Presbyterians Struggle With Issue of Gay Clergy

A committee of the Presbyterian church will convene to consider whether the church should be guided by its founding documents, or whether subsequent translations and revisions to those documents may be viewed as holding equal authority.

The specific question concerns later translated versions of the church's Heidelberg Catechism, which is a foundational document to the Presbyterian denomination.

In the original document, no mention is made of homosexuality at all.

However, later, translated versions of the Catechism make reference to "homosexual perversion."

A March 14 article at The Christian Post said that the General Assembly Special Committee on Correcting Translation Problems of the Heidelberg Catechism will convene for two days at the end of the month to consider the question.

The outcome may well have an effect on the question of the role that non-celibate gays and lesbians may play in the church.

The currently accepted translation of the Heidelberg Catechism, which the American arm of the church accepted in 1967, includes a passage that reads, "Scripture says, 'Surely you know that the unjust will never come into possession of the kingdom of God.

"Make no mistake," the English version continues, "no fornicator or idolater, none who are guilty either of adultery or of homosexual perversion, no thieves or grabbers or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers, will possess the kingdom of God."

Proponents of revisiting the translation and scrubbing the reference to "homosexual perversion" base their argument on the fact that the German original did not reference homosexuality; that was added in later.

But those wishing to leave the current English version as it is argue that the revised version is just as valid as the foundational document it purports to translate.

The article quoted Princeton Theological Seminary and Erskine Theological Seminary professors Michael D. Bush and Bruce L. McCormack, who stated, "It is not the Latin and German texts from the sixteenth century that guide our Church, but rather it is the English texts adopted by the deliberative assemblies of the Church and published in the Book of Confessions by which every officer of our Church has vowed to be guided."

The pair added, "These English versions have been responsibly translated and carefully chosen as 'faithful expositions of what Scripture teaches us to believe and do.'"

The church is considering revisions to another foundational document: its own constitution. A movement is afoot to amend the church constitution in a way that would allow gay and lesbian clergy to be partnered without facing loss of their clerical status.

However, opposition to the change appears to be stiff. Pittsburgh television station WTAE reported on March 24 that the local presbytery, one of the nation's largest, had voted against the proposed change that same say, 92-21.

There are 173 presbyteries in the United States, the article said, and they are all expected to cast votes on the issue. The article noted that the tally as of its publication came out to 64 presbyteries opposing the change, with 41 voting to allow gay and lesbian clergy to have family lives.

Eight years ago a similar measure was voted down, the article noted.

The outcome will undoubtedly have an effect on the case of Lisa Larges, a lesbian whose ordination was blocked in 1992 due to her openness about her sexuality.

Seventeen years later, Larges--who is a Presbyterian deacon--attempted to resume the process of becoming ordained, under an exemption that theoretically makes it possible for a gay or lesbian clerical candidate to register a conscientious protest to the ban on openly gay, partnered clergy and be reconsidered for ordination.

A church court took up the case, and found against Larges.

A change to the church's constitution could, however, clear the way for Larges and other qualified Presbyterians to pursue ordination.

An Associated Press article from March 26 quoted Larges as saying that the finding had "deeply personal and painful repercussions" not only for herself, but for other devoted GLBT Presbyterians.