My friend Susan, whose religious views encompass Buddhism and good old-fashioned Southern progressivism, shot me an email late last week asking if I had a few minutes to talk with her about a theological issue.
She wrote that she'd been having a discussion with her cousin about the recent vote by delegates to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to allow non-celibate gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy. And she wanted some advice before she responded.
When I talked with her that evening, Susan explained that her cousin was a sweet, good-hearted woman who belonged to a Presbyterian church. She was concerned that the vote -- which still must be approved by a majority of the 173 U.S. presbyteries before it goes into effect -- was unbiblical. Her husband, a conservative in politics and religion, was giving her grief about her "liberal" church.
Since I am a seminary graduate and the producer/host of the "Day 1" radio program, which features ministers from all the mainline denominations including the PCUSA, Susan hoped I could help her explain to her cousin, once and for all, why gays and lesbians could be ministers.
"Is there any verse in the Bible that prohibits gay clergy?" Susan asked, hoping that that omission would settle the issue.
No, I said. But there are a few that say that church elders or bishops or deacons should be "the husband of but one wife" (1 Timothy 3), which would indicate a traditional male/female marriage was expected of church leaders. But then, there are a number of divorced and remarried straight pastors today even in conservative churches. And there are even a few women in leadership roles of such churches, which would apparently also break the rules.
But, I told Susan, the fact that there is no overt prohibition of gay clergy wouldn't stop opponents, who would hold up the handful of verses in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament Epistles that purport to "clearly" denounce homosexuality itself as an abomination to God, among other very bad things. A good number of books have been written that parse these verses, revealing that they really aren't talking about committed gay relationships, but about pedophilia, rape, or temple prostitution.
I recommended to Susan that she refer her cousin to Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church, written by Jack Rogers, a Presbyterian pastor and former PCUSA moderator, who has been quoted as saying he agrees with the conservatives in his denomination on nearly everything except this issue.
It's difficult, however, to have a satisfying discussion between conservative and progressive Christians that would lead to any resolution on this topic, because their views on the meaning and historical context of the Bible are so vastly different. Progressive Christians believe in the Bible, but not in the same way as their more conservative brothers and sisters. So one side points to those Bible verses as settling the matter, and the other side points to the verses that say God is love and "judge not lest ye be judged," adding that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality.
We progressives clearly need to keep working on how to communicate our views on this issue in a way that a broader audience can understand them. Even so, one by one, the mainline denominations are coming to a consensus:
(In my work with "Day 1," I attended the 2003 Episcopal General Convention that ratified the election of Bishop Robinson, and found the mood there deeply somber and anxious; two weeks later I attended the UCC's General Synod in the same Minneapolis Convention Center, and was struck by the joyful freedom and vibrant mission focus of a denomination that had already, much earlier, decided the issue.)
Needless to say, in every case the ramifications of these denominational decisions have continued to reverberate both in the U.S. and around the world. In their wake churches have split and some have left their denomination. New conservative groups have sprung up to absorb the disaffected.
And yet it seems that once this issue has been resolved, usually after decades of wrangling, the denominations (or what's left of them, anyway) begin to experience a new freedom and energy to pursue their mission to serve the world in Christ's name -- they can actually focus on the desperate physical and spiritual needs all around us. Their churches are able to offer a welcoming place for all to come to worship together, grow in the faith, and minister enthusiastically to their community and their world.
We have witnessed the effective, authentic ministries of gay and lesbian clergy such as ELCA pastor Bradley Schmeling and newly approved Episcopal Bishop Suffragan Mary Glasspool.
We have come to understand that the Spirit of God is moving in fresh, trustworthy ways -- just as in the case of slavery and women's leadership in years past. (Is it ironic that Susan's cousin, a woman, was recently installed as a deacon in her church?)
And as more and more people realize that they know and love LGBT folks in their families, communities, and workplaces -- 77 percent of the population acknowledged that in a recent poll -- it's only a matter of time before we all catch up to the work of the Spirit of God moving us forward in the love of God.
Even Susan's cousin. And maybe someday even her husband.
Follow Rev. Peter M. Wallace on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pwallace
Presbyterian Assembly Approves Gay Clergy, Not Gay Marriage ...
Presbyterian Leaders Approve Gay Clergy Policy
Presbyterians Deny Gay Marriage, Approve Gay Clergy
Religion: The Battle over Gay Clergy - TIME
Lutheran Group Eases Limits on Gay Clergy - NYTimes.com
Lutherans will allow gay clergy in same-sex relationships ...
You indeed have clergy who are divorced or remarried. There ARE narrow grounds for divorcing a spouse engaged in unrepentant sexual immorality or allowing an unbelieving spouse who wishes to leave the marriage to go without penalty for "breaking the bond". Beyond that, none of the biblical qualifications carries a permanent ban from service if broken. Besides biblical qualifications, repentance [objective] and restoration of reputation [subjective] in the eyes of a congregation are the deciding factors for renewed service and leadership. Practicing homosexuals [just like practicing adulterers or other fornicators] are disqualified from service because there is no repentance for their sexual sin. I'm sure this will be scrubbed by the censors for not being progressive.
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1003025.htm
But then, there are a number of pastors today that abuse children, offerings for prostitutes, work with drug gangs and rebels. Just because they are doing it doesn't mean it is in any way right or accepted.
The Church in Pergamum (Revelation 2:12). I know that mainline churches love to bypass this book.
Like any industry, There will always be those shops that cater to the niche markets of hate mongering and tree hugging. There's money to be had there too.
But that's all god is. Money. The United Bank of Jesus and all its branches. It charges you 2 bucks every sunday when you withdraw a bit of your smugness from the holy ATM.
The papists once did, but then they screwed up by trying to imitate mainline protestantism, and now you rarely get a decent lecture from them as well. All of that plus a whiney old gay basher in Rome. too. What a ripoff.
Papists get robbed for their 2 bucks.
It's fun to talk about sacrifice for God and denying the flesh, but save it for the bumpkins in the pews. An appreciable percentage of all clergy are homosexual and at some point in their lives will engage in sexual activity, to deny it's happening is to deny their humanity.
That is a NoNo.
but we're not supposed to notice that . . .
Or, more recently, "if it feels good, do it".
In any event, we'll all know soon enough.
1 Cor 6:9 lumps the effiminate with that. Effiminate means to have characteristics of a female, therefore, since one of my best friends was raised by all women, and he is limp wristed and talks like a female, he's condemned to hell. Not consistant with the bibles message of a Loving God.
1 Tim 1:10 has the original word "arsenokoitai" which is greek and is highly ambiguous. No record exists of this word being written down before this was written. The word "arsen" is greek for Male, so this verse refers to some activity involving a male, not female. So, I think using this verse to clobber gays and lesbians holds very little weight.
I leave you with these words:
And I cried in my spirit to the Lord, 'We are all thieves, we are all thieves, we have taken the Scriptures in words and know nothing of them in ourselves.' " -- Margaret Fell, 1652
However, the members in my time were delightful people and I hope to see them in Heaven.
I am disturbed by the wave of booting out in Catholicism now...the excommunication of Fr. Roy Bourgeois may be technically correct...but nobody saves their soul by being "correct" and the Church cannot afford to lose men like that! Bad sign...also that Nun in New Mexico who saved a girl's life...something sad but routine 60 years ago is now made an example of folly for all the world to see. (The life saving not the excommunication)
I came to the conclusion that God is preparing the laity to stand on their own feet. It must be like having your cranky, argumentative parents grow too feeble minded to take care of themselves...a huge shock and change of paradigm!!
Frankly, I could give a crap less if Christians work that part out,
Or manage to connect the idea that their obsession with 'Religion or breeding' of course means that people who don't want to breed may gravitate to the clergy, *because you told them to,*
Frankly, apart from that I know ou use this to hurt real people, who then ten to hurt others, *I could care less.*
You Christians can't handle *nothing.*
But I don't want your job. Not as you say it should be. I think it's a crock.
So you need to wake up and meet the real people.
You take a fifth of your own kids and if they don't want to be breeders, say, 'Turn to our God!'
Exactly what did you expect?
The mask is off, and if we know one thing, we know that don't work.
Free the people, *then* decide how to keep the undesireables out. If that's what you want.
I hate to point it out, but what you been doing just blew up on you.
Of course the celibacy thing doesn't work. Few if any people are called to celibacy and to pretend otherwise is simply asking for trouble. I found it out the hard way and am now a very happy married lesbian bishop.