Presbyterian beliefs gay marriage
By George Sayour | August 31,
Editor&#;s Note: While this post is informative and touches on Overture 15, it is not a direct argument in favor of the proposed BCO Amendment resulting from the passage of Overture 15 at PCAGA For resources that more directly argue in favor of the proposal, please consult to the list of resources at the finish of this article.
It has been over four years since a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) hosted the inaugural Revoice Conference which promoted “Side B Lgbtq+ Christianity.” The PCA has been debating the issues regarding Side B ever since. After last year’s proposed amendments to the Book of Church Instruction (BCO) failed to see the 2/3 threshold of Presbyteries required to move beyond them, a slurry of new Overtures seeking to amend the BCO to address the Side B issue came before the 49th General Assembly held earlier this year. Three results of the Assembly’s deliberations this year is that Overtures 15, 29, and 31 passed and are on their way (as Items 1, 4, and 5) to deliberations and votes in the PCA’s 88 Pr
In recent years both the Presbyterian Church in America and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church have had to deal with the issue of a same-sex attracted ordained minister, and the question of whether or not that ordination is lawful. A celibate same-sex attracted Presbyterian minister, who openly declares a queer orientation that God has not promised to change,[1] is not something the conservative Presbyterian denominations have ever considered legitimate in the past. What has brought about this new openness to consider a scrutinize that was inconceivable just a not many decades ago? Of course, the cultural pressure to approve gay orientation as normal is extreme. Add to this the fact that evangelicals sometimes emerge to be more concerned about how those outside the church perceive Christianity, than they are maintaining historic Christian positions on sexual sin. After all, some argue, the church must be driven by a missional stance towards the gay community.
There is tremendous pressure from within evangelical churches to compromise on the scrutinize of homosexuality. Some are convi
Stances of Faiths on Homosexual Issues: Presbyterian Church (USA)
BACKGROUND
With its roots in the 16th century teachings of John Calvin, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) boasts million members who participate in more than 10, congregations across the country. The largest Presbyterian organization in the country, the denomination was formed in when the southern-based Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (PCUS) joined the northern-based United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) to develop a single entity. The Presbyterian Church (USA) remains distinct from the Presbyterian Church in America, which tends toward less inclusive policies.
The Presbyterian name derives from the Greek word for “elders” – lay leaders who rule the church and are chosen by its congregants. According to the denomination’s web site, elders work closely with clergy to, “exercise leadership, government, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a particular church as well as the church at large.” Elders serve at every level of leadership from “sessions,” which govern a free church, to “presb
Pastor Letter on Matching Sex Marriage
July,
Church Family,
I want to write you today about some things I believe to be true. I do not write as one speaking for the entire church body or the even the entirety of our church’s leadership, but speaking purely for myself and speaking as your pastor. I think it would be helpful at this point for me to communicate with clarity where I personally stand on some of the issues taken up recently by our denomination and to share with you how I understand those convictions to impact my ministry with you and our shared ministry together.
After I share these things with you, I want to share with you one action item that the session has taken regarding same-sex marriage.
I believe there is room for disagreement in the church on non-essential matters. I spot lots of great examples of this in the New Testament community; a community passionately committed to unity in Christ and, at the same occasion, committed to loving and serving one another in humility, even where there are differing convictions of what should rightfully be the faithful practice