A few hours ago I sat at a restaurant with my Elder before the meeting of the Kiskiminetas Presbytery meeting to go over the docket.

I told her that we would be voting on Amendment B and she read the current part of the Book of Order pertaining to that. I summarized for her the part about Ministers, Elders and Deacons are to lead a life of fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness.

She was surprised there was no mention of homosexuals. I explained how the Book of Order was interpreted that gays and lesbians who are not married and were sexually active were precluded from service by this section of the Book of Order. Of course it also precludes heterosexuals who are living together and not married from service also. (However, I doubt this is as rigorously enforced or debated with such ferocity.)

The vote at the Presbytery meeting a few hours later was 34 yes and 70 no: roughly the same as 8 years ago.

On the way home, I wondered about the change in 5 states that now legalize same sex marriage. So if a minister or elder or deacon is in a same sex marriage, and are practicing fidelity are they now eligible for service?

Some legal experts say that a Supreme Court challenge will soon come that under the "full faith and credit clause" of the U.S.
Constitution that will force all states to recognize legal marriage from those five states. Justice Scalia, has opined in a dissent in another case that will force all states to recognize same sex marriage.

I am sure that it will soon come to pass that we will revisit the meaning of 6. 0..... in the very near future.

If same sex marriage is legal in some places, it will force us once again to define and refine our thinking. Will our church refuse to recognize valid legal marriages? Will our church seek to define church marriage as different from civil marriage?

Art Seaman, HR
serving as Interim Pastor
New Bethlehem, PA

living in Kittanning. PA