File photo There’s little surprise at the continued factionalism in the Presbyterian Church when it comes to gay rights. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa resolved over the weekend to uphold “the historic Christian understanding of marriage as the loving, faithful union of a man and a woman”, and to officially oppose same-sex marriage. It’s also urging Parliament not to change the meaning of marriage, saying civil unions already provide for clear societal recognition and legal protection of same-sex relationships. However the Assembly is allowing ministers to make their own decisions on who they marry. Wellington’s liberal St Andrews on the Terrace is among those promising to perform and bless civil marriages for same-sex couples. “Sadly, the Presbyterian Church has been factionalised for many decades, and from the 1990s the central symbolic issue became gay rights,” Massey University religious historian Peter Lineham says. “So the rise of the Evangelicals meant that gay clergy were the sacrificial victim of Evangelical success,” he says, referring to a 2006 decision to ban people in gay or de facto relationships taking leadership roles in the church, including ministry. “Since then attempts have been made to overturn it, but the liberal party has steadily weakened since then,” Lineham says. “One day gay Presbyterians with partners may again be allowed to minister to the church that they love, but it is hard to see when that will happen.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 11th October 2012 - 12:35pm