The Church and Sexuality
Summary of decisions in the Uniting Church
1. Documents and resources
Church
shaken by gay debate
One of the most
divisive topics in religion is how to treat homosexuality. It affects
the people in the pews, priests, bishops and gay marriage.
READ ON
Should
the church split over homosexual Christians?
Sojourners
comments on Why the Liberal Church Needs the Evangelical Church
and Why the Evangelical
Church Needs the Liberal Church. READ
ON
Why
people are willing to embrace schism
It is, of course, possible to construct a rational theological position
against both divorce and homosexuality, based upon one's concept
of sin. Perhaps some very rational people are able to do so. But
that's not what is fueling the current conflagration in the church!
Selected
articles on human sexuality issues
From the Anglican Communion News Service.
Web
petition for inclusiveness
A nationwide web petition for individuals, parishes and church organisations
is seeking to keep the Church of England inclusive and welcoming.
Can
we still be neighbours?
How can
we sustain different positions with integrity and still love and
support each other?
There's
more to be obsessed about
Robert Bos says
his concern is that so much of our energy and passion is being consumed
by this one issue, and our unity is threatened, when there are so
many needs, and so much pain, both within the church and the wider
society. "We have a Gospel to proclaim which brings new life,
hope and joy. This is where I feel called to minister. I want to
get back to God's work."
Homosexuality
and the Bible
With the
interpretive grid provided by a critique of domination, we are able
to filter out the sexism, patriarchalism, violence, and homophobia
that are very much a part of the Bible, thus liberating it to reveal
to us in fresh ways the inbreaking, in our time, of God's domination-free
order.
Biblical
references to homosexuality
Culled from Of
Love and Justice: Toward the Civil Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage,
a resource developed by The United Church of Canada for congregations.
Bridges
Across the Divide
Bridges-Across the Divide provides models and resources for building
respectful relationships among those who disagree about moral issues
surrounding homosexuality, bisexuality and gender variance.
New
website for lesbian and gay studies in religion
"Our goal
is to be the premier source on the worldwide web for reliable and
up-to-date information and resources on LGBTQ issues and religion."
What
do Bible and tradition say about homosexuality
"Biblical teaching does not address a host of same-sex practices,
among them homosexual marriage. Moreover, the ends of marriage as
understood in the tradition of the church are ends that homosexual
marriage can fulfill."
Reading
the Bible
The debate in churches (and not just the Uniting Church) about sexuality
has highlighted questions about how we are to interpret this wonderful
volume.
What
the Bible says about homosexuality
Conservative
and liberal Christians interpret
the Bible in very different ways. This leads to two distinct
and contradictory sets
of beliefs within Christianity on just about every topic. Homosexuality
is no exception.
Christianity
and homosexuality: are they compatible?
Resources compiled
by a former Christian who thinks it is very important to explain
why it is possible to be both gay and Christian. "I have seen
too many people suffer from the illusion that this is not so."
Being
Church: Moving Beyond Tolerance
A paper concerned with the character of the conversation in the
Uniting Church about human sexual ethics - the way in which the
matter has been considered and acted upon - and not its specific
content.
Homosexuality,
Catholicism and Christianity
A partially annotated bibliography. Very thorough up to 1997.
Imitators
of God
The bigger issue for us is to consider where we might be creating
divisions of purity and impurity; where we might be seeing ourselves
as "the righteous" and others as "sinners".
And then to consider Jesus' radical alternative.
Not-so-holy
matrimony
Christianity has always had a bleaker view of love - gay or straight
- than any other faith.
Can
the Church Listen?
These
studies are for people who sincerely want to listen to and understand
what gay and lesbian people are saying to the church. In order to
participate people must be prepared to suspend their judgments and
listen as gay and lesbian people tell their stories and theologise
about their situation.
What
is wrong with gay sex?
God: So who's next? Ah, yes, the active homosexuals. So tell me,
Jarvis, what shall we do with them?
Jarvis: You're going to punish them, aren't you?
God: Why do you say that?
Jarvis: Because to engage in homosexual behaviour is wrong, of course.
2. The Uniting Church's sexuality debate
(in rough chronological order)
Background
to Uniting Church and Sexuality Issues
Some
presbyteries were faced with questions as homosexual people presented
themselves for candidature for ordination, or found existing ministers
who were homosexual called into their midst. One synod, Queensland,
declared itself a "CISAFIM" synod, as did some individual
presbyteries.
One
Potted History
1983
March: In response to concerns raised about its position on homosexuality
ASC sets up a committee to ‘undertake a study of the nature
of homosexuality’.
Uniting
Sexuality and Faith (pdf)
Final
Report of the Assembly Task Group on Sexuality, for presentation
to the Eighth Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, July
1997.
Extract
from Uniting Sexuality and Faith
(pdf)
Living
in God's Image and Grace (Chapter 3)
Seeking Right Relationship (Chapter 4)
Responses
to the Interim Report on Sexuality
When members of the Assembly started to consider the recommendations
they were able to refer to the task group's final report -- substantially
revised from the interim report but not to the satisfaction of many
critics. They also had a summary of responses to the interim report
which were submitted, in the main, by people who strongly rejected
it.
The
Bentley Report (pdf)
Analysis of the responses to the Interim Report on Sexuality.
EMU
responses
Then and now.
The
8th Assembly, Perth 1997
Documents, news and minutes.
Resolution
from 8th Assembly, 1997
Uniting Church
policy on the eligibility of homosexual persons for membership of
the church was clarified by the Assembly Standing Committee in 1987.
Standing Committee minute 87.46 includes the declaration that "All
baptised Christians belong in Christ's church and are to be welcomed
at his table, regardless of their sexual orientation".
Statement
on Unity and Diversity
We
pray that God will continue to bless and use the diverse gifts of
all church members as we seek to work together to make known God's
love and salvation.
Supplementary
Report of Assembly Standing Committee
Resolutions
of the Assembly and the Standing Committee provide the core documents
for an understanding of the current position of the church. These
decisions are read within the wider framework of the Constitution
and Regulations of the Uniting Church. Two Assemblies have directly
addressed the issue of human sexuality and its implications for
a person's place in the life of the Uniting Church. In addition
the Assembly Standing Committee has also addressed the issue and
the Assembly has endorsed these decisions.
Background
to the Supplementary Report
Issues surrounding
people of homosexual orientation/behaviour within the Uniting Church
have been around for many years. These have included the question
of the acceptance of homosexual people as members, at Holy Communion,
as candidates for ministry, as ministers or other church ministries.
How
the Melbourne Assembly was to Deal with Sexuality
The
10th Assembly at Melbourne was to have before it a number of proposals
relating to homosexuality.
Our
aim is to stay together: John Mavor
"Our
aim is to stay together," a former president, the Rev. John
Mavor, told a press conference on July 12.
Uniting
Church President: On Sexuality
"I believe this is a very mature document, that places genuinely
held views alongside each other, with respect."
Corkin:
We must find a way
Assembly
general secretary, the Rev. Terence Corkin, said it was very important
that the church found a way of living together when there were matters
of significant difference among its members.
Assembly
recommences painful discussions
"There
is pain associated with this proposal," were the opening remarks
of the Rev. John Mavor as he brought the Assembly Standing Committee's
proposal on sexuality before the 10th Assembly.
What
are right relationships?
The
term has been described as everything from "shorthand"
to "giving the impression that it's about deception and unfaithfulness".
Some people see it as the opposite to CISAFIM (celibacy in singleness
and faithfulness in marriage).
Sexuality:
the road story
Assembly
members were asked to take many roads on July 16 during the debate
on sexuality - some of them through uncertain territory.
A
closer look
The
report from the facilitation group on July 16 said the response
from community working groups indicated broad and warm support for
proposal 54. It was thought 54 enabled the church to live with diversity
but there was still some concern about the impact on Congress and
migrant ethnic congregations.
Proposal
84
Extract from unconfirmed Minutes of the Uniting Church in Australia
Tenth Assembly, Melbourne, 17th July, 2003.
'For
he is our peace'
A pastoral letter
from the Rev. Dr Dean Drayton, President of the Uniting Church Assembly.
Yesterday the Uniting Church's national Assembly reaffirmed presbyteries' role in determining who is suitable for ordination, candidature for ministry or placement in ministry on a case-by-case basis.
The real issue
is how we get along with others who believe in Jesus Christ but
who hold different points of view.
General
Secretaries' Questions and Answers
Q: Can
we exclude a person from membership if they are gay or lesbian?
A: No.
the resolution says that "membership of the Uniting Church
is open to all persons subject only to the guidance of the Basis
of Union, the Constitution, the Regulations and the policies of
the Assembly". the Basis of Union says that "membership
is open to all who are baptised into the Holy Catholic Church in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
(para 4).
A
pastoral letter from the Moderators of the Uniting Church in Australia
The
proposal attempts to help the Uniting Church be a place where all
its members can participate in the mission and ministry of Christ
through the Church, seeking to live up to the high expectations
of our Christian calling. I pray this will be your experience.
More
from the President
Some
see that the Proposal challenges their view of the Word of God.
I would remind them of the comments in the Basis of Union concerning
the biblical Witnesses in Paragraph 5, and Scholarly Interpreters
in Paragraph 11. There are at least two streams of interpretation
of the passages on sexual acts between persons of the same gender.
The Proposal encourages you to hold to your convictions and, with
regard to the passages involved, be able to acknowledge that other
persons hold with integrity another position, in their same loyalty
to Jesus Christ.
Vital
to the life of the church?
Assembly
General Secretary, the Rev. Terence Corkin, says he doesn't think
there is a church in the country that offers more freedom to decide
than the Assembly has through the approach it has taken.
The
change? It's all and nothing! By Kim Cain
The 10th
Assembly of the Uniting Church was of a mind: four times it could
have stepped back from passing resolution 84, the motion that has
(incorrectly) been popularised as allowing the ordination of gays
and lesbians.
Nothing
and everything has changed with Uniting Church vote
By Rosemary
Hudson Miller, social justice consultant for the Uniting Church
Synod of Western Australia
It has been Uniting Church policy since its inception that all people who put themselves forward as candidates for the ordained ministry are assessed on the variety of skills and gifts they have as an individual. This has been affirmed on several occasions and again last week.
The vote … confirms the potential of a gay or lesbian person to be ordained.
Yet there are still issues. It's difficult to see how the church can live with this tension, but those of us who support the leadership possibilities of gay and lesbian people worry that we have left open the possibility of homosexual people continuing to be rejected because of their sexuality.
The
Uniting Church accepts all people. It always has.
Engagement
with the community is at the core of the church's beliefs, writes
Alistair Macrae.
Further
comment: a victory for whom?
Assembly did
not endorse either "celibacy in singleness and faithfulness
in marriage" or "right relationship". It recognised
that both views are held in good conscience by members of the church:
a statement of fact. Neither position was endorsed by the Assembly.
EMU
Response (pdf)
"I
want to encourage you to try to reclaim the
Uniting Church in every way."
Uniting
Network comment
The decisions of the Tenth Assembly relating to membership and ministry
have made no changes in church polity. The situation is exactly
the same as it was before we went into the Assembly. We remain "one
in Christ" without barriers of distinction being imposed on membership.
In selecting its people for leadership positions, the rules remain
the same.
Special
meeting called
The Victoria and Tasmania Synod Moderator, Alistair Macrae has called
for a special meeting to discuss the impact of Assembly Proposal
84.
More
from Alistair Macrae
The
resolution, to my mind, breaks no new ground in terms of doctrine
or polity. I believe this is why the Assembly did not send it back
to other councils for consideration.
It reaffirms that all people, regardless of sexuality, are welcome in Christ's church. It reaffirms that presbyteries will continue to exercise discernment in relation to suitability for ordination on a "wide range of criteria, including consideration of the manner in which a candidate's sexuality is expressed".
Assembly
Standing Committee amends Proposal 84
Assembly Standing Committee has clarified Proposal 84 by deleting
two paragraphs from the original proposal which referred to two
sexual ethics held by members in the church ('Celibacy in singleness
and faithfulness in marriage' and 'Right relationships').
EMU's
first response to Standing Committee decision
The ASC states that congregations and councils of the church can,
after prayerful consideration and study of the Scriptures, state
a required sexual ethic of their leaders. However, the significance
of this is called into question by the fact that they are still
required to consider every individual on a case by case basis.
The
church and its decision
As reported by nationmaster.com encyclopedia. See also its "Christian
views of homosexuality".
Mixed
bag, bound by common faith
In the
September edition of Assembly Update, the Rev. Terence Corkin,
Assembly General Secretary, speaks of how he wants to be part of
a church "that can be humble enough to recognise when it does
not have all the answers, is gracious enough to live in fellowship
with people of faith who hold differing opinions, and which is hopeful
in the power of the Spirit and the gospel to sustain unity in a
diverse group of people who seek to move on in the fellowship of
Christ."
Norman
Young responds to Gordon Moyes
I doubt any reader of the Basis of Union, with its insistence on
the Triune God; on the Lordship of Jesus Christ, incarnate, crucified,
risen and ascended; the ongoing power and presence of the Holy Spirit;
the indispensability of the sacraments in feeding God's pilgrim
people; and the unique authority of the Old and New Testaments by
which the faith of the church is "nourished and regulated" would
come to the conclusion that the founding ethos of the church was
to "rid itself of traditional theology and authority and remove
all sense of mystery" (Moyes).
The
birth of the Reforming Alliance
"The summit
resulted in a creative response to the spiritual malaise of the
Uniting Church that avoids, at this point, a mass exodus from the
Uniting Church by orthodox Christians. We will not, however, be
limited by decisions which we believe to be ungodly from any council
of the Church. The creation of the Alliance is certainly not a weak
'more talk' option but a move that will help us to bring about much
needed reform." See the Reforming Alliance website.
New
South Wales Synod offers pastoral care to churches
The New South Wales Synod has addressed anguish in the Uniting Church
over the issue of sexuality and leadership by seeking funds to support
congregations whose members have left and by offering pastoral support
more generally.
Clarity
deepens Australian divisions over gay ordination
Special synods, sparked by deep-seated concern, have been called
by some state bodies. Which is interesting - and amazing - for a
resolution that was supposed simply to clarify existing procedures!
Resolution
84 issue sent for study before next Assembly
The Uniting Church's national Assembly Standing Committee, meeting
in Sydney last weekend, set up a three-step process to allow the
breadth of the church to be heard on the matter of homosexuality
and ordained ministry.
Uniting
Network statement
The
Uniting
Network applauds the ASC's decisions to provide a range of resources
to promote discussion in churches, Presbyteries and Synods around
the issues of sexuality and leadership in preparations for the 2006
Assembly.
EMU
response to Uniting Network
Playing down the level of disagreement to resolution 84 simply fuels
the feeling of many congregational members that they continue to
be unheard by those making decisions about this matter.
Adelaide
Affirmation
"We believe that it is time to end all policies and practices
that create barriers and restrictions to the full, responsible participation
of GLBT Christians in the life, mission and ministry of the church."
And the Reforming Alliance response.
NCLS
on homosexuality and church leadership
The report has demonstrated that attenders often have different
opinions on these two issues, being more likely to be accepting
of homosexuals into membership but less likely to accept the appointment
of homosexuals as leaders. It appears that many attenders would
have additional requirements for their leaders that are not incumbent
upon members. Church rejects gay poll. READ
ON
Reforming
Alliance releases survey results
On
Friday January 30, 2004, the Reforming Alliance released the results
of its sexuality survey. The Rev. Stephen Estherby, a Uniting Church
minister and organiser of the survey, said it, "shatters the
myth that Uniting Church people regard homosexual leadership as
acceptable in the church".
Presidential
ruling
"It would not be appropriate or in the interests of the Church
for the President to pre-empt the study and discussions which will
be undertaken over the next 2 years in preparation for further consideration
of these matters by the next meeting of the Assembly ... The Presbytery
and its PRC did not act properly."
Sexuality
and leadership in the Uniting Church
The Uniting Church entered another round of biblical and theological
study throughout the church following the Assembly Standing Committee's
initiation of a three-step
process to clarify the doctrine of the church regarding people
in committed same-gender relationships being in leadership roles,
including ordained ministries, with a view to decision-making at
the 11th Assembly. Sexuality and Leadership in the Uniting Church:
Biblical and Theological Reflection Resources for the Uniting Church
in Australia is on the Assembly website with additional resources
(such as a timeline)
not included in the book. The book is also available from the Assembly
for $3 plus postage.
'Church
may have had enough talk about sexuality'
The General Secretary
of the New South Wales Synod, the Rev. Dr Chris Budden, has suggested
it is time for another moratorium on discussion about sexuality
and leadership in the Uniting Church.
Nothing
has changed … in 20 years or more
In
Homosexuality and the Church, published by Uniting Church
Press in 1985, the Assembly Committee on Homosexuality and the Church
reported how ...
Democratic
or theocratic?
The Uniting Church
in Australia, while it values every member, does not seek to be
a democracy. We try to be a "theocracy", that is, to be
ruled by God.
CISAFIM,
Right Relationships, homosexuality and sin
Robert Bos writes: "My concern is that so much of our energy
and passion is being consumed by this one issue, and our unity is
threatened, when there are so many needs, and so much pain, both
within the church and the wider society."
Official
Assembly site for Proposal 84
ASC action on
Proposal 84, Confirmed Minutes, President's Letter regarding Proposal
84 and more.
EMU
documents on sexuality
Articles on sexuality displayed as Adobe Acrobat© (PDF).
Religion
Report interview
We’re affirming the grassroots decision-making authority of
our people, says Assembly General Secretary.
Sexuality
proposals at the 11th Assembly
Members of
the 11th Assembly will consider eight proposals around the issue
of sexuality and leadership when they meet in Brisbane.
Toward
Assembly 2006
Reforming Alliance
information and resources.
News
about the Uniting Church's 11th Assembly
The triennial
Assembly of the Uniting Church -- about 250 members elected by synods
and presbyteries -- met in Brisbane July 5-11. The Assembly website.
Open
to the transformation of God's Spirit
The General Secretary of the New
South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church has said the church's national
Assembly meeting has "committed its members and the whole church
to grapple with the implications of God's grace for our humanity,
urging members with different views 'to work at living together
in peace'."
Sexuality:
a way forward, but no consensus
The Uniting Church has decided against trying to reach consensus
at present on a policy about homosexual people in positions of ministry
and leadership.
Sexuality
and leadership in the Uniting Church
Following careful and prayerful reflection and discernment, the
Uniting Church’s 250-member National Assembly has been unable
to come to one mind on the issue of accepting in leadership those
living in committed same-gender relationships.
Peace
talks on sexuality
Members of the Uniting Church’s 11th Assembly on July 7 proved
that it was possible for 60 people to have a two-hour discussion
about human sexuality, but keep it peaceful and reasonable.
Assembly
refines sexuality and leadership proposals
The national Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia on Sunday
will consider a proposal that it continue to allow its congregations
and presbyteries to decide whether those living in committed same-gender
relationships are suitable for ministry.
Final
resolution
The Assembly's resolution
on sexuality and leadership and a statement
to the Assembly by the Uniting Aboriginal
and Islander Christian Congress about decisions at the 2003 and
2006 Assemblies.
Assembly
of Confessing Congregations
"ACC happened as a result of the inability of the National
Assembly to reach consensus about how God’s people should express
their sexuality and because of its advice to Synods and Presbyteries
(Resolution 108) to respect the willingness of congregations to
call ministers who are living in homosexual relationships."
3. What other churches are doing
What
other churches have done
A number
of Protestant, Anglican
and Old Catholic churches have accepted homosexual leadership, including
the United Church of Christ and partners in the World Alliance of
Reformed churches. See also the Methodist
Church of Great Britain. Bible
lessons these clergy forgot.
READ
ON Ordination
restored to same-sex celebrant. READ
ON
Policies
of 44 churches on homosexuality
There is no consensus within Christianity - either about the nature
of homosexuality, or what policies to enforce about gay and
lesbian members, candidates for ordination, commitment rituals or
study programs.
WCC
uses consensus to discuss sexuality
Using a proposed new consensus model for conducting meetings, information
was presented and discussed without the heated atmosphere that often
surrounds such controversial issues. MORE
Mainline
churches struggle over gay policy
Churches are
struggling over the demands of traditional teaching and a compassionate
response to gays and lesbians in their congregations. MORE
Gay
marriages debated in Canada
As well as the attorney general, gay marriage is supported by the
Canadian Human Rights Commission, the United Church of Canada representing
Presbyterian and Methodist congregations, and a coalition of liberal
rabbis. MORE
Court ruling
balances equality and religious freedom. READ
ON MORE
MORE
Let the
church handle the sacrament, the state the contract.
READ
ON "We
are living in a surprising moment, one that calls for compassion
for one another and faith for the journey as our church makes this
passage into a changed world."
READ ON Gender
and sexuality: considering the concepts. READ
ON
United
Reformed Church UK
Reports, debates and documents.
Christian
Reformed Church
Explicit homosexual practice must be condemned as incompatible with
obedience to the will of God as revealed in Scripture.
Methodists
Reject Changes to Gay Stance, Oppose Homophobia
After a lengthy debate, United Methodists voted April 30, 2008,
to reject changes to its constitution that would have liberalized
the church's stance on homosexuality. MORE
Being the Church Amid Disagreement. READ
ON MORE
Incompatible
with Christian teaching.READ
ON Congregation improvises to include gays, lesbians.
READ ON Including
all in God's grace. READ
ON Showdown in 2008. READ
ON
US
Methodists mull gay issues
The
Judicial Council, in a 6-3, said being a practising homosexual clearly
violates Methodist law. MORE
No authority to review lesbian pastor's acquittal. READ
ON MORE
"Loving division." READ
ON Church unity endorsed. READ
ON
NZ
Methodists reach understanding on gay ordination
The Methodist Church of New Zealand has reached an understanding
which allows the church to move forward on the ordination of gay
and lesbian people.
UK
Methodist leaders vote to bless gay couples
The annual Methodist conference voted unanimously to continue its
"pilgrimage of faith" towards gay people.
UK
Methodists' 'Pilgrimage of Faith'
The report shows a church that expresses a wide range of opinions
on homosexuality, yet also one that is willing to engage in seeking
a way forward. MORE
MORE
MORE
Human
sexuality and the United Church of Christ
the United Church of Christ has completed life-span resources that
will bring the ministry of sexuality education to United Church
of Christ members of all ages for years to come.
United
Church of Christ calls for equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians
At its meeting July 1-5, 2005, the United Church of Christ General
Synod affirmed “equal marriage rights for couples regardless
of gender.” It is the first such action by a U.S. mainline
denomination. United Church of Christ backs gay marriage. READ
ON US church leader backs gay 'marriage'.
READ ON Other churches unlikely
to follow UCC lead. READ
ON A church's struggle over gay marriage. READ
ON
Statement
from the World Methodist Council on Unity and Sexuality
It must be observed
that there is no ethical consensus in the world at large on these
and related matters.
Presbyterians
push again for gay clergy
The United States' largest Presbyterian denomination has again pushed
open the door to ordaining noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy, though
the decades-old fight is far from over.
Church
constitution still forbids gay ordination
The General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church in the USA has voted to retain an “authoritative
interpretation” of its constitution that forbids the ordination
of “self-affirming, practising homosexuals” as officers
of the church. MORE
MORE
US
Presbyterian body rules out ordination of non-celibate gays
The highest court of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
has issued a ruling that bars the ordination of non-celibate homosexual
clergy in the US denomination.
Presbyterians
uphold policy
Meeting
June 26-July 3, 2005, in Richmond, Va., the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) General Assembly voted 259-255 to maintain its current
policy of not ordaining "self-affirming, practicing homosexuals."
Committed
conversations
New
Zealand Presbyterians have Committed Conversations with resources
online.
New
Zealand Presbyterians reject gay clergy
The General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand has voted to
exclude from leadership positions people living together in gay
or unmarried relationships. MORE
MORE
MORE
Call for compassion. READ
ON
Bishops
'weakening body of Christ' in row over gays and women
Conservative bishops have been accused of breaching their duties
and damaging the welfare of Christians as the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr Rowan Williams, fights back against his critics. Anglicans in
turmoil. READ
ON MORE
Study
guide on human sexuality for the 2008 Lambeth Conference
The culmination of months of work on what is known as “The
Listening Process" and subsequent Primates Meetings, is now
set out on the Anglican Communion website for use around the Anglican
world. READ
ON MORE
Study guide. READ
ON
Church
denies blessings for same-sex unions
"Civil partnerships are not gay marriages. Marriage can only
be the sexual union of one man and one woman that is in English
law as well as the Church." "Marriages" but no sex
for gay clergy. READ
ON
Church
of England debates homosexuality
Church
policy on sexuality must reflect real world, says clergy. READ
ON Church
of England heads seek harmony. READ
ON It
was a close-run thing, but Anglican clergy managed to defeat a plan
for new "heresy courts" in the Church of England. READ
ON Radical inclusivity. READ
ON Homosexuality issue could overwhelm church.
READ ON
Homophobia
is rife, says Archbishop
The Archbishop of Canterbury has reopened the controversy over gay
clergy, claiming that homophobia is rife in Christian circles.
MORE
Anglican leaders
to provide justification for decisions surrounding homosexuality.
READ
ON
Churches
warned over 'gay slurs'
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for church traditionalists
opposed to homosexuality to stop using inflammatory words about
gay people.
Church
to let gay clergy ‘marry’ but must be celibate
Homosexual priests in the Church of England will be allowed to “marry”
their boyfriends under a proposal drawn up by senior bishops, led
by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Anglican
ruction over homosexuality
It’s interesting that this same schismatic situation didn’t
occur over women’s ordination, because women are 52 per cent
of the population. Or over divorce. If we’re talking about
absolute adherence to the plain teaching of Scripture, look what
Jesus had to say about divorce. But women bishops vote angers critics.
READ
ON
American
churches shown door as gay row deepens
The Anglican Church moved closer to schism yesterday when members
of its central administrative council formally asked the Churches
of Canada and the US to go. MORE
US Anglicans
defend stance on gays.
READ ON
MORE MORE
MORE
MORE
"Moves toward
fuller inclusion make sense in their societies." READ
ON
The
(Anglican) Lambeth Commission on Communion
Within provinces,
dioceses and parishes, where individual Anglican Christians have
experienced degrees of alienation and exclusion due to differences
of opinion between leadership and members, there has been much pain
and disillusionment. Episcopal bishops express ''sincere regret"
for consecrating the denomination's first openly gay bishop.
READ
ON MORE
Australian
Anglicans don't want gay marriages or gay clergy
Gay marriages and openly gay clergy have no place in the Anglican
Church after the General Synod yesterday affirmed its fierce opposition
to liberal elements that have exposed deep divisions in the church.
MORE
A Church at War: Anglicans and Homosexuality. READ
ON Male clergy enclave. READ
ON
'Church
must accept reality of gay relationships'
The Anglican church must accept the reality that same sex relationships
existed and work out how it would tackle the issue, says Archbishop
Peter Carnley.
A
Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of the Church of Ireland
Where there is discussion, it is most effectively undertaken in
a safe space, where people are able to let go of their own agendas
without betraying their deeply held convictions, where they are
prepared to listen sensitively to one another, and where attitudes
of condemnation are avoided.
Do
justice
A series of essays
toward the US Episcopal General Convention in 2003 and beyond. The
Columbus, Ohio, Episcopal battlefield. READ
ON
Anglicans
face rift over gay clergy: June 2006
The US branch meets to debate whether to “repent” the
effects of its actions in consecrating an openly gay bishop. In-depth
coverage of the Episcopal Church's 75th General Convention. READ
ON The
Episcopal Church USA remains painfully divided over issues of homosexuality.
READ
ON
Lutherans
reject non-celibate gay clergy
The
national assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
has voted to maintain its ban on sexually active homosexual clergy.
MORE
MORE
Canadian Lutherans
defeat same-sex blessings.
READ ON MORE
Lutheran leader
hopes to avoid split. READ
ON Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
READ
ON Discussion
guide: “Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality”.
READ
ON
Lutherans
in America issue study guide
The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America has mailed its pastors and lay leaders
a 49-page study guide to help the church's five million members
consider how the church will respond to questions about blessing
same-sex relationships and accepting lay and ordained ministers
in such relationships.MORE
Lutherans
propose possible gay clergy path
Lutheran council proposes possible pathway for gays in committed
relationships to become pastors.
MORE
MORE
Recommendations from the ELCA Church Council to the ELCA Churchwide
Assembly on Sexuality Studies (pdf) READ
ON Theologians support recommendation that makes it possible
to “choose to refrain from disciplining those who in good conscience,
and for the sake of outreach, ministry, and the commitment to continuing
dialogue, call or approve partnered gay or lesbian candidates".
READ
ON MORE
MORE
ELCA
bishops on sexuality recommendations
"We recognise that our differences are rooted in deeply held
convictions ... For the sake of the unity of this church and its
mission, we are not divided by these differences."
Panel
asks Lutheran body to tolerate gays
Trying to walk
a line that will preserve unity, a panel has recommended that the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America officially maintain its positions
against same-sex blessing ceremonies and gay and lesbian ministers
in relationships but tolerate dissenters. MORE
MORE The church's current position is that married pastors
are expected to be faithful to their spouses, single pastors are
expected to remain chaste, gays or lesbians in a same-gender sexual
relationship are precluded from ordination, and celibate self-identified
homosexuals may be and remain ordained. See FAQ.
Catholic
Church: From the Catechism
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. MORE
MORE
"My parish priest told me just follow your heart." READ
ON
American
Baptist exodus
The Pacific Southwest region of the American Baptist Churches USA
has begun defecting in the largest church exodus from any denomination
over the presenting issue of homosexuality.
‘A
crossroads in our life together’
Leader of evangelical Baptist group warns against split over homosexuality.
Human
Sexuality in the Christian Life
This study on sexuality was mandated by the General Conference Mennonite
Church Triennial Sessions in 1980 and by the Mennonite Church General
Assembly in 1981.
Canadian
MPs vote to legalise same-sex marriages
Madrid passes law to legalise gay marriages. READ
ON
Letters to the Editor, August 2003
Letters to the Editor, September 2003
Letters to the Editor, October 2003
Letters to the Editor, November 2003
Letters to the Editor, December 2003
Letters to the Editor, January, February and March 2004
Information in these pages was generated or inspired by members of the 10th Assembly media team, colleagues, acquaintances and other sources, official and otherwise, including the insights-l email discussion group. For more information, suggestion or complaint, email Stephen Webb.