PC(USA) Faces Backlash Over Clergy Monogamy Rule Ahead of 2011-Era Inclusion Debate
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 7
PC(USA) Faces Backlash Over Clergy Monogamy Rule Ahead of 2011-Era Inclusion Debate
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 7
Summary
A summer General Assembly vote in Milwaukee will decide whether Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) clergy must be in monogamous sexual relationships, opening a sharp internal fight over ordination standards.
CON-10, submitted by the Sierra Blanca Presbytery, says pastors must show moral character and, if sexually active, live monogamously; it argues polyamory and polygamy can create power imbalances, emotional harm and spiritual confusion.
Three official church advisory committees oppose the measure, saying it would regulate private lives, risk shame and coercion, and impose a culturally narrow family model; More Light Presbyterians has also campaigned against it.
A rival proposal backed by those groups would fund theological study of gender, sexuality and varied family structures instead of adopting the monogamy requirement.
The dispute lands in a denomination that approved openly gay clergy in 2011 and changed its marriage definition to 'two people' in 2014, making the vote a broader test of PC(USA)'s progressive direction.