33 Presbyterians sign petition against faith-based ministries
The Layman Online, April 26, 2001
Thirty-three men and women who are ordained as Presbyterian ministers have signed a petition criticizing President Bush’s proposals to publicly fund faith-based organizations.
The Presbyterians joined 100 Unitarian-Universalists, 53 United Methodists, 22 Episcopalians, 13 Lutherans, 36 United Church of Christ ministers, a number of Jews, a few Wiccans and representatives of other religious groups to weigh in against faith-based organizations that practice what they preach.
Specifically, under an umbrella group called the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination, the 850 signatories oppose provisions that “would entangle religion and government in an unprecedented and perilous way.” They do not want religious groups that deliver government-supported services to be allowed to discriminate in their hiring practices.
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, described the coalition as “a broad spectrum that runs everywhere from theologically conservative Baptists to several Wiccan priests and priestesses. This is about as dramatic a number and collection of people of faith – ministers, priests, rabbis, others in the religious community – that I’ve ever seen come around a single issue in such a short period of time.”
A check of the 33 Presbyterians: 18 signed as pastors of congregations and 15 as ordained but not serving congregations. Six of the congregations listed are affiliated with More Light Presbyterians, one of the organizations seeking to scrap the denomination’s prohibition against ordaining practicing, self-affirming homosexuals.