LGBT clergy in Christianity

The ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender clergy who are open about their sexuality or are in committed same-sex relationships is a debated practice within many contemporary Christian Church communities.

While the majority of churches are opposed to it because they view homosexuality as incompatible with Biblical teaching and traditional Christian practice , there are an increasing number of Christian churches and communities that are open to the ordination of people who are gay and lesbian. These are mainly liberal protestant churches and include the Metropolitan Community Church and the Church of Sweden where clergy may serve in senior clerical positions.

The issue of ordination has caused particular controversy in the worldwide Anglican communion, following the appointment of the Bishop of New Hampshire in the US Episcopal Church.

Protestantism

Liberal Protestant denominations

Most of the liberal Protestant churches, such as the Presbyterian Church USA, the Moravian Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA), are openly discussing the issue of ordaining openly gay or lesbian clergy, including those that are in same-sex marriages or partnerships.

The Metropolitan Community Church logo in front of the altar at a regional conference of the denomination.

The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is the most prominent denomination with an official stance allowing non-celibate gays and lesbians to be ordained; it is also one of the fastest growing denominations in the United States and the United Kingdom. Smaller denominations, like the Liberal Catholic Church, the Swedenborgian Church of North America and the Apostolic Johannite Church also do so.

In Scandinavia, the Church of Sweden permits openly gay and lesbian clergy to act as ministers, often in senior positions. In May 2009 the Diocese of Stockholm elected Eva Brunne as its Bishop-Elect. Brunne lives in a registered partnership with another woman, and has a three-year-old son. Likewise the national church of Denmark, and the Church of Norway permit the ordination of openly LGBT clergy.

In Germany, the Lutheran, United and Reformed churches as part of the Evangelical Church ordain openly LGBT Christian clergy.

The Protestant Church in the Netherlands also ordains openly LGBT Christian clergy.

The United Church of Canada and the Uniting Church in Australia already welcome gays and lesbians in permanent partnerships into the ordained ministry. The United Church of Christ, because of its decentralized model that arose from Congregational churches of New England, allows such ordinations by default since there are no official denomination-wide stances on doctrine.

The Church of Scotland discussed the issue at its 2009 General Assembly. This was in response to the ordination of openly gay minister, Rev Scott Rennie, to serve at Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen. The outcome was agreement that the induction, which had triggered the debate, should go ahead, but that no further such cases should be permitted until a commission on the subject has reported in two years time.

The United Methodist Church has also been discussing the issue for many years, but its official position continues to deny ordination to "Self-Avowed Practicing Homosexuals." In theory, a homosexual who is celibate is a fit candidate for ordination within the United Methodist Church, but in practice this rarely happens.

Conservative Protestants

To many conservative Protestants, homosexuality is interpreted in terms of behavior. A homosexual is a person who engages in same-sex behavior. A biblical world view of what homosexuality is can come from 1 Corinthians 6:9 as well as many others. This biblical view would place homosexuality as described in Leviticus 20 as sexual immorality and equal to adultery, lust, fornication, and incest.

The ordination of gays and lesbians is not a new thing, but their ordination as openly practicing homosexuals has caused controversy among some churchgoers: a 2006 survey suggested that two-thirds of weekly protestant church-goers in the United States of America believe that it is inappropriate for gays and lesbians to serve as bishops or pastors; with the number opposed rising to 80% amongst evangelical Christians. In the past, ordinands who were gay or lesbian did not admit their sexuality, and were ordained.

Anglicanism

For many years liberal, western, Anglican Provinces operated a system summed up by the phrase "don't ask, don't tell."

Bishop Robinson in 2006, during the 75th General Convention of The Episcopal Church

In the Episcopal Church USA, bishops in some dioceses ordain non-celibate gays and lesbians, while those in others do not. In the wider Anglican Communion, which includes more conservative congregations in developing countries, the ordination of homosexuals is highly controversial.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, formed the Eames Commission due to controversy associated with the consecration of Gene Robinson to the order of bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, and the planned consecration of Jeffrey John (who was to be ordained Bishop of Reading) in the Church of England. Its findings, published as the Windsor Report, recommended that the consecration of individuals in same-sex relationships as bishops cease, although it conspicuously avoided discussing gays and lesbians ordered as priests and deacons. In response, the Episcopal Church placed a moratorium on confirming the consecrations of all bishops.

Episcopal Bishop J. Neil Alexander of the Diocese of Atlanta said he voted for the ordination of Gene Robinson as bishop because Robinson was open about his sexuality and honest about his caring relationship. In the past known gay clergy were ordained to the episcopate only because they lied about their sexuality.

In July 2009, clergy and laity in the US voted to reject the three-year moratorium on the consecration of gay clergy. The Archbishop of Canturbury responded to this in a statement which regretted that this move would not heal the divisions in the church, and effectively sets in motion a two-tier system of Anglicanism in which those within the covenant can speak as Anglicans, and LGBT clergy and those who support them fall outside the covenant, and so cannot speak on behalf of other Anglicans. A coalition of thirteen LGBT Christian groups in the UK formulated a united response to the Archbishop's statement, questioning whether the 'listening process' he had called for had been properly engaged with, that LGBT people are committed members of the communion, and criticising a 'two-track' system within Anglicanism.

In August 2009, it was announced that two gay Episcopal priests were among the six nominated candidates for the role of assistant bishop of Los Angeles. Both are in committed same-sex relationships. The appointment will be voted on in December. At the same time, the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota has also announced a lesbian has been nominated as a a bishop .

The Confessing Movement has been a vehicle for opposition to the ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians.

Roman Catholicism

Main article: Homosexuality and Roman Catholic priests

The Roman Catholic Church allows the ordination of men who have, in the past, experienced same-sex attraction, but only on the condition that they have lived without engaging in homosexual culture or acts for several years, and can be psychologically verified as having their same-sex attraction under control.

Previously ordination of these homosexually inclined males was strictly forbidden, even though this discipline was often not really observed by local bishops after the 1960s (see homosexuality and Roman Catholicism).

Despite the official line, some studies in the United States have suggested that at least a third of all priests in the US Catholic Church may be homosexual. A 2006 survey suggests that Roman Catholic church-goers in the US are evenly split on whether such men should serve as priests or bishops.

Following the scandals over child abuse by serving priests in the Roman Catholic that began to emerge in the USA, Britain and Ireland in the late 1990s, some have mistakenly or deliberately conflated the issues of paedophilia and hebophilia with homosexuality. This has subsequently enhanced the controversiality of discussions about the ordination of gay people.

Non-Trinitarian

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ordains to the priesthood only men who have covenanted not to have sex with anyone besides their wife. Some gay men have chosen to remain celibate, while others have chosen to marry. Regardless of orientation, only married men may become bishops. Transgendered persons who were born men may only receive the priesthood if they have not had, and are not planning to have, an operation to change their gender.(1999 Church handbook.) Women are not ordained to the priesthood.

See also

• Homosexuality and Christianity
• Gay bishops
• Homosexuality and Anglicanism
• Homosexuality and Roman Catholic priests