Another delete-B passes! Mid-Kentucky Presbytery overwhelmingly sends equality overture to 2006 General Assembly

This overture is the second delete-B overture to pass since the PCUSA's Theological Task Force released its final report, and is the seventh known delete-B overture going to the 2006 General Assembly. For information about how you can work within your presbytery to send a delete-B to next year's General Assembly, see MLP's online 2006 General Assembly Overture FAQ.

Here's the text of the overture as passed on September 17, including the rationale:

Proposed Overture for the 217th GA (2006)

On issuing an authoritative interpretation clarifying standards for ordination and deleting G-6.0106b:

The Presbytery of Mid-Kentucky respectfully overtures the 217th General Assembly (2006) to do the following:

1. Provide the following authoritative interpretation: Interpretative statements concerning ordained service of church members of homosexual orientation by the 190th General Assembly (1978) of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the 119th General Assembly (1979) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and all subsequent affirmations thereof, have no further force or effect.

2. Direct the Stated Clerk to send the following proposed amendment to the presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes: Shall G-6.0106b be stricken?

Rationale:

Over the centuries and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church has changed its understanding and teaching concerning how God would have us live together in God's world. From the "Divine Right of Kings" and "the earth as the center of the universe" to slavery, segregation and women as property, the Holy Spirit has awakened the Church's consciousness in ways the writers of the Bible, conditioned by the culture of their day, could never have imagined. (Confession of '67:9.29)

In our time this Spirit-led emerging consciousness is giving us new knowledge through literary and historical (especially medical and psychological) understandings of human sexual orientation and behavior. The Church has an obligation to approach the Scriptures with this understanding (Confession of '67:9:29) and is, therefore, confident that God is speaking in our changing world and is calling for the full inclusion of fellow Christians whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual. (Confession of 67: 9.30)

To continue, therefore, to exclude an entire category of Christians from particular ministries in the Church, based on understandings made inoperative by new knowledge, is not only destructive of sisters and brothers in Christ (Acts 10: 28 and G-4.0403), but it is also to stand against God. (Acts: 11:17) It is further to sin against God by denying the possibility of God's call to these persons for particular ministries and by depriving Christ's Church of their gifts. (G-6.0106a).

MLP thanks Eileene MacFalls, clerk of session at Central Presbyterian Church, for sharing the news and details of the vote with us. Remember that you can send your news stories to news@mlp.org.