Church Seminary faculty warns of split as Presbyterians weigh same-sex 'marriage'
Charlie Butts (OneNewsNow.com) Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Liberals within the Presbyterian Church USA are accusing other liberals of not being liberal enough.
Recently the faculty at the Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia issued a call to the denomination and its members.
Carmen Fowler LaBerge of the Presbyterian Lay Committee tells OneNewsNow the call relates to the homosexual marriage issue the convention will soon consider. The faculty is asking the church for "mutual forbearance," she says.
LaBerge, Carmen Fowler (Presbyterian Lay Committee)"Which would mean that no matter how the vote goes at General Assembly on the redefinition of marriage, conservatives and pro-gay marriage activists alike would commit in advance to not leaving the church," she explains.
Faculty at the Austin Theological Seminary in Texas endorsed it.
LaBerge says the pushback against the seminary faculties is that they are "not being leftist enough."
"Now obviously folks on the right side of the aisle are raising concern about those statements from seminary faculty as well," says LaBerge. "But those concerns are about committing spiritual adultery, that those seminary faculty are failing to rightly handle the word of God, and are leading the church further astray from her primary calling."
One reason the instructors are calling for a commitment to not leave the denomination is fear "it will not be financially viable" if they depart.
LaBerge doubts there will be a mass exodus from PC USA after the June vote but says there could be a significant loss.
- See more at: http://www.onenewsnow.com/church/2014/05/21/seminary-faculty-warns-of-split-as-presbyterians-weigh-same-sex-marriage#.U641C0A-eSo