| Spahr violated PC(USA) Constitution, Redwoods Judicial Commission rules |
| Written by Leslie Scanlon, Outlook national reporter |
| Saturday, 28 August 2010 18:37 |
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The Permanent Judicial Commission of Redwoods Presbytery has ruled that Janie Adams Spahr, a minister who performed same-gender weddings in 2008 when such marriages were, for a brief time, legal in California, violated the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in doing so. The PC(USA) Book of Order defines Christian marriage as being between “a man and a woman.” The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission – the highest court in the Presbyterian system – ruled in an April 2008 decision in an earlier case against Spahr that church officers should not “state, imply or represent that a same-sex ceremony is a marriage.” The Redwoods Permanent Judicial Commission found in its ruling today (August 27) that Spahr “persisted in a pattern or practice of disobedience” of that ruling when she performed 15 same-gender marriage ceremonies in California between June and November 2008. The Redwoods commission voted 4-2 to sustain three charges, all brought anonymously against Spahr — that she had violated the denomination’s constitution; that she showed a pattern of disobedience; and that she had violated her ordination vows in performing the marriages. But the Redwoods judicial panel ruled unanimously, 6-0, not to sustain a charge that Spahr had “failed to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church.” The judicial commission voted to censure Spahr — who is 68, a lesbian; a divorced mother and retired — by a rebuke, and instructed her “to avoid such offenses in the future.” During a three-day trial, a number of women whom Spahr had married testified, describing her pastoral support of them; the value of the premarital counseling she provided; and the emotional and spiritual significance of her being willing to perform their marriages. Some of them have been in committed relationships for a dozen years or more. Although ruling against Spahr on most of the charges, the Redwoods’ commission’s ruling indicates both respect for her ministry and sympathy for her arguments. The ruling states that Spahr performed the same-gender marriages — which remain legal marriages — “acting with faithful compassion.” The ruling states that “we commend Dr. Spahr and give thanks for her prophetic ministry that for 35 years has extended support” to people who seek dignity, freedom, and respect; and has sought to redress wrongs in the world. “In addition, we call upon the church to reexamine our own fear and ignorance that continues to reject the inclusiveness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” the ruling states. “We say this believing we have in our own Book of Order conflicting and even contradictory rules and regulations that are against the Gospel. In this particular case, in W4.9001 (from the Book of Order) we have inclusive and broad descriptive language about marriage, ‘Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family.’ This sentence is followed immediately by ‘Marriage is a civil contract between a woman and a man.’ ” The ruling states later that some states now allow same-gender marriage and “we, as a church, need to be able to respond to this reality as Dr. Jane Spahr has done with faithfulness and compassion. The court ruled that Spahr did violate her ordination vows in marrying same-gender couples. But it also wrote that “she has also followed the Book of Order by remembering that our confessions and church is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, as the Scriptures bear witness to him.” Regarding the charge — which the commission did not sustain — that Spahr had failed to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church, the commission wrote that “we commend Dr. Spahr for helping us realize that peace without justice is no peace. And it went on: “As a commission, we give thanks for the courageous and heart-rending testimonies of the married couples who shared with us their great hurt through the policies of our church. We also thank them for the joy in marriage they shared with us that that has brought healing in their lives and in their families through the ministry of Dr. Spahr. On behalf of the church, we ask for their forgiveness for the harm that has been, and continues to be, done to them in the name of Jesus Christ. “We implore the Synod and General Assembly levels of our church to listen to these testimonies, which are now part of this record, to take them to heart, and to do what needs to be done to move us as a church forward on this journey of reconciliation. Spahr is not the only Presbyterian pastor facing judicial charges for performing same-gender weddings in states where that is legal. The Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Northeast ruled this summer that Jean Southard, a Massachusetts minister who married two women in a state that has legalized such marriages, had violated the PC(USA)’s constitution and her ordination vows. That synod court ruled that the “plain meaning” of the PC(USA) constitution is that marriage is between a man and a woman. “While this no longer reflects the reality of civil marriage in some states, and Christian marriage in some denominations, it remains the polity of the PC(USA),” the synod court ruled, reversing a 2009 ruling of the Presbytery of Boston Permanent Judicial Commission, which had found in favor of Southard. Southard, also retired, has said she will appeal the synod court ruling to the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission. If an appeal is made in Spahr’s case, the commission’s rebuke of her would be stayed until that appeal is resolved. Spahr and her legal team said in a statement they are still deciding whether to appeal. Trackback(0)
Your Responses (3)
Response from Dan Christian,
September 07, 2010
San Rafael, CA
The PJC pointed out the conflict within our church consitution when it said, " In addition, we call upon the church to reexamine our own fear and ignorance that
continues to reject the inclusiveness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.(G3.0401c) We say this believing that we have in our own Book of Order conflicting and even contradictory rules and regulations that are against the Gospel." As long as the PCUSA keeps this binding rule within the Book Of Order our marriage laws will continue to cause the Gospel to stumble; and for that, our church will be limited in our ability and integrity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Response from Rev. Ray Bagnuolo,
September 05, 2010 New York, NY
A stunningly sad and woefully non-prophetic ruling,
finding The Rev. Spahr guilty on three counts of violating her ordination vows, the church constitution, and other rulings of the church that referred to marriage as being between a man and a woman. Then, commending Janie on her ministry to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community, further asking for forgiveness from the community for its treatment at the church’s hands. The real prophet, the faithfulprophet, the prophet calling us more closely into the love and presence of God in all the fullness and mystery of our creation was the once, again, tossed into the cistern – this time, with entire community. The ruling could have been different. It could have moved us all further along and uplifting our sisters and brothers, instead of, again, degrading the LGBT community. A prophetic vote for acquittal, citing the language in the constitution that they admitted was in conflict with itself, calling the GAPJC into question on previous rulings that did not take into consideration legal marriages between same gender couples, building upon the witness of the couples who courageously withness, AND commending the ministry of The Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr would have had the same effect of producing an appeal, except it would have for once affirmed the LGBT community and those whoe were told they were loved and apologized to on behalf of the church and its previous actions. Words, which, at least to me, fell far too short. We who are LGBT are faithful people, too, as much as any of us should dare to say that. Like many who may read this, we are baptized, loving, dedicated servants of God. We are not an issue but living breathing people - and these rulings are far from life-giving. In fact, these rulings feed the violence of hate crimes and discrimination, as if an edict from the church that says we are second-class and do not belong. When in fact we all belong. So why are we kept from the full work and worship of this reformed Protestant denomination? If we can become a church that gets past the momentum of fear and hatred that is separating us, perhaps we can then help the world to learn how to do the same. Now, that would be a decision all would love to hear, including the One who put us all here together, in the first place. Rev. Ray Bagnuolo, Minister of Word and Sacrament Gay Member of the LGBT Community The real prophet, the faithfulprophet, the prophet calling us more closely into the love and presence of God in all the fullness and mystery of our creation was the once, again, tossed into the cistern – again, with entire community. The ruling could have been different. It could have moved us all further along and uplifting instead of, again, degrading the LGBT community. A prophetic vote for acquittal, citing the language in the constitution that they admitted was in conflict with itself, calling the GAPJC into question on previous rulings that did not take into consideration legal marriages between same gender couples, and commending this ministry of The Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr would have had the same effect of producing an appeal, except it would have for once affirmed the LGBT community and those whoe were told they were loved and apologized to on behalf of the church and its previous actions. We are faithful people, as much as any of us should dare to say that. We are baptized, loving, dedicated servants of God. We are not an issue but living breathing people - and these rulings are far from life-giving. In fact, these rulings feed the violence of hate crimes and discrimination, as if an edict from the church that says we are second-class and do not belong. When in fact we all belong. If we can become a church that gets past this fear and hatred that is separating us, perhaps we can then help the world to learn how to do the same. Now, that would be a decision, but we missed it again... Write a Response
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Jane & her friends are the people that have issues with the Scripture and the Book of Order. Well, why don't they just leave? Instead they are forcing more and more of our congregations to leave because they are like the men of Sodom and Gomorrah who were blinded by their own desires. They seek to destroy everyone and everything that does not bow to their wishes. They are inhospitable to those of us who stand for what the Scripture says about sexuality. They are the ones who stumble and cause others to stumble, yet they blame the Gospel and claim that it stumbles.
When congregations seek to leave the PCUSA, Jane and her friends use every force to stop us. Instead of letting congregations leave freely, they fight us and try and take our property or make us pay for the property we spent years investing in. One example is the recent action taken toward Colonial Presbyterian in the Heartland Presbytery. Unlike Jesus, who gives us the free choice to follow, you seek every force possible to make us bow to your desires. I've seen what Jane’s cohorts have done to the Episcopal churches that have stood on Biblical standards and they are doing the same to us within this denomination. Such behavior is not of God.
They call those that disagree with them such names as hate mongers, intolerant, heterosexists, homophobic and other vile, childish names. They do so to condemn not only those that have been faithful God’s Word but especially toward those that leave a homosexual lifestyle. They then lift themselves up by wearing rainbow scarves, gather television and newspaper reporters for the purpose to proclaim how good and enlightened they are and to denigrate those that will not adhere to their desires. Jesus said none are good but God, yet all I hear from them are declarations of their self-righteousness.
I also tire of the nonsense that is spouted by them when they say, "It's all about love." If they were truly loving, then they wouldn't want to change what the Scripture and Book of Order clearly states. What I see is their lustful desires being placed first and foremost in their lives. They are bullies to those who will not follow them and to those that stand for what Scripture says about sexuality. The last time I checked, none of them died on a cross and took my sins to the depths of hell and rose on the third day. Since that’s the case, I won’t be following them and will battle against the lies that they spew in their goal to tarnish and tear apart the Body of Christ.
Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” I see no love for Jesus by Jane and her friends because all I see from them is willful disobedience. Matthew 7:16 tells us that we will know them by the fruit they are bearing. All I have ever seen from them is poisonous.