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IN THE ZEAL TO BAN HOLY UNIONS
OF
GAYS AND LESBIANS,
A MONSTER HAS BEEN CREATED,
AND IT'S CALLED "AMENDMENT
O"
[This informational flier has been prepared and distributed by the
Tampa Bay Chapter of The Witherspoon Society.]
[ 2-23-01]
The Book of Order typically specifies what church
officers "shall" do or "may" do. It is not a rule
book of prohibitions. Amendment O is "irregular and
extraordinary" -- so said the Advisory Committee on the
Constitution in 1993 and 1995 when similar amendments were defeated.
On February 24th, 2001, the Presbytery of Tampa Bay
will vote on a matter of great importance. It's called Amendment 00-O.
When you look at it closely, you may want to call it Amendment Oh! Oh!
Oh!
The scope of censured ceremonies and events for
ministers, elders and deacons in the Presbyterian Church (USA) is very
large indeed. The list on the next page is not exhaustive, but it will
give some idea about the prohibitions of Amendment O if it is adopted.
We think Presbyterian ministers and sessions know best
how to minister to their people and how to use their church property.
That's our Reformed Tradition. If you agree, vote "NO" on
Amendment 00-O.
Prohibited Persons:
 | Separated, married person |
| Children born out of wedlock |
| Gay or lesbian couples |
| Divorced persons who are dating |
| Children of gay couples |
| Unchaste person, old or young |
| Gay or lesbian person in relationship |
| Heterosexual couples, not married and living
together
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Prohibited Ceremonies and Events:
| Baptism |
| Communion |
| Marriage service |
| Holy Union |
| Funeral |
| Home visitation |
| Hospital visit |
| Reception of a member |
| Dedication of a pledge |
| Dedication of an offering |
| Dedication to a service in the church |
| Any prayer
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Now "Mix 'n Match." Any ceremony or event
with a person or persons on the prohibited list is banned. The
prohibitions are further complicated by the absence of definitions of
"fidelity" or "chastity."
To be fully in order, ministers, elders and deacons
would be required to ask all married persons about their fidelity and
all single persons about their chastity. Are we really prepared to do
this? If not, why vote for a constitutional prohibition that says as
much?
HATE HURTS.
LOVE HEALS
Recommended Resources
Stranger at the Gate, Mel White, Simon &
Schuster, 1994.
The Loyal Opposition, Struggling with the Church
on Homosexuality, edited by Tex Sample and Amy DeLong, Abingdon
Press, 2000. This is an excellent book from leaders of The United
Methodist Church.
Homosexuality and Christian Faith, Questions of
Conscience for the Churches, edited by Walter Wink, Fortress Press,
1 999. Fortress Press reports that this book contains articles from
preeminent church leaders -- women and men, Protestant and Catholic,
mainline and evangelical.
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, A resource for
congregations in dialogue on sexual orientation, The Alliance of
Baptists and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, 2000.
We Were Baptized Too, Claiming God's Grace for
Lesbians and Gays, Marilyn Bennett Alexander and James Preston,
Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996.
A Place at the Table, Bruce Bawer, Simon
& Schuster, 1993.
Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?, revised and
updated, Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Harper San
Francisco, 1994.
Caught in the Crossfire, Edited by Sally B.
Geis & Donald E. Messer, Abingdon Press, 1994.
Claiming the Promise, Mary Jo Osterman,
Published by the Reconciling Congregation Program, 1997. An ecumenical
welcoming Bible study resource on homosexuality.
We encourage all persons to join us in prayerful study
and be open to dialogue as we attempt to:
| identify assumptions
about biblical authority and how we engage in biblical
interpretation; |
| examine alternate
understandings of biblical references that people sometimes apply
negatively to gay men and lesbian women; |
| explore the place of
those biblical references within a comprehensive understanding of
the Bible s liberating message of justice-love and freedom in
Christ; |
| claim the promise of
being God's heirs apparent by identifying how we might live as
welcoming, reconciling disciples of Christ.
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The Tampa Bay Chapter of the
Witherspoon Society
meets the third Saturday of each month from 10-12 a.m.
All interested persons are invited to
attend and participate.
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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If you like what
you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep Voices for Justice going ... and
growing!
Please consider making a special
contribution -- large or small -- to help us continue and improve
this service.
Click here to send a
gift online, using your credit card, through PayPal.
Or send your check, made
out to "Presbyterian Voices for Justice" and marked "web site," to
our PVJ Treasurer:
Darcy Hawk
4007 Gibsonia Road
Gibsonia, PA 15044-8312 |
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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