Dr. Jack Rogers wrote a book titled Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church. *** (see review & link to purchase below)I haven't read the book yet, but my pastor, Doug, recently passed his copy on to me. He read it in preparation of facilitating a discussion at a meeting of regional Presbytery clergy and leaders. He highly recommended the book and also made it clear to me that it had not changed his "position".
I posted a very short video below of Dr. Rogers. Take a moment to view it. Dr. Rogers has made that list of people I respect greatly. NOT because he agrees with me that being a homosexual is not cause for my citizenship to be curtailed and my service in Christ's church limited to mere attendance and my identity tolerated. NOT because he is gay and in a "powerful" position in the Presbyterian church (PCUSA, the denomination I am ordained by). He is not gay. He is very straight.
The reason I respect him greatly is due to the simple fact that he chose to study, contemplate, and then speak out on the issue of homosexuality and the church, and for no apparent personal reason. His impetus is nothing short of selfless. He simply decided not to ignore the prime issue that tears churches apart. I respect him --and others who I am glad to know personally-- who have taken on such an inflammatory issue and publicly speak against the church's continuing stance and behavior toward the homosexual Christian, and homosexuals generally. Obviously, I am personally invested, which connotes emotional bias. So, my opposition to the Presbyterian USA's negative stance on homosexuality is personally motivated. You can see why people such as Dr. Rogers strike me as wonderful. Why I look at them and see an advocate even though I feel I personally don't need an advocate. They stand as people who have said, "I can't watch this any longer. I can't let myself continue to say 'homosexuality' is wrong and not even really know WHY." They question tradition and simply desire the church to look more like Jesus. Something I didn't even have the courage to do before I came out.
But here's the thing. The people I know in the Presbyterian church who have taken a stand against the prejudice against homosexuals will likely never (never say never) face being removed from their positions of leadership and ordination for their views. Not "legitimately" that is. On the other hand, I will be removed from my ordained position as soon as I "become" a "practicing" homosexual (because I'm not a real homosexual -or a real bad one- until I'm having sex with someone!). Their advantage is that they can always be somewhat guaranteed to keep their position because, though they oppose the current church position, they are not committing the actual "sin" of homosexuality. I'm not implying that we should go back to the days when someone defending such an issue would be removed from their position. I also know that leaders in the church can be covertly "removed" from their position based on their stance toward homosexuality. However, it is my understanding that this is not a common occurrence in my denomination -PCUSA. In my denomination my sexual orientation is considered legitimate, but I cannot hold an ordained position if I "act" on it sexually.
The PCUSA commissioned a task force that drew up a statement titled "Peace, Purity, and Unity". The statement prepared for and presented to the PCUSA general assembly which would once again vote on the issue of homosexuality and ordination in the Presbyterian church. The assembly did eventually vote to stick with current/traditional denominational laws regarding ordination (found in the Book of Order), i.e. no ordination of homosexuals ("practicing").
Anyway, prior to the 2006 assembly, the PCUSA set the task force of 20 people ("selected because they represented the range & variety of backgrounds, views, and values of contemporary Presbyterians") to discover ways the church can "live more faithfully in the face of deep disagreements".
Here are some selected quotes from the statement. I know that there may be bias in what I have chosen, but I am simply being kind to my readers and am not including the entire text. If you are so inclined to read the entire statement, go to http://www.pcusa.org/peaceunitypurity/resources/finalreport.pdf
"Some examples of what we learned from each other about the consequences of our attitudes
and actions include the following:
+ Many of us came to understand how alienating it is for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons to be so regularly identified as a major threat to the peace, unity, and purity of the church.
+ Many of us also came to understand how alienating it is for those who support a ban on the ordination of non-celibate gay and lesbian persons to be accused of prejudice, and how
alienating it is for those who oppose such a ban to be accused of moral laxity.
Though we know that by stereotyping and demeaning each other we have hurt not only our
opponents, but also ourselves and the whole church, we cannot claim that we have recognized all the ways we have damaged the church and hurt one another. Nor can we claim that we have amended our lives adequately to signal full repentance for the harm we have done. What we can report is that as we became more deeply acquainted with one another’s thinking and life situations, we were chastened and humbled by the recognition that insofar as the body of Christ in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) is broken, we have all played a part in betraying and denying our Savior and in inflicting the damage from which the church, as His body, is suffering today.
C. Sexuality and Ordination
The task force gave sustained attention to two interconnected issues that have generated more disagreement and conflict in recent years than any others: (1) the church’s teaching on human sexuality; (2) the theology and practice of ordination. We explored a range of opinions on issues of human sexuality...We benefited greatly from this way of grappling with issues and we commend it to the church.
The task force was not asked to take a position on human sexuality or ordination and we have not attempted to do so. We did invest considerable time and energy in conversation, seeking to understand one another’s points of view. We did not try...to decide whether the church’s current position should be changed. At the same time, we found we could reach ready agreement on several points:
+ It is a grave error to deny baptism or church membership to gay and lesbian persons or to withhold pastoral care to them and their families.
+ Those who aspire to ordination must lead faithful lives. Those who demonstrate licentious behavior should not be ordained.
+ Sexual behavior is integral to Christian discipleship, leadership, and community life. It is not a purely personal matter.
+ Sexual orientation is, in itself, no barrier to ordination.
The foregoing agreements left the task force with a wide range of theological views and
positions before it... Members of the task force reflect this range of views personally. Some
strongly support the church’s current position; others strongly question it or want to change it; others are still forming their thinking about sexuality and ordination...Many believe that, instead of beginning with the question of ordination, it would be more profitable first to explore a more basic theological question: How does God’s gracious drama of creation, reconciliation, and redemption work itself out in the lives of baptized gay and lesbian persons who are committed to exclusive, covenanted relationships?
We all were able to recognize in the views on sexuality and ordination held by other task
force members concerns for the peace, unity, and purity of the church and the integrity of the
gospel. The differences on these matters are strenuous and serious, but precisely because they are so important, we have been encouraged to stay together, speaking the truth in love, learning from one another, and building up the body. Further, we were all able to agree that perspectives on questions of sexuality, ordination and same-gender covenantal relationships are rich and complex, and our fellow task force members who hold these views are sincere, faithful and guided by Scripture. Therefore, we believe, the church should seek constructive, Christ-like alternatives to the “yes/no” forms in which questions about sexuality, ordination, and same-gender covenantal relationships have been put to the church in recent decades. "
AND STILL THEY VOTED that the CHURCH'S CURRENT POSITION ON ORDINATION & HOMOSEXUALITY SHOULD BE MAINTAINED.
*** Here is a review of Jack Rogers' book:
I hope to read the book soon. I will comment on it in my blog. If you would like to read it along with me you can purchase the book at Amazon.com (Click here: http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Bible-Homosexuality-Explode-Church/dp/0664229395/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213146665&sr=1-1).
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