I attended First Presbyterian Church on Sunday (June 5th). This time I will focus on the denomination they are affiliated with, the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The PCUSA represents the largest, but not sole, Presbyterian denomination in the United States. Other U.S. Presbyterian denominations include the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), the Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Bible Presbyterian Church, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, among others.
The PCUSA has been in the news lately because by a somewhat narrow vote (55% to 45%), it changed language in its Manual of Goverrment which would effectively allow local congregations and Presbyteries (regional governing bodies), to ordain openly proclaiming homosexuals.
Specifically, the language that used to require "fidelity with the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness," has been changed to "joyfully submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ."
Some of my friends have been a bit confused about the news of this vote. They think it means the denomination will start directly ordaining homosexuals. It doesn't quite work that way. As I best understand it, a local pastor has to both be called by a local congregation and ordained by the Presbytery, so that it takes both the approval of the local congregation and the regional Presbytery to ordain an openly homosexual pastor.
Many conservative Presbyterians may leave the denomination over the possiblity of a congregation and Presbytery ordaining an openly homosexual pastor condoned under the standards for the denomination. We will have to see how this turns out, and whether such departures will be offset by others attracted to the denomination by what they view as a more open stance in the denomination on this issue.
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