Round and Round

I watched the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America yesterday on line. By chance I happened to end up watching the debate on changing the requirements of ordination and the debate about civil unions and marriage. I do not know if there are other reports to be presented that deal with sexuality, but these two reports are definitely focused on homosexuality.


I have been told that the wheel of history turns slow but grinds very fine. There is little evidence in the General Assembly debates yesterday that the wheels of history having turned at all. The striking thing to me was that the arguments in the debate sound exactly the same as they did almost forty years ago.


Of course there is the great Scriptural quoting argument. On one side there are those who quote the Biblical verses that declare same sex a sin and that marriage is between a man and a woman. On the other side there are the Biblical passages that talk about Jesus being forgiving of adultery, that Jesus never mentions homosexuality, and the argument that the Old Testament has many harems and concubines.


There continues to be the parry and thrust between defending and holding fast to tradition and the values of our reformed heritage. We must remain faithful to the legacy of the confession of our faith. The other side responds we are and our tradition is Reformed and yet always reforming. We have overcome slavery and opposition to women as clergy and leaders by following the spirit of the reformation. So the argument goes back and forth.


It seems to me that the next level of argument is timing. We need to study the issue at the local level. Now is not the time for the church to be making big decisions. We have just made a lot of other radical reforms and the people cannot handle too many changes. The issue may be important and the proposals maybe good, but now is not the time to bring that to the local church.
The respond to that has always been, if not now when. The argument about timing and need for study has been made for more than thirty years. If we don't do it this year, we will have to wait for two more years and who knows if things we "be better" then. What has been achieved in the time delays of the past? Nothing. So one side says now is not a good time. The other counters with you have delayed these issues every time by that old argument. Now is the time.


Of course, the argument of last resort is the membership issue. Both sides use this one. One says if we give approval to homosexuals to be ordain or for same sex couples to be united in recognized relationships people will leave the church. We are already losing members. This will just drive more away. The other sides says we are losing members because we are so old fashion. One youth claimed that young people are not coming to the Presbyterian Church because it is so old fashion and so hung up on these issues. The young, it was claimed, want to be active in ministry and the church is stuck debating a non-issue for these young people. Either decision will cost the church members according to the debate.


I listened in vain to hear some evidence that the debate had changed, had deepened or had progressed. It sound for all the world like the first debate on these issues I heard in the 80's. I did not even stay up past 11:30 p.m. to hear the final vote because I doubt very much if it would be a "final" vote. One thing I do know for sure is there is no place to go, no place to hide from these issues. Every church, every school, every institution has or will have to face these issues and decide. And these debates suggest that the decision will have to be made without any new arguments.