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September 24, 2004

NZ Presbyterians reject Liberal ‘gay’ Agenda

While we Anglican evangelicals hold our collective breath awaiting the Eames Commission’s report (due 18 October), our Presbyterian cousins have been facing their own ‘make or break’ issue on the floor of the 2004 General Assembly. And they have succeeded against all odds!

While we Anglican evangelicals hold our collective breath awaiting the Eames Commission’s report (due 18 October), our Presbyterian cousins have been facing their own ‘make or break’ issue on the floor of the 2004 General Assembly. And they have succeeded against all odds!

The debate in the Presbyterian Church over homosexuality has threatened to tear the church apart for almost ten years now. But things looked fairly bleak last year in October when the church’s highest court, the 5 member Judicial Committee, overturned previous hard-won decisions in the General Assembly and declared that practicing homosexuals could be trained for ministry within the New Zealand Presbyterian Church.

Presbyterian evangelicals were gob-smacked. “Absolutely unacceptable” was the headline on the Presbyterian Affirm website. “It is all so tragic, so contrary to all the good and encouraging things that have been happening, so defective a decision-making process, so remote from what the vast majority of Presbyterians want, so sub-biblical, so wrong.”

But there was a determination to continue the fight. Evangelicals were urged not to “walk” but to sign up for a new grouping, the “National Association of Presbyterian Evangelical Churches” (NAPEC).

There was one last chance to save a sinking ship – the next General Assembly in September 2004. The liberals may have used back-room legal manoeuvres to push their minority views, but a clear decision from the 2004 General Assembly could over turn the judicial committee’s ruling – but they needed a 60% margin on the floor of the Assembly.

And they have done it! Yesterday, the General Assembly voted by 63% to bar from ordained ministry anyone in a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Conservatives had to first defeat a Report recommending a compromise solution that would leave the decision on ‘gay’ ministers to the local presbyteries. That’s great for the likes of the liberal Wellington Presbytery that has been pushing the issue but total disaster for conservatives. It was a tactic that could have fooled a good many soft-headed Anglicans – but these Presbyterians are made of sterner stuff.

In the end the Assembly “ruled that the church would not accept for training, license, ordination or induction, anyone involved in a sexual relationship outside the faithful marriage between a man and woman; they voted to make the ruling effective immediately.”

And the lessons for us Anglican evangelicals? There are many, but the chief lesson is the one on the Presbyterian Affirm website: “PRAY! We can – as individuals and churches - get serious about praying for our church. It desperately needs it. Only God can turn the situation around.”

Malcolm Falloon
Latimer Warden

Posted by latimer at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)