Boston Presbytery welcomes ‘transgendered’ candidate
By Parker T. Williamson, The Layman Online, October 9, 2002
Members of Boston Presbytery had to choose their words carefully Sept. 23 when discussing a proposed candidate for ministry. For some, the candidate was a “she.” Others described the candidate as a “he.” Still others sidestepped the problem altogether by referring to the candidate as “the candidate.”
At issue was a recommendation from the Committee on Preparation that Boston Presbytery receive as a candidate for ministry a person who was born male but now claims to be female. According to college and seminary diplomas, a marriage license (now cancelled by divorce), and the paternity line on his/her daughter’s birth certificate, “Sara” J. Herwig was not always known as Sara.
‘Statement of faith journey and call’
“By the summer of 1997 I had decided to seek the prescribed medical treatment of transition from living in the gender role of male to living in that of female,” Herwig said in a written “Statement of Faith Journey and Call” that was distributed to members of Boston Presbytery.
Herwig said life has been a struggle because of “my deep inner sense that despite the physical evidence of masculinity I was – and am – actually female.”
Society is to blame, according to Herwig, for imposing “gender expectations” on those whose perceptions of themselves don’t agree with their anatomy.
Help from ‘More Light’
Herwig found support for his/her chosen identity at First Presbyterian Church in Waltham, Mass., a congregation whose stated supply pastor, the Rev. Jean Southard (who also serves as the chair of Boston Presbytery’s Committee on Preparation), has led it into becoming a More Light Church. Churches that use this label say they welcome persons into congregational leadership without regard for their sexual preferences.
Herwig said his/her activities at the Waltham church include “teaching, working with young adults, preaching occasionally, ministering to and being ministered to by our unique congregation.”
The congregation claims an average worship attendance of 35 and a church school enrollment of 18, according to the most recent statistics published by the PCUSA Department of Research Services. It took in 12 members in 2001, but it lost 11.
‘Resourcing’ the Presbytery
When Boston Presbytery met to discuss Herwig’s candidacy, members were given a six-page “basic information” paper on transsexualism that was written by the candidate, whose only post-graduate degree is a Masters of Divinity. Herwig’s paper argued that American culture is “insidiously engrained” with “myths and misinformation” regarding transsexualism.
Referring to other cultures, Herwig said, “In many of these societies the transgendered – or ‘two spirited’ – person is respected and revered for their wisdom and special perspective on life because of their being transgendered.”
The problem, according to Herwig, is “the dogmatic insistence in Western Culture that there can be only two genders and that these must be consistent with one’s biological sex.” Herwig lamented the fact that because of taboos in Western culture, the transsexual is often forced “to cross dress in total seclusion, sometimes literally in the closet …”
‘One’s true self’
“It is important to understand that transsexualism is not a mental illness or sexual disorder of which one needs to be cured,” argued Herwig. In fact, he/she claimed that transsexuals cannot be cured. They can choose one or both of two therapeutic steps: “hormone reassignment therapy … and genital reconstruction surgery,” which Herwig’s paper describes in some detail. This, wrote Herwig, helps the transsexual to live “as one’s true self.”
The vote
When the recommendation for Herwig’s candidacy came to the floor of Boston Presbytery, some members sought to postpone the decision, pleading for more resources than just the paper that Herwig had prepared. This move was vigorously opposed in the name of “compassion” for Herwig and the presbytery’s reputation for “inclusiveness.” When the question on whether to postpone the vote until such time as the CPM provided an opportunity to adequately explore the theological and Biblical issues involving transgenderism, the vote was 45 to 32. The vote on approving Herwig was about 2 to 1.
Several members of the presbytery registered their protest. Horacio Valdez II, an elder representative of the Iglesia Hispana Presbyterian Church in Jamaica Plain, Mass., told The Layman, “I was very disappointed. The decision was rushed. This is not supported by the Bible. People who think we should accept everyone are leading us to do things that we should not do.”
The Rev. Richard Brondyke also signed a statement of protest. Brondyke told The Layman, “The presbytery was quick to do what it perceived was compassionate without a proper basis for deciding whether it was the right thing to do. We had no presentation of a theological or Biblical reflection on transgenderism; rather, we seemed to rely on modern one-sided psychology. If the PCUSA is going to be the Church, it must be willing to obey the Lord of the Church, not the winds of cultural relativism.”