The Presbytery of Heartland respectfully overtures the 217th General Assembly (2006) to do the following:1. Provide the following authoritative interpretation:
Interpretative statements concerning ordained service of homosexual church members 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? [Text to be deleted is shown with a strike-through.]
“
b. Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W 4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.”
The General Assembly approved the committee recommendation to disapprove by a vote of 405-92-4 -- so there will be no amendment this year striking G 6.0106b, nor will there be any changes to the Authoritative Interpretations.
[CLARIFICATION] The Committee on Church Orders recommended disapproval of this overture, and that is what the plenary voted on. In my original posting it was not clear what the vote represented. The remaining overtures to strike G-6.0106b were consiidered to have been answered by this action.
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1 comment:
Hehe. That's what I get when I blog and run (I was headed for a Session meeting, and I was nearly late as it was)
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