Local Presbyterian churchs ponder new policy on gay/lesbian ordination

The move makes the Presbyterian Church the latest of several mainline Protestant denominations to allow for the ordination or open acceptance of gay and lesbian pastors. In 2009, leaders with the Episcopal Church voted to affirm gay and lesbian clergy despite pressure from Anglicans around the world to create a moratorium on consecrating another openly gay bishop.

That year, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also voted to allow sexually active gay and lesbian candidates to serve as clergy; before that, they were allowed to serve only if they were celibate. Both decisions proved controversial, leading to schisms in those churches.

Local congregations such as Covenant Presbyterian Church haven't figured out how they will adapt to the vote, which has been divisive for a number of churches.

Laura Tuma, 53, is an elder at the 1,750-member church, which she has attended for the past decade. She said she didn't have a sense of what the congregation's response has been to the vote, because "we're not united or divided around this topic — we're united around following Christ."

From the article

In 2007, the Rev. Karen Thompson left the Presbyterian church after she had been approved for candidacy and then seen that candidacy appealed because of her lesbian relationship. Thompson said she realized "my presence was more divisive than unifying" and transferred to the United Metropolitan Community Churches in Austin, where she has been since 2008.

"I don't have a single regret," she said. "I am exactly where God intends for me to be. I'm thrilled for the Presbyterians, for those who have been denied ordination even though they will make wonderful ministers. I hope now that the vote has happened that very quickly, they'll be able to move beyond that vote and put this into practice so people can get back to spreading the good news."

What I can't understand is what do they do when they read a verse that specifically condemns homosexuality? Does anyone discuss Bible teaching in church anymore? Do they just wear robes and read prepared speeches and feel good about themselves?

When I go to church, I want somebody with more knowledge than me teaching what he thinks the verses mean. When you get to the part about man lying with man or woman with woman, it is pretty plain. Do they teach that God has changed His mind or maybe He has repented of Sodom and Gomorrah? I've even heard they teach that Sodom wasn't destroyed for Sodomy, but that still doesn't explain the 50 other verses that are specific about homosexuality.

Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible should know this and walk out of church when apostasy is preached. If a practicing thief is under sin, then why is an active homosexual somehow exempt? They have to repent and turn from their sin just as the thief does. The absurdity of this just proves to me how strong the delusion is from Satan.

I didn't want to get into this very deep, but after reading some of the comments on the link, there is the old bugaboo about Jesus never forbidding homosexuality specifically.

I believe in the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In John, we read that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God and a little later is says the Word came to dwell with us. A scripture in Genesis, for me is the same as a scripture in Mathew or Revelation. There are multiple locations in the Old and New Testaments on homosexuality. There is a verse in the Gospels where Jesus is sending out the disciples and tells them that it would be better for the people in Sodom than the people that refuse to help you. Also, after Jesus started his ministry, He preached in the Synagogues of the area. What did He preach? He read straight from the Torah, just as HE wrote it. He just was able to explain in detail what the Old Testament was saying and prove that He was the one written about from the beginning. Every verse in the Bible was given verbatim to the writer by the Holy Spirit. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are ONE! Jesus said if you have seen Me you have seen the Father, I and the Father are ONE. When He was going to ascend to heaven, He said He will send Another. The Holy Spirit is not teaching something different than Jesus or Jehovah God. All verses are from God and useful for teaching.

It doesn't matter what book you find a verse in, it's from God and is not time limited. Jesus said He didn't come to change the Law, but to fulfill the Law. He shed His blood to pay our sin price. The Law is still valid and there is a blood sacrifice required to pay it. If we do not accept Jesus' sacrifice, we must stand before judgment with our righteousness.( our righteousness is as filthy rags before God) Either homosexuality was and still is a sin, or it never was. Their only hope is in the blood of Jesus after they repent and admit that they are sinners. If you say you want to be saved with the blood of Christ and continue in unrepentant sin, how can you accept the gift? To have a homosexual as a preacher of Gods Word, you may as well have a thief and murderer standing in the pulpit. Being saved is about repenting of your rebellion to God. If you say you repent, that means you agree with God and reject your self. To pretend that you can just be good enough to stay out of jail and be saved isn't the answer. You must admit that homosexual behavior is not what God accepts. We all fall short of the glory of God with our sin, but I don't sit there and try to convince people that lying, thieving and adultery is OK with God. Grace covers my sin when I ask for forgiveness and agree with God. There is no Grace when I fornicate on purpose repeatedly and swear it doesn't matter to God.

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