***I have never once read of any professed Calvinist who believed in homosexuality, from the pulpit or the congregation.***
http://www.christianarsenal.com/demrpt/articles/presbusa5.htm says that: ...A minister who was ousted from the Presbyterian Church USA for violating an order to stop marrying homosexual couples has been reinstated. Rev. Stephen Van Kuiken was ousted in June as a Presbyterian minister and pastor for defying the order from leaders of the Cincinnati presbytery. But the church court that oversees Presbyterians in Ohio and Michigan now says Van Kuiken should not have been removed while he was appealing that order, so it is reinstating Van Kuiken’s membership and ministry in the mainline denomination. The highest Presbyterian court ruled in 2000 that ministers may bless same-sex unions but cannot marry the couples. Van Kuiken says his reinstatement will allow him to challenge that policy’s legitimacy.
More Light Presbyterians join in celebrating the marriage of the Rev. Susan Craig and the Rev. Bear Ride – possibly the first same-gender Presbyterian clergy to marry since the state of California weighed in on marriage equality. Bear and Susan were married on June 19 at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, in the presence of family and friends, with the Revs Ed Bacon and George Regas and Rabbi Steven Jacobs officiating. Craig and Ride’s four adult children served as “Best People,” with Ride’s mother beaming in the front pew. Elder Michael Adee, Executive Director of More Light Presbyterians, and Martha Juillerat, founder of the Shower of Stoles Project, participated in the joyous celebration, with a number of Presbyterian clergy and friends praying, singing and cheering on.
What is unity within the Church? What does it mean to be the Body of Christ? What really threatens our Church? . First, unity is a gift from God given to the Church, not something we could manufacture or produce. Imagine the arrogance of claiming that we, mere mortals, are responsible for the unity of the Church. We take the place of God when we assume this role in our strivings to be God’s Church.
Second, unity in the Spirit is not uniformity of belief. As Presbyterians we are part of the Reformed tradition, semper reformanda, reformed and always reforming. As we gather next month in San Jose, we would do well by remembering Who is the Source of our Unity, and that we are part of Reformed tradition. Presbyterians are not fundamentalists insisting on lock-step belief and litmus tests of true faith.
The National Board of Directors of More Light Presbyterians is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael J. Adee has been named as the Executive Director & Field Organizer for More Light Presbyterians. This decision was made at our recent national board meeting at Ghost Ranch Conference Center, Santa Fe, NM.
Michael has been serving as our National Field Organizer since May of 1999. He served as a volunteer with More Light Presbyterians from 1991 to 1999 before being hired in our first staff position. Michael was ordained as the first openly gay Elder at Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, a More Light Church. He moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1997.
“We are deeply grateful for the leadership and service Michael has offered for nine years in our first staff position as National Field Organizer. Because of the exponential growth of our educational program, outreach and advocacy work, it is necessary for MLP to update our operational structure. A major grant for organizational development allows us to promote Michael to this new position and to create a second staff position in the near future,” said Vikki Dearing, Co-Moderator.
Good Presbyterians, all. Part of PCUSA, which claims Calvinism. Really? It doesn’t seem too close to your professions. http://www.pcusa.org/101/101-theology.htm says that:
Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God’s purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God’s generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone’s job - ministers and lay people alike - to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike.
I see, a Calvin light. However, they do claim Reformed distinction:
Presbyterian Distinctives
Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways: they adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and a form of government that stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members.
Satisfied?
I have the answer to that even though I’m not one of them.
“Oh, but those aren’t REALLY the elect. They are some other who thought they were elect and still think so, but they really aren’t our type of elect.”
LOL!
While they like to occasionally make reference to Calvin, most of those in the PCUSA have never read a word of Calvin or the Westminster Confession or the Heidelburg Catechism.
Don't expect me to defend the PCUSA. Their vote last week was a final straw for many. The membership rolls of the PCA and the OPC will grow by leaps and bounds after this.