Pastor: Ordination standard has ‘dehumanizing’ effect
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, May 22, 2000
BALTIMORE – The attorney representing the presbytery that allowed one of its congregations to declare its intention not to abide by the “fidelity/chastity” ordination requirement in the Constitution of the Presbytian Church (USA) says the congregation did not intend to divide the denomination.
Peter Oddliefson, lead counsel for the Presbytery of Northern New England, told the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission that Christ Presbyterian Church of Burlington, Vt., cannot comply with G-6.0106b without “undermining the integrity of its ministry.”
Oddliefson was arguing on appeal to the denomination’s high court from a determination by the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Northeast. The 16-member high court heard arguments May 19 and told participants that its decisions would be in the mail May 22.
G-6.0106b is a clause in the Book of Order that requires candidates for deacon, elder and minister to maintain fidelity in their marriages or chastity if they are single. The constitutional requirement denies ordination for self-affirming, practicing homosexuals.
Oddliefson argued that the requirement was ambiguous and that neither Christ Church nor the Presbytery of Northern New England knew how to enforce it.
Christ Church ‘a safe place’
Rebecca Strader, a pastor and member of the committee of counsel for the 70-member congregation that meets on the campus of the University of Vermont, told the high court that application of the rule to Christ Church – which has a number of homosexuals among its members – would have a “dehumanizing effect.”
“Christ Church is a safe place for gays, lesbians and bisexuals,” Strader said. She said the ordination standard has already had a harmful effect because some homosexuals are “closeted” and “filled with self-loathing because of the judgment of church or society … We have said goodbye to some who believe they can no longer stay loyal to the denomination or even to the Christian faith.”
Gordon Fish, an elder serving as lead counsel for the complainants, called the views of Christ Church “audacious, but I don’t believe this forum rewards audacity.”
Synod court: Presbytery erred
The Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Northeast ruled that the presbytery erred when it sanctioned Christ Church’s resolution stating its intent not to abide by the PCUSA Constitution. The synod court instructed the presbytery to direct Christ Church to withdraw its resolution of dissent and abide by the constitution. But that has not occurred. Instead, Christ Church appealed the decision and authored – and the presbytery submitted – an overture calling for removal of G-6.0106b from the constitution. That overture will be considered when the General Assembly meets in Long Beach, Calif., June 24-July 1.
“What the appellant is asking this forum to do, this forum has no authority to do,” said Fish, who was substituting as lead counsel in place of Julius “Jay” Poppinga. Poppinga, an appellate lawyer and authority on the Book of Order, was en route to Baltimore from his home in Montclair, N.J., when he had a medical problem.
Fish said that by allowing Christ Church to dissent from G-6.0106b – which he also called a Biblical and confessional standard – the court would be “asking us to cast aside our oneness as a denomination, to Balkanize, to have the hand say to the foot, ‘I have no need of you.'”
Limits of ‘inclusivity’
He also challenged the appellants’ argument that the ordination standard conflicts with the denomination’s standards of diversity and inclusivity.
“Inclusivity does not confer individual autonomy … does not exempt officers from the commitments they made in their vows.”
He said he was astounded that Christ Church’s dissent also included affirmation of adultery.
“How do you explain this to a youth leader who must respect a church leader who is living in a ‘committed relationship’ outside of marriage?” Fish asked. “How do you explain this to a watching world that desperately needs the church to provide a model?”
“We do believe in standards,” countered Oddliefson. “But we believe you should apply standards to individuals and not categories of people.”