Presbyterian church gay marriage
The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) voted this week to allow for lgbtq+ marriage and the ordination of LGBTQI people — but it’s not quite the good news that queer and trans Presbyterians appreciate me were hoping for.
At our General Assembly, a Particular Committee proposed four options on the way forward: A) maintain traditional teachings on marriage, B) offer full inclusion to LGBTQI people, C) form theologically-based presbyteries, and D) to allow lgbtq+ marriage as a “pastoral exception.” On Tuesday, to everyone’s surprise, the Assembly voted 60/40 in favour of Option B: full inclusion. There were protestations from the “traditional” side, and on Wednesday night, an hour was passionate to listen to them cry about feeling excluded by the church. The next morning, as the Assembly sat for their ultimate session, an amendment was proposed that allowed for the inclusion of LGBTQI people, but also gave special protection to those who opposed. It was meant to be a compromise: the church would now include those who had been historically excluded (i.e. LGBTQI people) while protecting the freedom of others to carry on excluding.
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After careful study of the Bible, Biblical Scholarship and Scientific Papers regarding human sexuality, the denomination decided that Homosexuality was not a sin. It was a landmark decision that opened the doors to including LGBTQi people into the full life of the church.
This decision builds upon the fact that God’s romance is fully inclusive and expressed most fully in Jesus Christ. It is our belief that excluding anyone from God’s cherish, or full participation in every aspect of the church, is neither kind nor loving. Excluding people because of their sexuality or gender identity does not reflect Christ’s love or His commandment to love one another as we would be loved.
While there are certain places in the Bible that would appear to speak against homosexuality or same-sex relationships, they have to be taken in context as they speak to a other time and place and empathetic of sexuality and relationships. In a Patriarchal society that depended on having many childre
Presbyterian Church in Ireland votes against same-sex attracted membership
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has adopted a brand-new policy that means anyone in a same-sex relationship cannot be a entire member of the Church.
It also means their children cannot be baptised.
The maneuver comes after the Church cut ceremonial ties with the Church of Scotland due to its more liberal attitude to same-sex relationships.
Not everyone in the Church agreed with the adoption of the modern rules on membership and baptism.
There was a lengthy debate on Friday morning at the annual meeting in Belfast of the decision-making General Assembly.
The debate lasted more than an hour and more than 20 people spoke.
The Reverend Cheryl Meban, a chaplain at Ulster University, urged the Church not to adopt the policy.
'Credible profession of faith'
The Rev John Dunlop, a former moderator, said it was a "highly sensitive" issue and cautioned against adopting any formal rules on the matter.
However, another former moderator, the Rev Stafford Carson, argued that the Church needed to make its position clear that it was not in favour of queer relationships.
The po
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Presbyterian Church (USA)
BACKGROUND
With its roots in the 16th century teachings of John Calvin, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) boasts 1.4 million members who participate in more than 10,000 congregations across the country. The largest Presbyterian organization in the country, the denomination was formed in 1983 when the southern-based Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (PCUS) joined the northern-based Together Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) to establish 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 pos for “elders” – lay leaders who govern 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 adequately as the church at large.” Elders serve at every level of governance from “sessions,” which regulate a single church, to “presbyteries,” consisting of regional church communities, to the General As