An Open Letter to the Presbyterian Church (USA)

An Open Letter to the Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Layman Online, February 19, 2001

The following letter in support of Amendment O has been issued by the pastors of some of the largest congregations in the Presbyterian Church USA.

Currently our presbyteries are voting on Amendment O, which has to do with the blessing of same-sex unions. How the denomination votes on this amendment and how we deal with the issues that will surely come to this year’s General Assembly in Louisville will profoundly affect the denominational landscape of our church for years to come.

We believe that it is critically important that the presbyteries vote in favor of Amendment O and that this amendment become a part of the Book of Order of our church. The ruling of the General Assembly’s Permanent Judicial Commission last summer made it clear that a prohibition against blessing same-sex unions needed to be clearly stated without ambiguity in the Book of Order, if that is the will of the church.

Some people say, “But we are not really talking about marriage here; we just want a blessing for same-sex unions.” However, if it is not a marriage, then what is it? When such an occasion involves invitations, public announcement of a relationship, a ceremony during which vows are exchanged, how can a person tell the difference? The fact that it is not really a marriage is precisely the point. It looks like one, but it is a counterfeit of the real thing that God has ordained.

Some people say, “We changed our views on slavery; let’s change them on homosexual unions.” The problem with this is that slavery, unlike marriage, is not a creation ordinance, but has existed because of the hardness of the human heart. The practice of homosexuality, however, is presented in Scripture as a disordered orientation to the Creator and creation, not something blessed or initiated by God.

Some people say that the government recognizes same-sex unions, so why shouldn’t we in the church? God has provided in the Bible only one design for the union of persons – male and female. Marriage or singleness is God’s norm in Scripture and our Book of Confessions. There is no inevitable connection between what the state decides to permit and what Christians believe to be true in moral behavior. The Barmen Declaration made clear that the state may not dictate to the church what should be taught and done.

Some people say that in prohibiting the blessing of same-sex unions our attitude is judgmental or exclusive. However, every person is subject personally to God’s scrutiny and correction. An on-going awareness of this will help each of us to take the logs out of our own eye in a spirit of humility. Scripture also calls us to be discerning, wise and able to tell the difference between right and wrong. The Bible teaches and affirms from start to finish, when it comes to sexual behavior, God’s design for human sexuality is a marriage between a man and a woman.

The blessing of same-sex unions is not extending the rights and privileges of traditional marriage to more people. Rather, it is changing the fundamental character of marriage for everyone. While we acknowledge that relationships include friendship, affection, and compassion, to bless same-sex unions dilutes the church’s affirmation that marriage between one man and one woman is the one place God has designed for sexual union.

We urge the church to vote in favor of Amendment O, and we call upon our denomination to uphold the Biblical standards for human sexuality which are taught throughout the Scriptures. Our very future is at stake.

In the service of Christ and His church,

Rev. Peter Barnes
First Presbyterian Church
1820 15th Street
Boulder, CO 80302

Rev. John Crosby
Christ Presbyterian Church
6901 Normandale Road
Edina, MN 55435

Rev. William Dudley
Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church
612 James Boulevard
Signal Mountain, TN 37377

Rev. Howard Edington
First Presbyterian Church
106 E. Church Street
Orlando, FL 32801

Rev. Scott Farmer
Community Presbyterian Church
222 Elpintado Road
Danville, CA 94526

Rev. Doug Fletcher
West Lake Hills Presbyterian Church
7127 Bee Cave Road
Austin, TX 78746

Rev. Tom Gray
Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian
4102 E 61st Street
Tulsa, OK 74136

Rev. Pat Hartsock
College Hill Presbyterian Church
5742 Hamilton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45224

Rev. David Henderson
Covenant Presbyterian Church
211 John Knox Drive
W LaFayette, IN 47906-2199

Rev. Bob Henley
Eastminster Presbyterian Church
1958 N. Webb Road
Wichita, KS 67206

Rev. John Huffman
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
600 St. Andrew’s Road
Newport Beach, CA 92663

Rev. Peter James
Vienna Presbyterian Church
124 Park Street NE
Vienna, VA 22180

Rev. David Joynt
Toms River Presbyterian Church
1070 Hooper Avenue
Toms River, NJ 08753

Rev. Mark Labberton
First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana Street
Berkeley, CA 94704

Rev. David McKechnie
Grace Presbyterian Church
10221 Ella Lee at W Best
Houston, TX 77042

Rev. Allen Meenan
First Presbyterian Church
1760 N. Gower Street
Hollywood, CA 90028

Rev. Rick Murray
First Presbyterian Church
9 S Eighth Avenue
Yakima, WA 98902

Rev. Bob Norris
Westminster Presbyterian Church
2040 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15241

Rev. Earl Palmer
University Presbyterian Church
4540 15th Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98105

Rev. Vic Pentz
Peachtree Presbyterian Church
3434 Roswell RD NW
Atlanta, GA 30363

Rev. David Peterson
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
11612 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77024

Rev. Doug Pratt
Memorial Park Presbyterian Church
8800 Peebles Road
Allison Park, PA 15101

Rev. Russell Ritchel
First Presbyterian Church
300 N. Cherry Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Rev. Ronald Scates
Highland Park Presbyterian Church
3821 University Blvd
Dallas, TX 75205

Rev. Jim Singleton
Covenant Presbyterian Church
3003 Northland Drive
Austin, TX 78757

Rev. John Stevens
First Presbyterian Church
209 E. Bijou Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Rev. David Swanson
Covenant Presbyterian Church
2439 McGregor Boulevard
Fort Myers, FL 33901

Rev. Mark Toone
Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church
PO Box 829
Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Rev. Doug Webster
First Presbyterian Church
320 Date Street
San Diego, CA 92101

Rev. Henry Wells
Fair Oaks Presbyterian
11427 Fair Oaks Blvd
Fair Oaks, CA 95628

Rev. John Westfall
Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church
1801 Lacassie Avenue
Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Rev. Louis Zbinden
First Presbyterian Church
404 N. Alamo
San Antonio, TX 78205