| The Fallout of Amendment 10-A: Time for a New Approach |
| Written by W.P. CAMPBELL | ||
| Tuesday, 28 June 2011 16:58 | ||
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On Tuesday, May 10, a vote in the presbytery of the Twin Cities area tipped the balance in a 30-year debate about ordination standards in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), presumably allowing gays and lesbians to become pastors, elders and deacons in gay-affirming congregations. I use the word “presumably” intentionally. I don’t believe the debate has ended. The PC(USA) tends to draw into its ranks people from both sides of the theological spectrum. One side believes it is fighting for justice and the other for biblical integrity. We can assume that following the May 10 vote, most on the theologically progressive side of the sexuality debate are celebrating and most of those on the conservative side are grieving. We cannot assume, however, that the battle has ended. Those who have watched Presbyterians debate this topic for a whole generation should perceive the obvious: people who believe they are “predestined” have stick-to-it personalities; they don’t easily leave a cause or a church. The media gives us a sense that now that the vote has gone through, the denominational debate is over. It is far from over. It will now pour forth from the cloistered ranks of denominational meetings and into the lives of church members. Many press reports failed to explain that recent voting related to the ordination of gays and lesbians effectively changed only one small paragraph in the denomination’s Book of Order. It is an important paragraph, no doubt. But there are other important references to the traditional understanding of marriage and sexuality still unchanged in the denomination’s other constitutional document, The Book of Confessions. More significantly, no denominational vote can change wording in the Bible, which, in both its plain reading and in the opinion of most biblical scholars, affirms traditional marriage and disallows sex outside of marriage. I am not suggesting the Presbyterian Church won’t experience significant losses as the result of the May 10 voting victory for theological progressives. Following the last Presbyterian debate about this topic, in 2009, the denomination lost 2.9 percent of its approximately 2 million members, its largest numerical loss since 1975. The impact following the May 10, 2011, vote will most likely set the record for the largest loss the church has known. Even more alarming, some predict, based on membership statistics over the past decade, that the denomination will be extinct within 20 years. What I am suggesting is that it is time for Presbyterians, and all Christians for that matter, to find a new approach. When a denomination becomes stuck in debate mode, it becomes crippled and unable to offer dynamic ministry. The church’s responsibility is not to argue about sexuality, but to care for the wounded and to show the love of Christ. Had the church engaged in meaningful study about issues of sexuality three decades ago when it enjoyed greater biblical consensus, it might now be thriving rather than crumbling. It might have learned how to come alongside people experiencing sexual brokenness of all types, heterosexual and homosexual. Years of debate moved people on both sides of the spectrum into a defensive posture and away from a ministry posture. Progressives found themselves arguing against Scripture, saying that people who struggle with issues of sexuality generally cannot change. Conservatives have sometimes given the false impression that change for issues of sexual confusion, addiction and the like can be found easily by those who simply surrender. Because we have made complicated issues of sexuality too simple, the teachings of Scripture have been made to seem impossibly complicated. I have been impressed by churches that I have located around the country which are quietly offering life-changing ministry to people who come to them with sexually broken lives. These congregations have not turned aside from the basic teachings of Scripture; nor have they turned people aside who are searching for acceptance and understanding. These congregations understand the power of God’s grace to impact individuals and societies. Those who make gay rights in the church only a “justice” issue and those who make it simply a “biblical” issue are both doing the church a disservice. The Bible shows a God who is concerned about societal justice as well as biblical truth. Where justice and truth are kept in a dynamic tension, there grows a healthy and dynamic church. When one of these values suffocates the other, debate will dominate and church members will lose—no matter how the votes fall out. W. P. CAMPBELL is the minister of First Church in Hendersonville, N.C. He is author of the book, "Turning Controversy into Church Ministry: A Christlike Response to Homosexuality" (Zondervan. See ChurchReflections.com). Your Responses (1)
Tom Eggebeen
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Los Angeles, CA Thank you for a generous essay. Yet, allow me to offer some conversation. First, your "not suggesting that the PCUSA won't experience significant loss" might well be rephrased, "not suggesting that the PCUSA won't experience significant gain." And additionally, while supporting and encouraging "life-changing ministry to people who come to them with sexually broken lives," I wonder if some important distinctions need to be made. Such as, not all LGBTQ persons are "sexually broken." And, in fact, lots of "straight" folks are sexually broken. Your last paragraph is very helpful ... yet I think it better to pit "justice" against injustice, rather than justice and biblical truth. We all seek justice - we hunger and thirst for righteousness - a fair world wherein love can flourish, and we all seek biblical truth. It's just that we sometimes have differing opinions on the nature of that justice, and that, in turn, influences how we read the Bible. No one can claim a greater fidelity to the Word of God in judgment of another. |
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