At their November meetings at least two presbyteries will be considering overtures to General Assembly about the inclusion of homosexual people in the Presbyterian Church. Discussions began in the presbyteries of Calgary-Macleod and East Toronto at their September meetings when both considered an overture that was widely shared online.
Calgary-Macleod presbytery decided “if we were to say anything to this issue, it would be an authentic creation of Calgary-Macleod and not simply parroting what someone else might have said,” said Rev. Grant Gunnink, who rose to express his concerns during an open discussion in the presbytery. “So in true Presbyterian style, a committee was formed. A couple of days later they asked me if I would be on this committee to work on forming what we would say.”
He admitted “it was very difficult to stand up and kind of go against the prevailing winds” at a meeting where the atmosphere seemed “positive for affirming same-sex relationships as opposed to other ways of dealing with it.”
He’s not alone. Many who adhere to the church’s traditional views of marriage and sexuality have worried about where the overture process could eventually lead and how they will be perceived if they speak up.
“We really need to find a way to enter into constructive dialogue as this overture goes forward,” said Rev. Alex MacLeod, one of eight presbyters who formally registered their dissent when the Presbytery of Waterloo-Wellington voted to support the overture that came before it in September. “I trust we’ve all read and prayed and reflected on this question of the inclusion, the approach to our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in the church. What we may not have done is sat in the same room with one another and listened to the stories of that struggle, both from those who approach it from a more liberal perspective and those who approach it from a more conservative or historic traditional perspective.”
MacLeod said he agrees with the theology set out by the Committee on Church Doctrine in its extensive 1994 Report on Human Sexuality. In the section dealing with homosexuality, the committee concluded, based on its review of biblical texts and their broader biblical perspective, that “committed heterosexual union is so connected with creation in both its unitive and procreative dimensions that we must consider this as central to God’s intention for human sexuality.”
“My principal concern was, when the overture came to the floor of the Presbytery of Waterloo-Wellington, we didn’t talk about the substance of it,” MacLeod said. “And I hope that in the future we will find a way to do that.”
“I’m aware that this is an issue because it is part of the culture that we live in,” said Gunnink. “It stems directly from the basic assumptions and worldviews and what people in our culture believe about rights and identity and how sexuality plays into that. We have to have a response as a church. That’s part of our conversation with our culture.”
Yet topics related to homosexuality—especially debates about endorsing and presiding over same-sex marriages and the ordination of non-celibate homosexual ministers—have proven to be divisive in many denominations. The worldwide Anglican Communion, for example, has cancelled its 2018 Lambeth conference, which gathers bishops from across the globe once every 10 years, because many bishops boycotted the 2008 conference after an openly gay bishop was consecrated in the Episcopal Church U.S.A.
“What is the correct balance between the quest for unity and the call to prophetic courage on behalf of those who have been marginalized and excluded?” asked Rev. Will Ingram, a member of East Toronto presbytery who supports the idea of an inclusive church but worries this process could cause painful divisions. “And what is the best way to proceed that deepens our love for one another; that remains faithful to our understanding of the gospel; and that results in a greater degree of engagement and persuasion rather than division and conflict?”
We need to create safe spaces both for those who are gay and those who are afraid to be labeled because of their more conservative stance, said MacLeod. “There’s no substitute for sitting down together and praying together and listening to each other.”
