600 PRESBYTERIANS SIGN PROTEST LETTER FRESH OUTCRY OVER SAME-SEX STANCE
MORE than 600 Presbyterians have signed a letter sent to the Church’s leader saying they will not be silenced in the growing row over same-sex relationships.
The letter, signed by members of the Creative Conversation Group (CCG), also accuses the Church of failing to live up to its commitment to “consultation and engagement” with its members on major issues.
The ongoing dispute comes after the ruling general assembly controversially voted in June to not provide full communion for same-sex partners or to baptise their children.
It also voted to stop the traditional annual moderatorial exchanges with the Church of Scotland because of the Scots’ more liberal views on same-sex issues. The vote followed a report brought to the general assembly in June by its doctrine committee.
In the letter to Moderator Dr Charles McMullen, the group claims that the report “arguably arrived at the recent general assembly without full and prop-
er consideration or debate, and certainly without proper consideration of its public square implications, or more seriously, its pastoral care implications”.
The decisions caused widespread criticism of the Church by many Presbyterians here, including former Alliance Party leader Lord Alderdice. He resigned as an elder in protest at the Church’s attempts to shut down public debate on the controversy, describing the leadership being shown as “the kind of leadership of the Inquisition”.
The CCG said it wanted “to assert the long-held right of Presbyterians to exercise their God given right of private judgment, having examined the Holy Scripture and been guided by the Holy Spirit”.
They added that they “believe in loyal dissent and the need for continuing public discourse” and “respectful debate is healthy and should be encouraged”.
The CCG said 602 Presbyterians had signed the letter.
The Presbyterian Church in a statement yesterday said that it was assumed that the letter was written to the Moderator for his consideration and response. “It is very disappointing, therefore, and somewhat discourteous to the Moderator, that the authors also chose to circulate it more widely and to make it available to the media,” it added.
“This somewhat undermines the ‘respectful discourse’ the authors purport to be engaged in.”
The statement claimed that “there are many opportunities for dialogue and discussion in the Presbyterian Church”.
It said: “The annual general assembly, and the other structures of the Church, provide significant dramatic accountability where genuine dialogue can take place, rather than through the pages of newspapers.”
The CCG letter is signed by the six members of its “ad hoc” com- mittee — John and Rosemary Hunter, Susie Morrow, Linda Agnew, Heather Hanna and David Mark.
Mr Hunter, a retired senior civil servant and an elder in Stormont Presbyterian Church, said that originally the letter had been sent to the 80 CCG members on the mailing list, who were asked to consider signing it, and asking others if they wished to do so, hence a more than 700% increase in the original signatories.
Mr Hunter said: “This illustrated to us the strength of feeling in the Church on this issue. As I pointed out at the general assembly, the Presbyterian Church seems to be showing an increased judgmentalism, a lack of grace, and a loss of our inclusivity.”