wfn.org | Committee sending "fidelity, chastity" amendment to GA

[PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org]

03-July-1996 
 
GA96080 
 
    Committee sending "fidelity, chastity" amendment to GA 
 
ALBUQUERQUE - The Ordination and Human Sexuality committee will ask the 
General Assembly to send a Book of Order amendment to the presbyteries that 
would require fidelity or chastity of all church officers 
 
    The wording of the amendment is similar to that in overture 96-16 from 
Seattle Presbytery and says: "Those who are called to office in the church 
are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the 
historic confessional standards of the church.  Among these standards is 
the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage 
of one man and one woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness.  Persons 
refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the Confessions 
call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or 
ministers of the Word and Sacrament." 
 
    The vote to approve the proposed amendment was 26 for, 17 against.  A 
motion which in essence would have sent out option #3 of the Advisory 
Committee on the Constitution (ACC) report, except with the above wording 
substituted in the appropriate place, failed by a vote of 18 for, 31 
against. 
 
    The failed amendment would have sent with the "fidelity and chastity" 
amendment the  ACC "local option" amendment (ACC option #2) with 
instructions for presbyteries "to vote in the affirmative for only one, or 
in the negative for one or both."  The full Assembly is scheduled to 
consider the committee's recommendations on Friday. 
 
    The decisions came after a full day Monday when the committee listened 
to dozens of people in open hearings and a number of overture advocates. 
The committee spent Monday evening asking questions and thinking through 
their process.  Then on Tuesday, committee moderator the Rev. Roberta 
Hestenes, president of Eastern College in St. Davids, Pa.,  led the 
committee in an extremely thorough and careful process which brought them 
to a series of substantive motions Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. 
 
    One and possibly two minority reports will come to the Assembly from 
members of the committee.  The tone of the committee process was civil 
throughout, though strong convictions were expressed on both sides. 
 
    Debate on the fidelity and chastity amendment covered a wide range. 
The Rev. Jon Faraone of East Tennessee Presbytery said that his sister and 
he grew up in an abusive situation, and that his sister was gay.  "I love 
my sister and I accept her for who she is.  For as long as I live, she will 
never doubt my love for her.  But I cannot compromise the word of God as I 
understand it.  You see, I too am the product of abuse, and it was the good 
news of God's word that brought healing in my life...." 
 
    The Rev. Jane Larsen-Wigger of Winnebago Presbytery said, "If this is 
passed, we are treating a lot of real people as a category.  We do not do 
that with any other group.  That is not a loving, Christian, reconciling 
way to treat one another." 
 
    Elder Samuel Spring of Lake Michigan Presbytery said, "The motion 
reflects my understanding of Scripture and the confessions.  It does not 
treat homosexuals differently from any other persons to be considered for 
office.  It treats heterosexual and homosexual alike." 
 
    The Rev. Phyllis M. Kort of Salem Presbytery quoted another source and 
said, "`Evil is not just what people do, but what people suffer.'  It is 
premature to decide this until we understand if homosexual people are this 
by choice.  A human cannot live without sexuality. Heterosexuals do not 
fully understand homosexuals.  This just doesn't sound like something Jesus 
would do.  I beg you to vote this down." 
 
Bill Lancaster 

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