Leaders agree: ‘This issue will not go away’
By Parker T. Williamson, The Layman Online, June 25, 1999
FORT WORTH – A news conference was held immediately following the General Assembly’s decision to leave in place G-6.0106b, the “fidelity and chastity” standard for ordained leaders. Participants were Katherine Runyeon, chair of the committee that had sought to overturn the standards, Stephen Moss, spokesperson for the minority report adopted by the assembly, and C. Fred Jenkins, representing the Office of the Stated Clerk.
Although participants obviously differed on the ethics of human sexuality, they were of one mind that this issue will not go away. Both Runyeon and Moss said they hoped Presbyterians would take advantage of regional “Unity in Diversity” conferences as a context for further discussions.
Nothing new
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has actively discussed the ordination of homosexuals since 1978. Asked if they thought any new information might surface through additional discussions of the issue, Runyeon and Moss said they didn’t expect anything new, but they thought that the subject might be discussed with greater civility and less rancor. Runyeon said that her committee discussions led her to hope that future discourse would be more kind. Moss said discussions might produce “greater understanding.”
Runyeon said she hoped that future “Unity in Diversity” discussions might demonstrate that opponents of the ordination standards are not opposed to Scripture. She said that it is all a matter of scriptural interpretation, not the authority of Scripture itself.
Betting on the youth
Runyeon also pegged her hope on young Presbyterians, including Youth Advisory Delegates (YADS) who were assigned to her committee. Adult commissioners were evenly divided on the ordination issue, she said, but one-third of the committee was composed of YADS who were “more inclusive on the issue.” Runyeon said she looked forward to the future when these young people become denominational leaders. She said that these youth are attuned to a more flexible culture that prefers “faithfulness” to traditional rules that confine sexual relations to heterosexual marriage.
Moss agreed with Runyeon’s observation that YADS on the committee were more liberal, but he said that he didn’t think that should be a surprise to anyone. Persons at that age often reflect a culture different from their elders, he said. But he suggested that one should not assume that these opinions would remain fixed as teenage young people grew further into maturity.
Urging obedience
While Runyeon and Moss concurred that further discussions were inevitable and could be useful, Moss insisted that the spirit of cooperation could be damaged if persons who oppose the denomination’s constitutional standards challenge them in the Presbyterian courts.
Jenkins amplified Moss’s view, reminding reporters of the Stated Clerk’s Policy Reflection 19, which insists that the language of the constitution is church law. “That means, if the standard is in the book, it cannot be interpreted away,” Jenkins said.