Archive for Presbyterian category

After upholding on Saturday the appointment of Scott Rennie, an openly gay minister, to Queen’s Cross in Aberdine, the Church of Scotland dodged the expected Overture to ban future openly gay ministers by appointing a Commission to examine the issue for two years, then banning discussion of the issue until the Commission’s report is given in 2011.

There’s a lot of information in that run on sentence, so I’ll let The Herald (Glasgow) unpack it for me.

The Church of Scotland has banned the ordination of gay clergy for the next two years along with any public discussion of the issue only two days after approving the controversial appointment of a homosexual minister.

Following a ruling by the General Assembly in Edinburgh yesterday, Kirk members are now effectively banned from talking about the issue outwith the church, including the media.

The only people who can discuss human sexuality are those connected with social committees such as the HIV/Aids groups.

Meanwhile a special commission will be set up to examine the issues thrown up in recent weeks and the wider issue of same-sex relationships. It will report in 2011.

The two-year moratorium was part of a “deliverance”, or motion, moved by Rev Dr John McPake from Mossneuk church in East Kilbride, which will see the special commission established.

The move had echoes of the Kirk’s stance when the world’s eyes were upon it in 2007, when same-sex relationships were on the agenda. Dr McPake said: “I am not appealing for silence, I am appealing for disciplined debate.”

The move will not affect the appointment of Mr Rennie whose appointment at Aberdeen’s Queen’s Cross church was approved on Saturday night.

The decision – swung in a 326- 267 vote – raised fear among traditionalists of a possible split in the Kirk.

Rev Ian Watson, an opponent of Mr Rennie’s appointment, called for a decision to be reached sooner.

He said: “We’re really tired of this debate. I really don’t know how much longer the church can sustain this debate.”

I’m not so sure about this one. I’m generally of the mind that it’s best to get things out in the open, even if the result isn’t what I would hope for. (One of the reasons I’d be a horrible politician.) On the other hand, there are all sorts of cultural, procedural, and historical nuances in the Kirk that make this more complex for an outsider like me.

Here’s something: Over 400 commissioners present and eligible to vote on the appointment of Rev. Rennie on Saturday night chose not to vote at all. Maybe these 400 commissioners are sympathetic but not yet ready to publicly declare their conviction. Could it be that the leaders of the Kirk are giving them an extra two years to gather themselves to join the fight?

If so, Rev. Rennie and his allies in the Kirk have their work cut out for them.

Wonderful news coming from the Church of Scotland tonight. The General Assembly has rejected an objection, allowing an Aberdeen church to appoint Rev. Scott Rennie, a gay minister in a committed relationship.

The Church of Scotland last night [Scotland time] backed the appointment of an openly gay minister.

Commissioners voted 326 to 267 in favour of appointing the Rev Scott Rennie, 37, currently at Brechin Cathedral, who had the support of the majority of the congregation at Queen’s Cross in Aberdeen and the presbytery.

But the move sparked strong protest from traditionalist members which rippled across the world, with more than 12000 Christians from as far afield as Africa and the US signing an online petition against the appointment.

There had been concern that the vote could cause a split in the Church. Much of the four-hour debate was hemmed in by detailed legal discussion of Church procedural law amid claims from the floor of “a fudge”.

The gathered commissioners at the supreme court meeting of the Church of Scotland heard how left handed people were once considered “not normal”, how in Roman times faithful homosexual relationships were accepted, and how the Kirk had previously changed its mind over controversial issues such as its stance on female ministers.

Scott Rennie, new Minister at Queen's Cross in Aberdeen

Mr Rennie said last night: “The same talk was about when women were ordained and I think that argument suits those that don’t want any change.”

He said there are “many” gay ministers in the Church and rejected claims that his sexuality contradicts bible teachings.

“We don’t stone women, we don’t stone adulterers, we’ve moved on from that,” he said. “The living word is Jesus and I think the question is, what would Jesus have done?”

Mr Rennie, who was married and has a child, was appointed minister of Brechin in Angus 10 years ago. The controversy erupted after 12 members from Aberdeen presbytery, none of whom are members of Queen’s Cross, raised complaints over the appointment.

This is not the end of the debate at this year’s General Assembly. Debate is set to begin Monday as the Assembly considers an “Overture” that states: “That this Church shall not accept for training, ordain, admit, readmit, induct or introduce to any ministry of the Church anyone involved in a sexual relationship outside of marriage between a man and a woman”.

Given tonight’s vote and the limited coverage I could find of the Overture, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be hopeful. But for tonight, congratulations to the congregation at Queen’s Cross and their new minister, Scott Rennie. Most of all, thanks and congratulations to the Church of Scotland for taking a major step in this long and winding struggle.

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will be voting on the continued ministry of Rev. Scott Rennie tomorrow, May 23rd. Debate is being scheduled, but it sounds like the vote will definitely come before the sun sets.

In preparation for the vote and in support of Rev. Rennie, a group of evangelicals has submitted the following letter to The Herald (Glasgow). (Kirk=Church)

Faithful same-sex relationships do not preclude a relationship with God

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is faced with a difficult subject: homosexuality in the church. We want to assure the Kirk of our prayers. We are evangelicals who believe that Scripture does not condemn homosexual relationships. We are made up of heterosexual and homosexual Christians.

These are, of course, deeply personal questions. As a result of the traditional view on homosexuality, it has been our experience that many gay and lesbian Christians have been forced down a path of self-hatred, which all too often leads to loss of faith, breakdown or even suicide.

After much wrestling, prayer and heartache, we have come to understand that God affirms loving, faithful same-sex relationships.

As evangelicals, we believe in the authority and supremacy of Scripture, and wholeheartedly affirm “the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience” (Westminster Larger Catechism 3) without question. We understand the various positions within the church and believe it is a difference of interpretation, not biblical authority, that characterises our debate.

We stand with the historic orthodox Christian teaching of “justification through faith alone” – that a person is made right with God because of the work of Jesus Christ and it is faith in Him that brings us into relationship with God.

This is the heart of the good news that Scotland and the rest of the world, whether gay or straight, needs to hear from the church.

No-one is excluded from a relationship with God (or service for Him) because they are in a relationship with someone of the same gender.

We affirm the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul that all the law is summed up in love for God and love for our neighbour (Mark 12; Romans 13). We can see nothing in Scripture or our calling as God’s people – both gay and straight – where a loving, monogamous same-sex relationship is inconsistent with this summary of the requirements to live a holy life. We pray that the General Assembly will follow the example of Jesus, who reached out to the marginalised, the suffering, the oppressed and those on the fringes, and who continues to do so today.

We are not just “out there”. There are thousands of faithful people sitting in pews, standing in pulpits, working in Kirk Sessions who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered.

We urge the assembly to embrace the message of transformational grace and inclusion, to stand for justice and mercy and signal the openness of God’s compassionate love to his children, straight and gay. A vast and growing number of evangelicals and others across the world do not exclude homosexuals but understand that the church has erred in its rejection of them. Will the assembly send a clear message of God’s love and welcome, or one of rejection and fear?

Dr Ralph Blair, Davis Mac-Iyalla, Martin Stears-Handscomb and Sarah Hill, Rev Colin Coward, Rev Benny Hazlehurst, Cindy McCarron, Jeremy Marks and Rev Ruairidh MacRae, 37 Annette Street, Glasgow.

(Representing 10 evangelical organisations.)

Whatever comes of this, here’s the part the Church most needs to hear: “There are thousands of faithful people sitting in pews, standing in pulpits, working in Kirk Sessions who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered.”

This isn’t a matter of keeping a certain kind of person out of the Church; we’re already there and we aren’t going away. This is a matter of allowing us to live open, honest lives as part of the Body of Christ.

Earlier this month, I mentioned Scottish minister Scott Rennie, who came out of the closet five years ago and now faces opposition as he moves to a new church.

Well, the battle within the Church of Scotland continues, including a sermon from Rennie’s chief Pharisee Ian Watson comparing the thought of The Homosexuals in church to Hitler taking France (Seriously, he makes a direct comparison.), we do seem to be on the winning end of this one. A vast majority of the Church’s ministers haven’t signed Watson’s petition, and the issue should be officially broached this week.

Meanwhile, I’d like to pull out a bit more from Rev. Rennie’s interview with OneKirk Journal. (pdf) He shows a remarkable understanding of scriptural complexity that his opponent can’t seem to grasp.

Rev. Scott Rennie, Church of Scotland

I take my lead from Jesus. If we want to see how Jesus treats Scripture we only need to see how he deals with the Sabbath laws. He makes clear that the law is there to serve God’s purpose of love, not to cause people harm. So in Luke 6 he heals someone on the Sabbath, showing the primacy of the command to love above Sabbath rules. When I compare the Levitical command to stone those who work on the Sabbath with what Jesus did you see the radical prioritising of love over the law. For Jesus ‘Love your God’ and ‘Love one another as yourself’ summarise the law.
 
You often hear the cry ‘hate the sin but love the sinner’. For me it is a false dichotomy. I can testify to the fact that it was impossible for me to experience this blanket condemnation of homosexuality as loving. Instead, it caused me to hate and fear a large part of myself—an experience gay and lesbian Christians around the world will relate to.
 
For me, when I encountered the Jesus who, first and foremost, loves and accepts us—the Jesus who prioritised love and healing people over the blunt imposition of law—it was a revelation. I realised that I had been caught up with—like the Pharisees—a restrictive legalism not grace. In denying my sexuality, I was rejecting Jesus’ unconditional love for and acceptance of me, and saying there was something wrong with the way God had created me.
 
One of the great themes of the Old Testament is the importance of covenant in relationships. I cannot believe that the destruction of committed relationships between people is what God wants, or what the Biblical authors had in their minds when writing.

The more I read, the more impressed I become with Rev. Rennie. Living out this understanding of complexity is surely more difficult than Rev. Watson’s approach. It certainly encourages more contemplation and compassion.

This blog tends to focus on issues in the United States, but the struggle to reconcile religion with sexuality can be found around the world. Today I found the issue in Scotland, where Reverend Scott Rennie of the Church of Scotland is facing opposition by an evangelical group within the church.

In the interview from the OneKirk Journal, Rev. Rennie discussed how he’s doing with the battle. There’s a lot more meat in the interview (pdf) that I’ll be touching on in the coming days, but this section caught my eye today, as Rev. Rennie pinpoints the dual problem that a lot of gay people of faith face. (BTW, Kirk = Church)

Rev. Scott Rennie, Church of Scotland

I feel both strong and at the same time battered. Battered by weeks of speculation about my private life, which no other minister would have—or should be expected—to endure. On the other hand, and for the greater part, I feel hugely strengthened and supported by the hundreds of messages I have received from people both inside and outside the Kirk.

Some of the correspondence I have received has been deeply moving: very often from gay people who are serving in ministry, or as lay people in their churches— and who feel caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, they feel the church does not understand or appreciate them as gay people. And on the other, they are treated with suspicion within the gay community because of their Christian faith—no doubt, because of the negative treatment of gay people by the church throughout history.

Although the present discussion centres around my own response to God’s call, all the correspondence over the last few months has reminded me that there is a large body of people, like me, in a similar situation, in the Kirk.