wfn.org | Amendment O is defeated

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Note #6454 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

14-March-2001
01096

Amendment O is defeated

Deciding 87th "No" vote is cast on March 13 

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE -The decisive "no" vote on Amendment O was cast March 13, marking
the second time in seven years the presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) have refused to place an ironclad prohibition on same sex unions
into the church's constitution.

	Unofficial tallies after seven presbyteries voted March 13 show the
amendment trailing 63 to 87. Kiskiminetas, Missouri Union and San Gabriel
voted "yes" on Tuesday, while Cincinnati, New Brunswick, Pacific and Utica
voted "no." Twenty-three presbyteries yet to vote or record their votes
taken earlier.

	The proposed amendment - approved by a narrow margin at last year's General
Assembly - would have added a new section, W-4.9007, to The Book of Order:
"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."

	A more explicit amendment barring same sex-union ceremonies in  the
PC(USA), sent to the presbyteries by the 1994 General Assembly, was also
defeated.

	Defeat of the proposed amendment doesn't mean that the PC(USA) "approves"
of same-sex unions. The church's constitution defines marriage as "between a
man and a woman."

	However, a General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission ruling last
spring said same-sex union ceremonies are not specifically prohibited by the
constitution as long as they "are not considered the same as a marriage
ceremony."

	It was this loophole that opponents of same-sex unions sought to close
through Amendment O.

	"We are left now with a very confused situation, an ambiguous witness,"
said the Rev. Joe Rightmyer, executive director of Presbyterians for
Renewal, which supported the amendment.

	But voting patterns in the presbyteries indicated early on that many
considered Amendment O a flawed solution. A number of special interest web
sites compared presbyteries' votes on Amendment O with their votes on
Amendment B (now G-6.0106b of The Book of Order), a 1996 measure, which
requires church officers to practice "fidelity within the covenant of
marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness."
Amendment B passed 97-74.

	Twenty-eight of the 87 presbyteries that have voted against Amendment O
voted in favor of Amendment B.

	Opponents of the measure argue that it is so vaguely worded as to possibly
proscribe other ceremonies, such as baptisms, funerals and the Lord's Supper
for same sex couples; that it is unnecessary because The Book of Order
already defines marriage as between a man and a woman; and that it unduly
infringes upon the pastoral responsibilities of pastors and sessions.
Rightmyer called those concerns "unintended consequences" and said he
believes fears about them contributed to the amendment's defeat.

	The Rev. Deborah Block, co-moderator of the Covenant Network of
Presbyterians - which opposed the amendment - said she thought Presbyterians
around the country carefully considered the amendment and concluded it was
bad polity. "I think (the vote) is an affirmation of trust in our process of
electing elders and ministers and giving to them these decisions for the
life of a congregation."

	More Light Presbyterians, a group that supports gay and lesbian ordination
as well as same-sex unions, called the defeat of the amendment a victory for
family life. "If the church is serious about the importance of faith to
family life, to  wholeness of relationships, it cannot continue to ignore
the commitments of same gender couples," said Mitzi Henderson, co-moderator
of the group. "The public blessing of love and fidelity, before family and
friends, has a profoundly spiritual significance."

	Twelve members of the Presbyterian Renewal Leaders Network condemned the
defeat of the amendment and said "church leaders who openly defy Biblical
faith and ethics are pushing our denomination perilously towards schism."

	The statement, received by the Presbyterian News Service from the office of
The Presbyterian Layman, said: "Until and unless God's people take a
definitive stand against them, these efforts will not cease until that union
instituted by God and blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ has been stripped of
all special honor and recognition."

	Despite the defeat of Amendment O, a recent Presbyterian Panel poll
indicates that a majority of Presbyterians favors a ban on same-sex unions
in the PC(USA).

	The statistically valid poll of church members, elders, pastors and
specialized clergy (ordained ministers not serving congregations), conducted
last August by the PC(USA)'s Research Services office, found that 57 percent
of members, 61 percent of elders, 50 percent of pastors and 30 percent of
specialized clergy agree that "Presbyterian ministers should be prohibited
from performing a ceremony that blesses the union between two people of the
same sex."

	Similar majorities - 67 percent of members, 66 percent of elders and 53
percent of pastors - along with one-third of specialized clergy, agree that
same-sex union ceremonies should not take place in Presbyterian churches.

	Block said the church needs to "put a new pair of glasses on to look at
this issue."  Saying that resolution of issues such as same-sex unions
requires "good polity as well as good theology … it is a matter of how we
live together and who makes the decisions."

	"We need to change hearts and minds," Rightmyer told the Presbyterian News
Service. "Legislation won't solve this, only divine intervention will," he
added. "But I'm a believer and Jesus is my hope. We'll find a way."

(Evan Silverstein also contributed to this report)

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