wfn.org | Vote on same-sex union amendment will be close, early returns

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Note #6344 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

indicate
24-January-2000
01024

Vote on same-sex union amendment will be close, early returns indicate

Presbytery executives' "third way" proposal gets mixed reaction

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- With votes in from 20 percent of the 174 presbyteries, it
appears that Amendment O - the so-called "same-sex unions amendment" -- will
be decided by a narrow margin.

	As of Jan. 22, 11 presbyteries had voted "yes" on the amendment and 23 had
voted "no." A majority of the presbyteries, 87, must vote "yes" for the
amendment to become part of The Book of Order.

	Amendment O, sent to the presbyteries by last year's General Assembly by a
vote of 268-251, would add a new section, W-4.9007, to The Book of Order,
stating: "Scripture and our Confessions teach that God's intention for all
people is to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between
a man and a woman or in chastity in singleness. Church property shall not be
used for, and church officers shall not take part in conducting, any
ceremony or event that pronounces blessing or gives approval of the church
or invokes the blessing of God upon any relationship that is inconsistent
with God's intention as expressed in the preceding sentence."

	In analyzing the votes as they come in, most observers are comparing the
way presbyteries are voting on Amendment O to the way they voted in 1996 on
Amendment B -- the "fidelity and chastity" amendment that is now G-6.0106b
of The Book of Order and which is cited in the proposed Amendment O =-
assuming that those that voted for Amendment B are likely to also vote for
Amendment O.

	Amendment B passed by a vote of 97-84. At least 12 presbyteries would have
to "change" their votes (vote against Amendment O after having voted for
Amendment B) in order for the measure to be defeated.

	Two presbyteries of the first 34 to vote have done that -- Missouri River
Valley and North Central Iowa.

	Both sides, formally and informally, have been conducting rigorous
campaigns on the amendment.

	"Presbyterians Together," an offshoot of the conservative Presbyterian
Coalition, published a 60-page booklet, "Amendment O Resources," that moved
like hotcakes at the Coalition's November annual gathering. The booklet,
funded by The Presbyterian Layman, includes essays on the proposed amendment
and related issues, sample speeches for use by presbytery commissioners,
talking points to use in debates, timetables for churches to use in making
their positions known in the church and public media, an outline for a
prayer vigil, and a curriculum outline for a Sunday School class. The
booklet also includes a defense of G-6.0106b.

	The liberal Covenant Network of Presbyterians has added a second full-time
staff member, the Rev. Patricia Dykers Koenig of Cleveland, to coordinate
its efforts to defeat Amendment O.  The Covenant Network has published
resources on the amendment, which it contends includes a "prohibition on
prayer" and a "ministry gag order," on its web site.

	Presbyerians for Renewal, a member organization of the Presbyterian
Coalition, recently took out a full-page ad in The Presbyterian Outlook
urging approval of Amendment O.  And publications of many organizations on
both sides have been filled with arguments for and against the amendment.

	Late last year, 19 former General Assembly moderators released a public
statement urging the defeat of Amendment O, which it said "would lead us
away from the traditional rights and responsibilities exercised by sessions
and ministers." The statement was signed by Thelma Adair (1976), Dorothy
Barnard (1981), Robert Bohl (1994), John Buchanan (1996), James Costen
(1982), John Fife (1992), Freda Gardner (1999), Robert Lamar (1974), William
Lytle (1978), Sara Bernice Moseley (1978), Harriet Nelson (1984), Douglas
Oldenburg (1998), Howard Rice (1979), Isabel Rogers (1987), J. Randolph
Taylor (1983), William P. Thompson (1965), Herbert Valentine (1991),
Benjamin Weir (1986) and Albert Winn (1979).

	At about the same time, the National Korean Presbyterian Council,
representing 350 Korean-American Presbyterian churches with a total of
37,000 members, sent an open letter to Presbyterians, urging them to
"support the proposed amendment." The letter argues that it is "clearly and
unambiguously written in the Scripture" that "homosexual partnerships are
incompatible with God's created order," and warns that a rejection of
Amendment O would be "a devastating blow in (the PCUSA's) membership growth
because Koreans, particularly young people, are conservative and evangelical
and will turn away from our denomination."

	Even the independent church press has waded into the fray.  In a Jan. 15
editorial co-authored by Princeton Seminary theology professor William Stacy
Johnson, Presbyterian Outlook editor Robert Bullock came out against
Amendment O, arguing that it is "bad polity." Bullock wrote that the
amendment could be used to deny baptism to the children of same-sex parents
and to deny the sacrament of the Lord's Supper to some church members. He
argued that The Book of Order "already contains remedies to deal with
(same-sex unions)," and said passing this amendment is like "using ... an
elephant to swat a fly."

A "Third Way"?

	On Dec. 6, a group of 113 presbytery executives and other officers issued a
statement calling for a "third way" out of the impasse over sexuality issues
in the PC(USA).

	"We believe the church we love has a future, but it will not be by
determining winners and losers," the group stated. Insisting that
legislative and judicial action will not bring reconciliation, the group
said: "We envision a third way which can only come from an openness to the
Holy Spirit. We will rely on God's grace and refuse to leave the table until
a way is discovered."

	The statement, which arose from discussions at the annual meeting of the
Association of Executive Presbyters, commended the leaders of the Covenant
Network of Presbyterians and of The Presbyterian Coalition for initiating a
series of prayer and Bible study meetings. The next such gathering is
scheduled for March 8-10 in Chicago.

	"We ourselves," the signers wrote, "covenant to look for a third way. In
each of our presbyteries and with each other, we will gather at a common
table to pray and talk together. We promise not to leave the table before a
direction emerges."

	The Covenant Network responded positively almost immediately. "We know from
our own experience that the Spirit and the Word can bring new insights and
new commitments to the body of Christ as we engage in honest and searching
dialogue with our colleagues in ministry," it said in a response dated Dec.
11.

	The response from More Light Presbyterians, a group of people and churches
committed to the full inclusion of gay and lesbian Presbyterians in the
church, including their ordination as church officers, also was positive.
That group agreed with the presbytery executives that "restrictive
legislation and judicial complaints are inadequate, divisive and even
counter-productive ... for discerning God's will in times of disagreement."

	The five Presbyterian Coalition leaders involved in the Coalition-Network
Bible study meetings, however, rejected the "third way" approach.
"Involvement in the issues of our day and church, including meeting with
those with whom we disagree, has never been, nor is it now, about our way,
or their way, or some other third way which might be mutually satisfying,"
they said in a written statement. "Rather it is about Christ's way. Alone.
Therefore, we have not, and we will not, engage in any search for an
alternative to Scripture's clear and plain teaching."

	The statement was signed by Coalition Moderator Jerry Andrews, Vice
Moderator Anita Bell and Executive Coordinator Bill Giles; Presbyterians
Pro-Life Director Terry Schlossberg; and Presbyterian Layman Executive
Editor Parker Williamson.

The tally on Amendment O

	For (11): Central Florida, Charleston-Atlantic, Coastal Carolina, Flint
River, Muskingum Valley, New Harmony, Northumberland, Riverside, San Diego,
San Joaquin, Seattle.

	Against (23): Boise, Chicago, Des Moines, Eastern Oregon, Elizabeth,
Heartland, Hudson River, Maumee Valley, Minnesota Valleys, Missouri River
Valley, North Central Iowa, Ohio Valley, Redwoods, San Francisco, San Jose,
Scioto Valley, Southern New England, Twin Cities Area, Utah, West Virginia,
Western Kentucky, Western Reserve, Whitewater Valley.

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