JUNE 5, 2006
UPDATED JUNE 12, 2006
Bitter disputes over ordaining gays and lesbians have roiled American denominations in recent years, and they are revving up again as a number of faith groups try to resolve what has seemed an intractable issue. As in the parallel arguments over same-sex unions, one camp sees homosexuality as incompatible with the Bible’s strictures on sex, and thus considers it impossible to allow for homosexual clergy. The other view holds that biblical injunctions against homosexuality are cultural artifacts akin to scriptural proscriptions on women or divorce that have long been superseded. They say modern concepts of human rights and social justice should allow for equality for homosexuals, as long as they are in stable, faithful relationships. Centrists are seeking compromises but are finding that the terrain has little middle ground. As a result, many observers believe developments in the coming weeks and months could show a way forward, or lead to de facto schisms.
Why it matters
The role and rights of gays and lesbians in American society will be determined in large part by how their roles and rights are viewed in the religious world. Experts say faith groups that deny gay rights as against biblical morality will also tend to advocate restrictions against homosexuals in society. And faith groups that promote gay rights within their communities will have a platform to promote gay rights in a wider forum. Also, faith communities that advocate for gay rights in society but continue to deny ordination to homosexuals will be seen as undermining their public policy stands, experts say. <!– Created using the Imagination Image Map Editor (http://www.mmaus.com/imagination.html)–>
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What’s new
Where religious groups stand
• Episcopal Church
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Reformed Church in America
• United Methodist Church
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• United Church of Christ
• Roman Catholic Church
• Judaism
National sources
Regional sources
Background
The annual General Synod of the Reformed Church in America (June 8-13) will convene at Central College in Pella, Iowa. The RCA has stated since 1978 that homosexuality is a sin, but debates over changing the church’s policies have roiled the denomination. After the 2005 General Synod, RCA leaders launched a three-year-long dialogue on homosexuality. But the process itself is expected to come under fire at this year’s meeting from those who see it as a means to loosen the church’s strictures. With fewer than 300,000 members, the RCA is small, but its deep roots in American religious history make it a bellwether denomination.
The General Convention of the Episcopal Church (June 13-21) will meet in Columbus, Ohio, for the triennial national gathering of its two legislative bodies – the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, which includes priests and lay people. Intense debate and media coverage are expected for a series of resolutions on issues related to gay clergy. The votes on those resolutions may determine whether the 2.3 million-member church continues to suffer internal divisions and whether it will effectively break with the rest of the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion.
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (June 15-22) will meet in Birmingham, Ala. The biennial conference of the 2.4 million-member church’s legislative body will take up a new proposal on gay ordination that was five years in development. The so-called "third way" strategy would retain the PCUSA’s current rules against ordaining noncelibate gays and lesbians, but under its provisions local churches could ordain gays and lesbians under some circumstances. The proposal has drawn fire from both sides, and its prospects are uncertain. Under Presbyterian governance, regional presbyteries ordain ministers while local churches ordain deacons and elders.
Conservative Judaism is actively debating whether and how to allow gay clergy. In March 2006 the movement’s Committee on Law and Standards, made up of 25 rabbis who vote on issues of Jewish law, met in closed session to try to forge an agreement on whether Conservative Judaism could interpret Jewish law to allow for homosexual rabbis. A vote on their discussions was tabled until December. In the meantime, a layman, Arnold Eisen, was named head of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in April 2006, making him the de facto leader of the movement. Eisen has said he favors ordaining gays and lesbians as rabbis but will let the rabbinate make the final decision.
Roman Catholic clergy would seem to be exempt from much of this debate since priests must be celibate males. But an apparent rise in the number of gay men being ordained, combined with revelations in recent years that a number of gay priests were not abiding by their vow of celibacy or were engaged in unhealthy or abusive sexual behaviors, led the Vatican this year to try to halt the ordination of any homosexual, regardless of whether he said he would remain celibate. The new policy caused consternation and confusion, especially in the United States, and observers say it is unclear whether the bishops can or will enforce it.
While many denominations are debating gay ordination, no major U.S. church has fully endorsed ordaining sexually active homosexuals, even if they are in a committed relationship. At most, some denominations, such as the United Church of Christ, allow but do not enforce a policy of gay ordination because they do not have a central authority or ecclesial polity that requires uniformity. Conservative-minded evangelical and fundamentalist churches will not consider the possibility of ordaining homosexuals or allowing gay marriage. That includes the Southern Baptist Convention, the second-largest U.S. denomination after Roman Catholicism, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons. African-American churches and churches in the Pentecostal tradition are also overwhelmingly against sanctioning a role for gays in church. Islam and many other religious traditions that are newer to America also tend to disapprove of homosexuality and do not allow gay clergy.
There are a few small denominations dedicated to ministering to homosexuals and that specifically endorse gay clergy.
• Most prominent among these are the Metropolitan Community Churches, founded in 1968 to provide "a primary, positive ministry to gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender persons," as their web site says.
• The United Church of Canada is the second-largest denomination in Canada after the Catholic Church. In 1988 it affirmed that homosexuality "is not in itself a barrier" to ordination. A May 1998 church news release explained the history and fallout from that historic debate.
Here is a look at where the other major debates on gay ordination are unfolding:
The Episcopal Church has been in turmoil since 2003, when delegates from the Diocese of New Hampshire elected as bishop V. Gene Robinson, a gay priest who is in a committed, longtime relationship with his partner. After Robinson’s election, and his confirmation a few weeks later by the General Convention of 2003, conservative Episcopalians threatened to break away, and leaders in other parts of the Anglican Communion demanded that the Episcopal Church be sanctioned or even expelled from the worldwide body. (About the same time, the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada gave official approval to blessing same-sex unions, contributing to the furor.) Even before that, in 1996, a bishop, Walter Righter, was accused of heresy for ordaining an openly gay man in 1990. The charges were dismissed, but the church continued to struggle with issues of gay ordination and same-sex blessings. While such rites are not officially approved, they are widely practiced at the local level.
Later in 2003, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the head of the Anglican Communion, appointed the Lambeth Commission on Communion to try to formulate an acceptable response to the controversy. Led by Archbishop Robin Eames, the Anglican Primate of All Ireland, the commission in October 2004 released its findings in the so-called Windsor Report. Among other things, the report called on the Episcopal Church to express regret for approving Robinson’s election and called for a moratorium on ordaining gay bishops and blessing same-sex unions. Still, the report did not satisfy some conservatives who wanted penalties against the U.S. church, and it upset many progressive Episcopalians.
The Episcopal Church agreed to delay approving any more bishops until more negotiations could take place. In May 2006, delegates from the Diocese of California elected a new bishop but did not choose one of several openly gay candidates. Several of the candidates were openly gay, but the convention chose a married man from Alabama, Marc Handley Andrus, as their new bishop. While that averted another crisis, Andrus actually supports gay ordination.
In April 2006 a special commission of the Episcopal Church released a 26-page report titled "One Baptism, One Hope in God’s Call" that responds to the Windsor Report and presents the resolutions and issues that the General Convention will debate in June in Columbus. This Episcopal News Service report from April 7, 2006, presents the "One Baptism" report and has links to the full text and the resolutions.
On June 18 the General Convention will also elect a new leader, or presiding bishop, to succeed the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III, whose nine-year term ends Nov. 1. The new presiding bishop’s approach to issues involving homosexuality is expected to be key to the church’s future. An April 18, 2006, ENS story lists the candidates and explains the process.
RESOURCES
• The official Episcopal Church web site lists all General Convention resolutions. The 11 principal resolutions are at the end of the list, numbers A159-A169.
• Read a May 4, 2006, Christian Science Monitor story, "Episcopalians face key votes over gays."
• Read a May 19, 2006, Commonweal article, "Episcopalian Crisis: Authority, Homosexuality & the Future of Anglicanism," by Barry Jay Seltser.
• Read a May 6, 2006, Associated Press story on the election of California Bishop Marc Andrus, posted by MSNBC.com.
• Read a May18, 2006, Associated Press story, "Episcopal Church Controversy Heats Up," posted by Beliefnet.
CONSERVATIVE GROUPS
• Forward in Faith’s North American branch was organized in 1999 largely in response to the debates over sexuality issues. Its web site includes a listing of member parishes.
• The Anglican Communion Network is a leading conservative organization based in Pittsburgh. It lists member dioceses, churches and clergy. The ACN also lists Common Cause Partners, which includes the leading organizations working against gay ordination, such as the American Anglican Council, the Anglican Mission in America, the Anglican Province of America and the Reformed Episcopal Church.
• In the run-up to the convention, a Plano, Texas, priest, the Rev. David Roseberry, started an online petition calling on the House of Bishops not to approve gay clergy or same-sex blessings and to endorse in full the Windsor Report, which expresses repentance for the Robinson confirmation. The site is called bcp526.org after the page in the Book of Common Prayer – page 526 – referring to the vows Episcopal clergy take to uphold church teaching. As of June 1, the petition had garnered about 1,000 signatures.
LIBERAL GROUPS
• Integrity USA is the major national network of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Episcopalians and supports gay ordination. Integrity also maintains a web page with the relevant General Convention resolutions and their position on them.
• The Oasis is a support ministry for gay Episcopalians. It has chapters in the dioceses of California, Missouri, Newark and New Jersey. The Newark chapter also maintains a list of "welcoming" congregations in each state.
• "The Consultation" is the title of an umbrella organization that gathers a number of Episcopal groups that support a progressive agenda, including gay ordination.
• Beyond Inclusion and Claiming the Blessing are two other groups working on behalf of gay rights.
The Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) currently requires that ministers — including elders and deacons, who must also be ordained — adhere to "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness." In effect that means no sexually active gays or lesbians, even those in a committed relationship.
The General Assembly that will meet in June in Birmingham will attempt to find a "third way" between those who want to liberalize that statute and those who want to maintain a ban. The delegates will vote on a proposal that was unanimously approved, after a five-year process, by a 20-member Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church, or PUP.
The PUP proposal distinguishes between "standards" and "essentials" in seeking a way to allow for the possibility that local churches could ordain some homosexuals without changing the current ban and alienating Presbyterians who are against gay ministers.
The PCUSA has tackled this issue numerous times. In 1978 the General Assembly passed a "definitive guidance" that "self-affirming, practicing homosexuals" are not eligible for ordination, as this Presbyterian News Service story explains. After the 1996 General Assembly proposed an amendment (called G-6.0106b) to codify that ban in the church’s constitution, 57 percent of the presbyteries, or regional bodies, voted to ratify it. Two later efforts to remove the amendment, in 1998 and 2002, were voted down by margins of 67 percent and 73 percent.
The 2006 PUP proposal is different in that it requires only the approval of the General Assembly delegates to pass and take effect. However, observers expect a sharp debate over the PUP resolution and many counter-resolutions that have been introduced. One proposal advanced by pro-gay ordination forces would again try to delete G-6.0106b.
RESOURCES
• This May 22, 2006, Presbyterian News Service backgrounder examines the current proposals and debate.
• An article in the May 16, 2006, edition of Christian Century magazine, titled "Exception to the rule: PCUSA eyes ‘third way’ on homosexuality," is a useful analysis of the issues. The article has not yet been posted online.
• See a Feb. 3, 2006, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story that explores the decisions by the Pittsburgh presbytery and their ramifications for the General Assembly.
CONSERVATIVE GROUPS
• The Presbyterian Lay Committee is a North Carolina-based action group that publishes a conservative journal, The Layman.
• Other groups include the Presbyterian Global Fellowship, the New Wineskins Initiative, The Presbyterian Coalition, Presbyterians for Renewal and the Confessing Church Movement within the Presbyterian Church.
• According to a May 26, 2006, story in The Layman, several of these groups are exploring forging closer bonds in order to more effectively advance their agenda.
LIBERAL GROUPS
• The Covenant Network of Presbyterians was founded in 1997 as a leading voice on behalf of a progressive agenda for the PCUSA, including support for gay ordination.
• More Light Presbyterians describes itself as "a network of people seeking the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA)."
• That All May Freely Serve is another PCUSA group lobbying for "an inclusive church that honors diversity and welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons as full members." It says that full membership "includes eligibility for ordination to the offices of elder, deacon, and pastor."
The RCA has repeatedly held that homosexuality is sinful, that gays and lesbians cannot be ordained and that same-sex relationships cannot be blessed. But the denomination has also struggled to balance those strictures with a welcoming stance to homosexuals and the promotion of gay rights in wider society.
The debate has frequently been difficult and divisive. The most recent and high-profile furor came in 2005, when it became known that the Rev. Norman Kansfield, president of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary – the denomination’s main seminary – led a 2004 service in which he married his lesbian daughter, Ann Kansfield, and her partner. In January 2005 the seminary board dismissed Norman Kansfield from his post, and at the June 2005 annual general Synod, two-thirds of the delegates voted to suspend his ministerial credentials and bar him from teaching at RCA institutions. His daughter, who was studying at the seminary and was a few months away from ordination herself, was barred from joining the RCA clergy.
The episode left the RCA "unexpectedly at a crossroads," as the church’s leader, general secretary Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, put it. As a result, RCA leaders decided to launch a three-year "Dialogue on Homosexuality" that would "immediately begin an honest and intentional denomination-wide dialogue on homosexuality." A six-member team came up with a proposal, which was approved. But the process itself is being challenged through resolutions on the agenda for the 2006 General Synod. The RCA’s proscriptions against gays and lesbians are also presenting obstacles in its ecumenical dialogue with denominations such as the more liberal UCC.
The RCA web site has a backgrounder on the denomination’s history regarding homosexual issues and its current stands. There is also a copy of the RCA’s updated study guide on homosexuality, first issued in 1998.
RESOURCES
• See a July 12, 2005, article in Christian Century, "RCA struggles over gay issues and growth," posted at FindArticles.com.
At its last quadrennial General Conference, held in Pittsburgh in 2004, leaders of the 8.3 million-member United Methodist Church voted to strengthen the denomination’s stance against gay ordination. The denomination’s Book of Discipline now says that "The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers the practice incompatible with Christian teachings." The delegates also defeated a motion to leave the ordination of homosexuals up to each local conference, and they struck down an attempt to add this phrase to the Book of Discipline: "As this difficult judgment is made, it is acknowledged that faithful Christians hold differing opinions in this matter."
Yet those decisions did not close the door on the debate. A significant minority of the conference delegates voted for the more inclusive proposals, and several developments since then have kept the issue on the boil. Among them:
• In a decision handed down in October 2005, the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church reinstated a Virginia pastor who had refused to allow a gay man to become a member of his congregation. The Rev. Ed Johnson, pastor of South Hill United Methodist Church in South Hill, Va., had been suspended from the pulpit for a year by his fellow ministers until the church’s highest court reinstated Johnson.
• In April 2003, the Rev. Irene "Beth" Elizabeth Stroud, the associate pastor of First United Methodist Church of Germantown in Philadelphia, came out to her congregation as an "openly lesbian, fully credentialed, United Methodist pastor." Stroud was subsequently brought to trial on charges of violating church teachings, and on Dec. 2, 2004, a church court found her guilty of engaging in "practices that are incompatible with Christian teachings." That 12-1 decision was followed by a 7-6 decision to strip Stroud of her ministerial credentials. Then in April 2005, a church appeals board overturned the court’s ruling 8-1. It reinstated Stroud on due-process grounds, arguing that the church has not clearly defined the terms "practicing homosexual" or "status." In May 2005 that ruling was appealed, and the case remains in the docket.
• The Stroud case followed another celebrated trial of a lesbian minister, Karen Dammann, who was acquitted by a church court in March 2004. Dammann was a minister at First United Methodist Church of Ellensburg in Washington State. The jury concluded that while the Book of Discipline says homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching," it does not explicitly say whether gays or lesbians could be ordained.
• The next General Conference will run from April 23 to May 2, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas.
RESOURCES
• See a May 5, 2004, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story about the 2004 General Conference’s decisions on homosexuality.
CONSERVATIVE GROUPS
• The leading group of Methodists opposed to gay ordination (and related issues) is known as The Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church. The Confessing Movement was founded in 1994 and is based in Indianapolis.
• Good News, a magazine launched in 1967, represents the vanguard of Methodism’s conservative counteroffensive. It remains a major player in the efforts to limit expanded roles and rights for homosexuals in the UMC.
LIBERAL GROUPS
• The Reconciling Ministries Network describes itself as "a national grassroots organization that exists to enable full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life of the United Methodist Church, both in policy and practice." The RMN posts a list, organized by state, of its more than 275 member congregations and communities.
• Affirmation is an unofficial Methodist network that advocates for the full inclusion of LGBT Methodists in church life.
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has officially welcomed gay and lesbian members since 1991 but does not ordain practicing homosexuals or bless same-sex partnerships. Faced with sharp disagreements over positions on these issues, the ELCA in 2001 started a formal process to try to reach a consensus on the entire range of sexuality issues. At the 2001 Churchwide Assembly (held every two years) ELCA leaders commissioned a task force to engage in a lengthy process called "Journey Together Faithfully." The process has two main parts. The first focused on gay ordination and blessing of same-sex couples and was presented at the Churchwide Assembly in August 2005. The second was to lead to a broader statement on ELCA views on human sexuality. That statement is scheduled to be presented at the Churchwide Assembly in summer 2009.
The 2005 votes on homosexuality did not resolve the disputes, and observers expect the arguments to dominate the deliberations of the 2007 assembly. Here’s what happened: In January 2005 the 13-member task force recommended affirming a statement by the ELCA bishops that disapproved of same-sex unions but allowed local pastors discretion in dealing with individual cases. The recommendations would also have allowed the ordination of gays and lesbians in "lifelong, committed and faithful" relationships, with the approval of their bishop, local elected church leaders and the ELCA’s Conference of Bishops. A two-thirds majority was required for the proposals to pass the Churchwide Assembly. The delegates voted 670-323 to maintain the prohibition on same-sex blessings and voted 503-490 against allowing gay clergy. Comments afterward showed that both sides were dissatisfied with the votes.
Two smaller and more conservative Lutheran denominations, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, do not ordain practicing homosexuals or bless same-sex couples.
RESOURCES
• Read an April 2006 update on "Journey Together Faithfully," the ELCA’s effort to produce a statement on sexuality, written by the Rev. Rebecca Larson, executive director of the Program Unit for Church in Society.
• Read an April 11, 2005, ELCA news service story on the task force recommendations on homosexuality.
CONSERVATIVE GROUPS
• The Minnesota-based Word Alone Network is a leading group working against gay ordination. Word Alone has a list of its more than 232 affiliated congregations.
• Lutheran Churches of the Common Confession, or LC3, is a network of conservative Lutherans lobbying for a more orthodox ELCA. It lists affiliated congregations and supporters across the country.
• Seventeen ELCA theologians issued a statement in March 2005 rejecting the proposals advanced by the 13-member task force in January 2005. An ELCA news service story about the petition lists the theologians.
LIBERAL GROUPS
• Good Soil is a joint effort by six organizations dedicated to seeing homosexuals ordained as ELCA clergy. Partners include The Extraordinary Candidacy Project, Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries, Lutherans Concerned/North America and the Wingspan Ministry of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church.
The leadership of the 1.3 million-member United Church of Christ has been foremost among denominations seeking the full inclusion of homosexuals. In the 1970s the UCC allowed the ordination of the first openly gay man and the first openly lesbian woman, and in 2005 the UCC endorsed civil unions for same-sex couples. Ordination of practicing homosexuals was officially accepted in 1980, and the blessing of same-sex couples is allowed.
But the issue still roils the UCC. Because the UCC believes in local autonomy, some regions and congregations bar gay clergy and gay couples. Some congregations are threatening to leave over the denomination’s official tolerance of homosexuality, while some liberal members want the UCC to be more active in promoting gay rights as a denomination-wide standard.
The UCC will begin celebrating its 50th anniversary in November 2006, and its next General Synod meeting will be in June 2007.
RESOURCES
• ReligiousTolerance.org provides information on the UCC’s stands regarding homosexuality.
• The UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns will hold its annual conference, called "Tapestry 2006: Live, Love, Laugh and Lead," from June 26-29, 2006, at the University of Indianapolis. Its partners at the conference will include the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and the Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance.
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
• On Nov. 29, 2005, the Vatican released a long-awaited document that surprised many by declaring that the church "cannot admit to the seminary and the sacred orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply-rooted homosexual tendencies or support so-called gay culture." It was the second condition that seemed to bar even chaste, celibate men who identify as homosexual from becoming priests.
• The Vatican’s policy, approved by Pope Benedict XVI, is creating difficulties for bishops and seminaries since many gay men have sought ordination or are studying for the priesthood. Estimates of the number of homosexuals in the priesthood range from 10 percent to more than one-third.
• This Nov. 22, 2005, ReligionLink edition, "Homosexuals and the Catholic priesthood," explores the issue and provides resources and experts.
Reform Judaism, which is the most liberal wing of the Jewish community, has allowed the ordination of homosexual rabbis since 1990. With 1.5 million adherents, Reform Judaism vies with Conservative Judaism as the largest stream of American Judaism, and it is the most visible U.S. religious community to accept gay rabbis. The Shamash.org newsgroup maintains a site with a chronology of Reform Judaism’s record on homosexuality, traced through policy developments by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which is the rabbinic organization of the Reform movement. The CCAR web site has a list of relevant resources, including its 1990 statement endorsing nondiscrimination against gays and lesbians who seek ordination.
Orthodox Judaism, which is smaller but influential, rules out any such possibility.
Conservative Judaism has always been seen as occupying a middle ground, preserving tradition but opening to modernity. As a result, the outcome of the Conservative debate on allowing openly gay clergy will be crucial for America Judaism. Observers say it could also have important ramifications for relations between American Jews and Israel. In Israel, Reform and Conservative Judaism represent tiny minorities of the Jewish population. Religious life is governed by Orthodox Jewry, and liberal policies by the two main wings of American Judaism could create tensions.
RESOURCES
• See this May 3, 2006, CBSNews.com story on Arnold Eisen’s surprise appointment to the JTS.
• See this May 2, 2006, Religion News Service story, "Conservative Jews Try to Find Patch of Middle Ground on Gay Issues," posted at the Pew Forum web site.
National sources
Many organizations and individuals address the role of gays, lesbians and the transgendered in society and include considerations of how religion affects the debate. Most of these focus more on same-sex marriage and civil rights than on issues of ordination within religious groups. For national and regional groups involved in these issues and more background, see ReligionLink’s "Guide to Covering Same-sex Marriage Debates" (2006) and "Same-sex Marriage in Limbo" (2004).
LEADING ACTIVISTS
• The Institute on Religion and Democracy is a prominent lobby uniting conservatives across the mainline Protestant denominations to push for more traditional policies in American churches and for more conservative policies in American politics. The IRD is considered a major player in the battles over gay rights in churches. It lists its board members and supporters, who can be found across the country. The IRD also has a task force to promote its agenda in the Methodist Church, in the Presbyterian Church and in the Episcopal Church.
• Soulforce is a prominent national activist group working on behalf of GLBT Christians. Soulforce was founded by Mel White, a former speechwriter for conservative television evangelist Pat Robertson, and Gary Nixon. The web site includes a list of local Soulforce chapters.
• The Rev. Debra Haffner, a Unitarian Universalist minister, is the director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing. She says more than 2,500 religious leaders have endorsed the institute’s Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing, which calls for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the faith community. The institute is based in Norwalk, Conn. Read Haffner’s blog. Contact 203-840-1148, haffner@religiousinstitute.org.
INDIVIDUALS
• Nancy Ammerman is a professor of the sociology of religion at Boston University and a leading expert on congregational dynamics, especially in mainline Protestantism. Contact 617-353-3066, nta@bu.edu.
• Bishop Steven Charleston is president and dean of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. He said he believes that sexual orientation should not be a deterrent to ordination. Contact 617-682-1511, scharleston@eds.edu.
• Frederick J. Gaiser teaches Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He wrote a May 2, 2006, article "Open-door policy: Homosexuality and the message of Isaiah," in Christian Century. Contact 651-641-3210, fgaiser@luthersem.edu.
• James Davison Hunter is a professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a frequent writer and commentator on the "culture wars" dividing America, especially as regards homosexuality. Contact 434-924-6524, jdhunter@virginia.edu.
• Ian Markham is a professor of theology and ethics and dean of Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn. He is an expert on mainline Christianity and has a new book, with the Rev. Martyn Percy of Oxford, called Why Liberal Churches Are Growing (Continuum, 2006). Contact 860-509-9553, markham@hartsem.edu.
• The Rev. Luke Mbefo, C.S.Sp., is a Catholic priest and a native of Nigeria who teaches theology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Mbefo wrote an article in the March 8, 2006, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette titled "Why African Anglicans would oppose ordination of homosexuals." That was in response to an essay, "A Gospel of Intolerance," on behalf of gay clergy written by Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington. Contact 412-396-6530, mbefo@duq.edu.
• Richard J. Mouw is a well-known writer and commentator on evangelical Christianity and is president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., a leading evangelical institution. In November 2003 Mouw engaged in a widely followed debate with Barbara G. Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological seminary in New York, about the issue of gay ordination. The exchange, titled "Strangers: A Dialogue About the Church," took place at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. In his address, Mouw spoke against ordaining active homosexuals, but also about the dynamics of the debate and its negative impact on the churches. Contact 626-584-5201, rjmouw@fuller.edu.
• Thomas Ogletree is a United Methodist minister and a professor of theological ethics at Yale Divinity School who believes the debate over homosexuality indicates that the church will eventually change its position. Contact 203-432-5337, thomas.ogletree@yale.edu.
• The Rev. Jack B. Rogers is a lifelong evangelical and former leader of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who in March 2006 published a book describing how he has changed his position from opposing gay ordination to supporting it. Rogers makes the case in Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church (Westminster John Knox Press, 2006). Rogers is an emeritus professor of theology at the Southern California campus of the San Francisco Theological Seminary. Contact through Westminster John Knox publicist Gavin Stephens at 502-569-5713, gstephens@wjkbooks.com.
• Bishop James Stanton of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas has been active nationally and internationally in the Anglican debate over the role of gays in the church. He was involved in the founding of the American Anglican Council, which works to oppose the ordination of sexually active homosexuals. The Dallas Diocese is an affiliate of the AAC. Read Stanton’s response to the Windsor Report. Contact 214-826-8310, jmsdallas@episcopal-dallas.org.
• Barbara G. Wheeler is the longtime president of Auburn Theological Seminary in New York, a leading Presbyterian seminary. In November 2003, Wheeler engaged in a widely followed debate on gay ordination with Richard J. Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., a leading evangelical institution. The exchange, titled "Strangers: A Dialogue About the Church," took place at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. In her address, Wheeler spoke in favor of ordaining active homosexuals, but also about the dynamics of the debate and its negative impact on the churches. Contact through her assistant, Mercedes Rivera, at 212-662-4315, mvr@auburnsem.org.
SURVEYS
• Pollingreport.com posts recent opinion surveys on homosexual rights.
• A Nov. 18, 2003, report from The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows that religion is a fundamental component of Americans’ opposition to homosexuality. An Aug. 3, 2005, Pew report included a finding that reiterated the earlier conclusions.
• A Gallup Report on homosexuality (subscription required) that includes data from three decades ago up to May 2006 shows that overall, Americans are increasingly viewing homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle.
• Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has a "List of Christian denominational positions on homosexuality." The list is a useful overview, but journalists should double-check all information.
Regional sources
IN THE NORTHEAST
• Margaret A. Farley is a professor of Christian ethics at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Conn. She is Catholic and has written widely about Christian sexual ethics. Contact 203-432-5355, margaret.farley@yale.edu.
• Wendy Cadge is a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. She has written widely about homosexuality and Christianity, especially as it pertains to mainline Protestantism. In fall 2006 Cadge will join the sociology department at Brandeis University. Until then she can be contacted at 617-496-6219, wcadge@rwj.harvard.edu.
• Bernadette J. Brooten is a professor of Christian studies in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. She is an expert in the history of sexuality in the Bible and is author of Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism (The University of Chicago Press, 1996). Contact 781-736-2978, brooten@brandeis.edu.
• Catherine Clark Kroeger is an adjunct teacher of classical and ministry studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. She specializes in issues of sexuality and biblical ethics. Contact 978-468-7111.
IN THE EAST
• Robert A.J. Gagnon is an associate professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa. His expertise is in sexual teachings in the Bible, with a focus on homosexuality. Contact 412-441-3304 ext. 2205, gagnon@pts.edu.
• The Rev. David F. McAllister-Wilson is president of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., a Methodist institution. He can be reached through the main office at 202-885-8600, or president@wesleysem.edu.
• The Rev. Paul Zahl is a professor of theology and dean of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa.. He opposes the ordination of sexually active gay clergy. Contact through the main office at 724-266-3838.
IN THE SOUTHEAST
• Lesley Armstrong Northup is an associate professor of religious studies at Florida International University in Miami. She wrote "Homosexuality in the Evolution of American Christianity," a chapter in the volume Religion and Sexuality: Passionate Debates, edited by C.K. Robertson (Peter Lang Publishing, 2005). Contact 305-348-2956, northupl@fiu.edu.
• Mark D. Jordan is a professor of religion at Emory University in Atlanta. He is a well-known author of several books on homosexuality in Christianity, including Blessing Same-Sex Unions: The Perils of Queer Romance and the Confusions of Christian Marriage (University of Chicago Press, 2005). Contact 404-727-6002, mjorda2@emory.edu.
• David C. Steinmetz is a professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School and an ordained Methodist minister. He has said that the debate over gay ordination shows there are really two Methodist churches co-existing in the denomination. Contact 919-660-3438, steinmtz@acpub.duke.edu.
IN THE SOUTH
• Ben Witherington III is a professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., and an elder in the Methodist Church. Witherington calls himself an evangelical and has pressed for a clearer stand by the UMC on gay issues. Contact 859-858-2329, or through his personal web site.
• Charles Eric Mount Jr. is an emeritus professor of the religion department at Centre College in Danville, Ky., and an ordained Presbyterian minister. His expertise is in community ethics and theology. Contact 859-238-5695, mounte@centre.edu.
IN THE MIDWEST
• Horace L. Griffin is an assistant professor of pastoral theology at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. He has written several scholarly articles on theology and homosexuality. Contact 847-328-9300 ext. 50, h-griffin@seabury.edu.
• Stanton L. Jones is provost and professor of psychology at Wheaton College and has written on homosexuality and Christianity from an evangelical perspective. Contact 630-752-5503, Stanton.Jones@wheaton.edu.
• The Rev. Roland Martinson is a professor of children, youth and family ministry at the Leadership Program of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He is an expert in issues of human sexuality and church ethics. Contact 651-641-3207, rmartins@luthersem.edu.
IN THE SOUTHWEST
• William B. Lawrence is dean of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, one of 13 theological schools of the United Methodist Church. He is an ordained elder and has expressed concern that the debates over homosexuality could lead to lasting schisms. Contact 214-768-2534, wblawren@smu.edu.
• Mark Lowery is an associate professor of theology at the University of Dallas, an independent Catholic school in Irving, Texas. Lowery has written extensively on the traditional Christian view of sexuality. Contact 972-721-5357, lowery@udallas.edu.
• The Rev. William K. McElvaney is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, a former seminary professor at Perkins School of Theology and former president of St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo. He has been a leading voice on issues of social justice throughout his ministry and supports gay ordination. Read "Why should the church allow ordination of gay men and lesbians?" a chapter he wrote for the book Finishing the Journey: Questions and Answers From United Methodists of Conviction. Contact him in Dallas at 972-233-6146.
IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• James K. Wellman Jr. is an assistant professor of comparative religion at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has written on homosexuality in American churches and the question of gay ordination. Contact 206-543-0339, jwellman@u.washington.edu.
• Melissa M. Wilcox is an assistant professor of religion at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. Her writing and research focus on the interplay of Christianity, homosexuality and identity. Contact 509-527-5247, wilcoxmm@whitman.edu.
• Daniel T. Spencer is an assistant professor of liberal studies at the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont. He has written widely about homosexuality and Christianity. Contact 406-243-6111, daniel.spencer@umontana.edu.
