Lesbian Fights to Serve As Presbyterian Minister

A hearing set for March 20 will re-visit the question of openly gay clergy for Presbyterians.

In 1992, Lisa Larges was denied ordination by the American branch of the Presbyterian Church due to her status as an open lesbian, according to a press release.

That decision, reached by a church court, will be the focus of the new hearing on March 20.

The hearing will determine whether the 1992 decision should be reversed or allowed to stand. If the ruling is struck down, Larges' ordination can move forward, seventeen years after a church court barred Larges from ordination.

Even if the 1992 ruling is allowed to stand, the issue could be taken further, the press release said, with an appeal to the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church, which serves as the church's highest court.

The hearing is expected to yield a result within a few days after the hearing.

The release quoted Larges as saying, "Regardless of next week's ruling, we know that this struggle will continue and inevitably end in gays and lesbians freely and openly serving our church as ordained officers, including as pastors and ministers."

Larges went on to say, "This has been a 20 year struggle for me as an individual, but we all know it is about much more than my personal calling to ministry.

"It is clear to me that as long as the Presbyterian church practices faith based discrimination, it will be fighting a losing battle, because it's already clear that Biblical scholarship, theological perspectives and cultural changes are moving our church inevitably toward inclusion."

Said Larges, "That day can't come too soon, because until it does, our church will continue to wreak spiritual damage in the lives of Gay, Lesbian, bisexual, transgender persons and their families, and will turn away a whole generation of young people for whom the church's current policy is simply unacceptable."

Commenting on the case, theologian Jack Rogers noted, "Lisa's struggle is simply the latest example of how God's calling to service often requires great sacrifice from God's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children."

Added Rogers, the author of "Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths and Heal the Church," which is soon to see the release of a revised and expanded edition, "We know that the Presbyterian Church is not alone in grappling with issues of inclusion, but unless it acts positively it will be on the wrong side of history.

"The decision in this trial can evidence the moral leadership needed to bring the church to a new and better understanding of the equality of all God's children, including people who are LGBT," added Rogers, a Professor of Theology Emeritus and Moderator of the American church's 213th General Assembly.

The new hearing has been made possible because while the general ban on openly gay clergy remains in place, a provision allows for exceptions when qualified candidates provide a "statement of conscience" protesting the ban, according to the release.

Larges became the first openly gay candidate to provide the statement, claiming that the ban constitutes "a mar upon the Church and a stumbling block to its mission." The Presbytery of San Francisco then allowed her bid to become a minister to proceed, 17 years after it was derailed.

However, a challenge to the exception seeks a further provision that keeps the ban active against any candidate for ordination who is "unrepentant" and non-celibate.

In the larger picture, the release stated, the result of the hearing could have an impact on the ordination of gays and lesbians as a matter of church policy.

The release noted, "In June, the national church's policy setting group, the General Assembly, voted to remove restrictive language prohibiting gays and lesbian ordination from the church Constitution.

"The 173 Presbyteries are currently voting on this change, which needs a simple majority for ratification. The ruling in Larges' case could have an impact on the remaining votes."

The release went on to say, "In 2002, Larges began work with the organization That All May Freely Serve, a group that advocates for a church that honors diversity and welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons as full members eligible for ordination.

"She now serves as the Minister Coordinator of the group."

Added the release, "Called by the life and teachings of Jesus, compelled by faith, and charged by conscience, That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) advocates for a church that honors diversity and welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons as full members, which includes eligibility for ordination to the offices of Elder, Deacon, and Minister of Word and Sacrament."