Winston Churchill told a joke of a subway train, which was stopped at a subway station. A man stepped onto one of the subway cars. The conductor shouted to the man, "I'm sorry sir, you cannot get on this train, the train doesn’t stop at this station." "Very well ," replied the man, "If it doesn’t stop here, I’m not on it."
With a similar logic, the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission (GAPJC) has ruled in the case "Presbytery of the Redwoods v. The Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr," involving the performance of same sex wedding ceremonies. In a reversal of a lower church court ruling, the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr has been found not guilty of violating the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s constitution by performing same-sex ‘marriages’ for two lesbian couples.
How did they make this determination when Rev. Spahr publicly and unapologetically reported that she did perform the ceremonies of same-sex couples and called them 'weddings?' Rev. Spahr was in attendance when the case was heard, Friday, with family, friends and three of the same-sex couples whose “wedding” ceremonies she repeatedly insists that she performed. According to the GAPJC ruling, the definition of marriage as found in W-4.9001 of the Book of Order, states that "marriage is a civil contract between a woman and a man" ... and that "For Christians marriage is a covenant through which a man and a woman are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship." The GAPJC ruled that "By the definition in W-4.9001, a same sex ceremony can never be a marriage. The GAPJC determined that Spahr could not be found “guilty of doing that which by definition cannot be done."
Those are the facts. Here's what I think. I have met Rev. Spahr; we are members of the Presbytery of the Redwoods. She is a nice person and intends to help people. I trust her motives. She followed her conscience, which led her to officiate the wedding ceremonies of gay and lesbian couples. Whatever you think about whether that's a good thing to do or not - it is clearly against the guidelines our church has for pastors. I don't want to see the book thrown at Rev. Spahr. Personally, I would rather not deal with it and trust that God will sort all these things out. But, there are people in our church (denomination) who are responsible to see that all of our rules are followed. The GAPJC is the body most responsible for that. And they let us down.
With astounding intellectual sophistry the ruling body managed to insult and incense people on all sides of the issue. Spahr said, in a radio interview, she is disappointed because gays and lesbians are still treated like second-class citizens by not being given the right to marriage. She was glad to be found not guilty, but disappointed with the reasons given. Those who wish for a church that holds a high moral bar for its leaders are disappointed. Here is another weak-kneed attempt to avoid speaking the truth in love. Intending to be more “inclusive,” we are driving out more of the faithful. There are still more losers: Those who just wish for peace in the church are disappointed, as the door remains wide open for those who flagrantly disregard the church's rules and no one dares to stop them.
The GAPJC, while failing to uphold the Synod of the Pacific’s earlier rebuke of Rev. Spahr, nevertheless instructed Rev. Spahr not to do it again. Amazing!
Not to worry. Spahr will not do “that which by definition cannot be done."
News article in the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat: http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080429/NEWS/355963598/1033/NEWS&template=kart
Marin IJ http://www.marinij.com/sanrafael/ci_9097894
PCUSA News: http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08335.htm
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