Presbyterians Stay Together Despite Sexuality Woes
Despite major difference in understanding sexuality and theology among its 3.2 million members, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A will be staying together, a Theological Task Force affirmed Thursday.
Despite major difference in understanding sexuality and theology among its 3.2 million members, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A will be staying together, a Theological Task Force affirmed Thursday.
During a national forum held in Sacramento, Calif., this week, members of PCUSA’s Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church said the church must stay together because it is the body of Christ, according to PC News.
“Our goal must be life together in discernment, rather than head-to-head confrontation,” said TTF Co-Moderator Jenny Stoner in the PC News report. “Our purpose must be to know in our very being in the church the peace, unity and purity that has been given to us in Jesus Christ, and that we are to demonstrate and share with the world.”
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For more than four years, the TTF worked on drafting a statement on sexuality, which was released last month. Their report was not meant as a “silver-bullet” solution to the denominational woes over sexuality – specifically the role of homosexuality – but rather a way to bring polarized Presbyterians together on one table.
When the group was created in 2001, it was called to “to lead the PC(USA) in spiritual discernment of our Christian identity in and for the 21st century” by specifically addressing issues of Christology, Biblical authority and interpretation, ordination standards and power.
Ultimately, the report recommended the denomination keep its standards on ordination, which prohibits ministers from engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage – this being defined as a union between one man and one woman.
However, the report also recommended that presbyteries – or local districts – be responsible to determine a candidate’s fitness to serve as a minister. This could possibly mean that while the national church forbids gay pastors from ministering, the local church may not.
The TTF will present this report to next year’s General Assembly, where it will be up for adoption. Until then, the group will be traveling to individual synods and presbyteries to extensively explain the repercussions of the report.
At this week’s Sacramento meeting, the Task Force was presenting the report to a joint gathering of five denominational agencies. There, TTF members explained that they had never expected to come to a consensus on the topic.
“Our study of the Bible shows there’s no support for viewing the church as an association of like-minded individuals,” said the Rev. Mark Achtemeier, according to PC news. “God creates the church by filling people’s hearts with love and faith for Jesus Christ, and God seals us together through Baptism into one body with others who are very different from ourselves.
“Christ calls us together, so responding to him means turning to each other in our differences and diversity,” he continued. “This is enormously important, because it reminds us that disagreements among us are not disagreements between Christians and infidels, but between brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ — Christians of good faith who are trying their best to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Finding the balance between “holding on to each other while we all hold on to our most deeply held convictions” is the task of the “season of discernment” the TTF is proposing to the church, Wheeler said. Another key recommendation urges governing bodies, congregations and other groups of Presbyterians to engage in processes of discernment, worship, community building and study like those that have guided the TTF.
The text of the TTF report is available at: www.pcusa.org/peaceunitypurity.
