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Presbyterian Church USA removes ban on gay clergy - Christian Forums
Presbyterian Church USA removes ban on gay clergy
On the heels of a landmark California Supreme Court ruling that overturned a ban on gay marriage, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has done the same thing regarding the ordination of gays and lesbians as ministers: Leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA) overturned a long-standing ban on the ordination of gays and lesbians Friday, providing yet the latest example of a religious denomination struggling with how, and whether, to incorporate homosexuality into church life.
Complete story at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0..._n_109752.html
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Great news!
God Bless the PCUSA!
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A wonderful day to be a Christian!
Kudos to PCUSA for preaching the Gospel!!!
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That's awesome. Knowing that there are GLBT ministers out there makes me happy.
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It seems there is still hope!
Great news! SY
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As the Preby USA denomination continues sliding into obsolescence I hear gays cheering in the background.
From my blog post titled Church of the Withered Branch I bring the following news and analysis:
The churches losing the most membership are gay-affirming toward leadership and they include the following:
The worst losers are all gay-affirming, including gay clergy that are openly same-sex-partnered and practicing gays and lesbians:
7.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,930,429, reporting a decrease of 1.09 percent.
15.
Episcopal Church, 2,463,747, reporting a decrease of 1.55 percent.
9.
Presbyterian Church (USA), 3,189,573 members, reporting a decrease of 1.60 percent.
21.
United Church of Christ, 1,265,786, reporting a decrease of 2.38 percent.
When a church doesn't take itself seriously, neither do its members.
It is hard to believe that as recently as 1960, members of mainline churches Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans and the like accounted for 40% of all American Protestants.
Today, it's more like 12% (17 million out of 135 million).
Some of the precipitous decline is due to lower birthrates among the generally blue-state main liners, but it also is clear that millions of mainline adherents (and especially their children) have simply walked out of the pews never to return.
According to the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, in 1965, there were 3.4 million Episcopalians;
Now, there are 2.3 million.
The number of Presbyterians fell from 4.3 million in 1965 to 2.5 million today.
Compare that with 16 million members reported by the Southern Baptists.
"
"Despite the fact that median Sunday attendance at Episcopal churches is 80 worshipers, the Episcopal Church, as a whole, is financially equipped to carry on for some time, thanks to its inventory of vintage real estate and huge endowments left over from the days (no more!) when it was the Republican Party at prayer.
Furthermore, it has offset some of its demographic losses by attracting disaffected liberal Catholics and gays and lesbians.
The less endowed Presbyterian Church USA is in deeper trouble.
Just before its general assembly in Birmingham, it announced that it would eliminate 75 jobs to meet a $9.15-million budget cut at its headquarters, the third such round of job cuts in four years.
" Here's a nice little summary from a Catholic web blog:
Note to the traditional Episcopalians and Presbyterians among our readers: As you find yourselves increasingly surrounded by an anti-Gospel mentality, we renew our invitation to read the "signs of the times" and seriously consider becoming Catholic.
Not because we need you at our side in the battles to come (we do) and would welcome you with open arms (we would), but because the Catholic Church is the one church founded by Christ Himself.
It might not be politically correct to state it this bluntly, but it's what Catholics believe.
And in times like these, isn't such a bold claim worth a second look?
They say a gay pastorate is a sign of the times.
Hope y'all are ready for it.
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Originally Posted by MercyBurst As the Preby USA denomination continues to slide into irrelevance I hear gays cheering in the background.
From my blog post titled Church of the Withered Branch I bring the following news and analysis:
The churches losing the most membership are gay-affirming toward leadership and they include the following: Oddly the Baptist Church lost a significant amount of their membership when the Southern Baptist split off over the issue of blacks and slavery.
Looking back, I think the Northern Baptist should be commended for their bravery and integrity.
Thus, on May 8, 1845, about 293 Baptist leaders of the South gathered at the First Baptist Church, Augusta, Georgia, representing over 365,000 Baptists.
They concluded, with expressions of regret from their own leaders and from distinguished northern Baptist leaders that more could be accomplished in Christian work by the organization in the South of a separate Baptist body for missionary work.
The Methodists in the South had already separated over the issue of slavery, and southern Presbyterians would do so later.
Http://www.baptisthistory.org/sbaptistbeginnings.htm
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Originally Posted by Aerika Oddly the Baptist Church lost a significant amount of their membership when the Southern Baptist split off over the issue of blacks and slavery.
Looking back, I think the Northern Baptist should be commended for their bravery and integrity.
http://www.baptisthistory.org/sbaptistbeginnings.htm
The Southern Baptists are losing membership as well, but nothing like the liberal branch which is completely dieng out.
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Very sad. I don't care about the denomination as an organization.
I care about the people that have swallowed a lie and the people they will lead.
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Originally Posted by MercyBurst The Southern Baptists are losing membership as well, but nothing like the liberal branch which is completely dieng out.
Decline of the liberal Mainline churches was arrested while right wing churches continue to decline.
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Originally Posted by mont974x4 Very sad.
I don't care about the denomination as an organization.
I care about the people that have swallowed a lie and the people they will lead.
There is no "lie" in the conscious decision to be a Church of Love instead of a church of legalism.
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