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The 215th GA maintained the historic Christian standard on
the sinfulness of sexual behavior outside of marriage. The Des Moines overture
proposed to send G-6. 0106b back to the Presbyteries for yet another battle over
our historical, biblical standards for ordination. This overture also proposed
to delete all interpretive statements that have guided the understanding of
these standards. Instead, by a vote of 431-92 this General Assembly answered
that overture by asking for prayer for the Theological Task Force. This action
was not a referral of Des Moines to the Task Force, which would have
suggested to the Task Force an outcome to their deliberations. Rather, this
General Assembly approved the following statement in response to the Des Moines
overture, "Since the issues raised in this overture are already before the
Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity, the 215th General Assembly
calls for the entire church to pray for the Theological Task Force during this
time of discernment."
The 215th GA also expressed its agreement with the Stated Clerk and the
Advisory Committee on the Constitution that persons sexually active except
within the covenant of marriage cannot be ordained. In an action that
immediately followed consideration of the Des Moines overture, the GA approved a
comment from the Advisory Committee on the Constitution, which in effect said
that the recent Advisory Opinion 8 of the Stated Clerk’s office is correct. That
Advisory Opinion states that sexually active homosexual persons cannot be
ordained. It also says that heterosexual persons who are sexually active outside
of the marriage of a man and woman, or gossips or tax cheaters, for that matter,
cannot be ordained either. Contrary to the claims of some that G-6.0106b ought
to be understood as conflicting with previous authoritative interpretations,
Advisory Opinion 8 states that the ordination standard in G6b is built on those
authoritative interpretations. In adopting the ACC comment, the 215th General
Assembly has agreed with the Stated Clerk’s Advisory Opinion #8, thereby
supporting the constitutional standard of G-6.0106b. |
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