| Ghana's Presbyterian church may follow Mexico's in severing ties with PC(USA) over gay ordination |
| Written by Leslie Scanlon, Outlook national reporter | ||||||||||||||
| Monday, 05 September 2011 02:44 | ||||||||||||||
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A church in Africa may have become be the second Presbyterian denomination outside the United States to end its partnership with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in response to the U.S. church’s decision to allow the ordination of sexually active gays and lesbians. On its Facebook page, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana announced decisions made at its recent 2011 General Assembly. Among those listed are that “the Assembly decided to sever relationship with any partner church that ordained homosexuals as ministers and allowed for same-sex marriages.” The action does not specifically mention the PC(USA), but the U.S. denomination in July removed from its constitution language that restricted ordination to those promising to practice fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness. Now, candidates for ordination in the PC(USA) must promise to “submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.” It is not totally clear what the impact of the Ghanaian vote may be for the PC(USA), since the language refers to any church that ordains homosexuals and allows same-sex marriages. The PC(USA) permits the former – but not the latter. The PC(USA)’s Book of Order defines Christian marriage as being between a man and a woman, and in February 2011 the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission ruled that Presbyterian ministers shall not “state, imply or represent that the same-gender ceremony is an ecclesiastical marriage ceremony,” even in states where same-gender marriage is legal. The Presbyterian Church of Ghana also posted a note on Facebook in July, with the title “Response of Christian Churches in Ghana to Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriages.” That note states that all the major religious traditions in Africa – “African Traditional Religions, Christianity and Islam” – have consistently condemned homosexuality and same-sex marriages. “For African Christians today, homosexuality is unnatural, un-African, abnormal, filthy and unbiblical,” the note states. “It is therefore un-Ghanaian and must not be tolerated in this country.” These actions by the Ghanaian church could make it the second Presbyterian denomination outside the United States to end its partnership with the PC(USA) in response to the American church’s removal of the “fidelity and chastity” language from its constitution. On Aug. 19, a special assembly of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico voted 116-22 to end its 139 years of mission partnership with the PC(USA). “I deeply regret their decision to end a relationship that has brought blessings to both churches,” Gradye Parsons, the PC(USA)’s stated clerk, said in a statement following the Mexican church’s vote. Hunter Farrell, the PC(USA)’s director of World Mission, could not immediately be reached for comment about the Ghanaian church’s actions or how it might affect the PC(USA)’s work in the region. Your Responses (7)
Tom Eggebeen
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Los Angeles, CA Pete, your analysis of my response is beyond reason. If you and I were sitting down with a cup of coffee, I might just say, "Pete, don't be silly!" I'm serious about my faith, and I know that you are, too. And likely, across a table, you would never suggest such a silly thing to me (although I've had a leading evangelical say that directly to my face at meeting, and I responded, "Let's not be silly!) Please, I may be wrong about a lot of things, but suggesting, as you have, what the outcome of my reasoning/thinking/faith-process is uncalled for. I can just as easily suggest your line of reasoning and your approach to the faith would lead us back to the Dark Ages, the repression of women, the re-institution of slavery, child-labor, psoriasis, bad-breath and road-rage. We all follow lines of reasoning - knowing when to stop is the issue, not the reasoning process itself. Since we all are sinners, and our reasoning always flawed by dark materials (Genesis 8.21), only grace allows us to survive and to find the appropriate end-game to our thinking. And, btw, no need to suggest, as you have, what I might or might not think about our sisters and brothers in Ghana. No need to put words into my mouth or project thoughts on me. Over a cup of coffee, you and I might do quite well ... let's just pretend that's where we are, okay? We can deal with the substance at hand, but ad hominem criticisms are not particularly helpful. |
Pete Larson
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Lebanon, Ohio Tom: Your argument uses the same logic that is often used to support ordination of homosexuals: because the church was wrong about slavery, therefore the church is wrong about homosexuality. Using that very same logic, you could just as well argue: because the church was wrong about slavery, therefor the church has been wrong about incest, polygamy, pedophilia, etc. For that matter, you could say that because the church was wrong about slavery, therefor the church is wrong about murder and theft. This is faulty logic. The fact that the church has been wrong about some things does not mean that the church is wrong about everything. The truth is that homosexuality is not a justice issue at all but a sin issue and a moral issue. You seem to believe that the Christians in Ghana (and our brothers and sisters in Mexico) are backward and ignorant and lack the theological sophistication of those of us in the PC(USA). The truth is that we are the ones who are poor, naked and blind (Revelation 3:17) and in spiritual darkness for refusing to see and acknowledge what is revealed so clearly in the Word of God. |
Tom Eggebeen
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Los Angeles, CA Whoever said justice would be popular ... even among Christians? After all, American churches tolerated, indeed,supported, slavery for nearly 200 years, and Jim Crow-like laws still function in portions of our culture. We have charted new territory, thanks be to God. That other churches would condemn us ought to make us stand up and give thanks. While we might rightly lament the loss of relationship with these churches, God will provide other ways and means for us to continue God's mission of reconciliation. |
James Reid Ross
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Lillington NC Dear LORD let me not forget that you are LOVE and that you came for the afflicted (me) not for the righteous may I never appear self_righteous as a Pharisee for my righteousness exceeds that of a Pharisee that is Your Righteousness is imputed to me so Father sees me a sinless but does discipline me because He loves me as much as He does You. Love You LORD loving all mankind with malice toward none. In Christ. |
James Reid Ross
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Lillington NC Thank you Jake I have been out of the loop on this edition of this fight and had been wanting to read the new language, seems to me in the attempt to weaken they have actually strengthen it, when you submit joyfully to the Lordship of Christ a VOW and you break that VOW you will receive the due penalty for you sin if anyone thinks the LORd that bargained with father Abraham and said if ten righteous could be found and did not and fire rained down from heaven misconstrue that LORD and blatantly disobey that LORD they are in serious trouble. Let us look to the LORD to implement this new language in a way that only HE can. blessings love in Christ. |
Eddie Soto
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Charleston, SC I know this church personally and its Moderator and am not surprised by its decision. I belive that other Presbyterian churches overseas will follow the lead of the Ghanian church. Also, please note that the Presbyterian Church, different from the Mexican Presbyterian Church, DOES ordain women. One issue is seen as gender identity (women) and the other with behaviour (homosexual practice). |
Jake Horner
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Pittsburgh, PA The sentence in the new Book of Order reads thus: Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (F-1.02). Read it carefully. The is no standard evinced in that statement. It is merely a statement that describes standards, there is no imperative. There is no standard in F-1.02 either. The first hint of a standard is in the ordination questions in W-4.4003: b. Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to you? c. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God? d. Will you fulfill your ministry in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of Scripture, and be continually guided by our confessions? The way I read those sections we are under the authority of Scripture and guided by the confessions by which we receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do; and we will be instructed and led by those confessions as we lead the people of God. That, as near as I can tell, is our standard. Jake Horner |
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