This afternoon, the GA voted 53% to 46% to send to the presbyteries an amendment replacing the language of G 6.0106b with the following language: “Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”
The language (what is presently in the Book of Order) that would be replaced by the amendment reads: “Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.”
A majority of presbyteries would have to vote in favor of this amendment in order for it to become a part of our constitution. If passed, this amendment would allow each ordaining body (session and presbytery) to establish ordination standards which might differ from standards established by other ordaining bodies. The amendment would not require ordination of homosexuals but it would allow an ordaining body to make that decision based on its own examination. It’ll be interesting to see how important our presbyteries consider it to be to have a uniform standard of ordination across the denomination.
It will be vitally important to the denomination for this proposed amendment to fail. We can not stray from God's Word for the sake of "keeping up with today's standard". We must stand and fight for what God has called right, and wrong and we must love all people regardless of sexual orientation or sinful selections, but this does not mean allowing them to hold leadership in our churches. How sad a day when my church considers themselves smarter than God's Word by voting on a proposed change to allow the leadership of the church to decide whether or not someone is capable of leading God's people as a homosexual. The fact that they are homosexual would immediately exclude them from eligibility, as they are living a life of sin. The same would go for an adulterer, a liar, a thief, or any other person that exchanges God's truth for a lie. Vote it down, or watch our church go right down the drain.
ReplyDeleteHomosexuals do not choose their lifestlye. They are just as familiar with their lifestyle from an early age as you are. There was never a choice. In saying they live a life of sin is judgement no one qualifies to pass. What is wrong, though, are the homosexuals having to lie about their identity in order to serve the church and Christ's work. What's also unfortunate is that some marry a person of the opposite sex that they can never truly love so that they portray a false image of happiness to their spouse, family, and church. There are already hundreds of Lgbt serving in the church. And some are even your friends. But, Christ does not create a condemned person. Nor would a person choose to live a life of fear from the family and church.
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