Hudson River Presbyterians take aim at gay clergy ban
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- September
- 19
The Hudson River Presbytery has taken the lead on reviving one of the most controversial issues in the world of Presbyterian Church (USA).
Last night, the presbytery (the regional body of PCUSA) passed a resolution that calls on PCUSA’s next national assembly to consider removing from church law a prohibition on gay clergy.
The prohibition, widely known as Amendment B or the “fidelity and chastity” amendment, actually requires that clergy be married or chaste. When it was adopted about a decade ago, it was known to be a move against gay clergy.
There have been several efforts to blot out the ban, but none have succeeded.
The “Hudson River Presbytery”:http://www.hudrivpres.org/ includes 92 churches in the Lower Hudson Valley. It is widely recognized as one of the nation’s most gay-friendly presbyteries.
The amendment, passed last night by an overwhelming vote, will be taken up by PCUSA’s national “General Assembly”:http://www.pcusa.org/generalassembly/ next June in San Jose. But even if delegates there support removing the ban, the resolution would still have to be supported by a majority of presbyteries across the country.
It is a long…slow…process.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 12:54 pm by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
