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美國長老教會(the presbyterian church usa)允許神職人員祝福同志伴侶

【　presbyterian vote oks same-sex blessings by clergy　】

don lattin, chronicle religion writer
thursday, march 15, 2001


the rev. laird stuart, pastor of the largest presbyterian church in
san francisco, was glad to hear that he is still allowed to perform church
rituals blessing the relationships of gay and lesbian couples.

yesterday, the presbyterian church usa announced that a majority
of the church's 173 regional legislatures, known as "presbyteries," had
rejected a proposed ban on same-sex blessings.

stuart, pastor of the 1,200-member calvary presbyterian church, is
also a national leader of the covenant network, a group of presbyterians
formed to work for "a progressive and fully inclusive presbyterian church."

so one would think that if any presbyterian congregation in america
had gay and lesbian couples waiting to be blessed, the line would be forming
at calvary's door.

there's just one problem.

"i've never been asked," the pastor said.

and that, stuart added, proves his point that a conservative presbyterian
campaign to ban same-sex blessings is not really about gays and lesbians.

"the deeper issue is that many conservatives fear the church has lost
its theological identity and its sense of the authority of scripture," he said.
"the gay/lesbian issue is a convenient battleground.

"but people are beginning to realize this is not a debate between
those who respect the authority of scripture and those who don't. it's
about people who come to different interpretations about passages in
the bible."

presbyterian church law still limits "marriage" to heterosexuals
and forbids the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy.

last summer, at the presbyterian church's national convention
in long beach, voting delegates approved a measure that would
have barred local pastors or churches from performing same-sex
blessings.

that measure required the approval of a majority of the 3.6
million-member denomination's regional presbyteries. it was
announced yesterday that 63 had voted in favor and 88 against.

two dozen presbyteries have not yet voted, but a majority of
the 173 regional groups have now rejected the measure.

hans cornelder, who runs the presbyweb internet site, said the
proposal lost because those voting felt it intruded too much on the
powers of local clergy and congregations.

"very few people in the presbytery debates have spoken in
favor of blessing same-sex unions," he said.

now the action moves to the presbyterian church's annual
convention, which will be held june 9 to 16 in louisville. some
30 bills for that meeting propose repealing the requirement that
clergy and lay officers "live either in fidelity within the covenant of
marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness."

stuart believes there's a chance the delegates will vote to
overturn the ban on gay ordination, but thinks it will be a very
close battle.

"people are getting impatient with intolerance," he said. "the
silent middle has decided there is too much at stake to remain silent."