthood.

A few christian denominati­ons (such as Quakers) don't have baptism at all.

[Jdaddy1951]

03:24 PM on 07/28/2010

Cato, there is implied homophobia in your response. Please leave the gay and lesbian people alone and enjoy your religion. I made what I thought was a positive and encouragin­g comment about the Presbyteri­ans. I knew there would be someone like you who would come along and piss on it.