Madison, Wis., Oct 11, 2011 / 00:35 am
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has ordained its first openly homosexual minister under a new policy allowing the practice. The action prompted one opponent to voice concerns the denomination is moving further away from mainstream Christianity.
“This action stands in contradiction to the PCUSA confessions of faith, which continue to teach that faithful Christians have the choice either to be faithful in marriage or chaste in singleness,” Gary Green, Presbyterian Action Committee chairman with the Institute on Religion and Democracy, said on Oct. 7.
He said the denomination’s decision to remove sexual conduct from its ordination vows is symptomatic of “a deeper, ongoing struggle within the church over the authority of holy scripture.”
The denomination is following the course of the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, he said.