For the past four days I have been in Texas with the Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr and close to thirty other people traveling with her. Janie was brought up on charges in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2006 for having performed marriage ceremonies for same sex couples. Her case went all the way to the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission of the PC (USA). The outcome of that trial was that they prohibited her from performing any more same sex ceremonies that were portrayed in any way like marriages. The ruling came just weeks before California made same sex marriages legal so her legal team asked the GAPJC for guidance regarding what were now going to be legal same sex marriages in California and they did not hear back from the GAPJC. So, Janie performed countless same sex marriages during the legal window in California. She was once again brought up on charges and her case went to the GAPJC this past weekend in San Antonio, Texas.
I was in Texas with Janie because my wife and I were one of the couples she performed a marriage ceremony for during the legal window. There were many other couples with us in Texas as well though some couples were unable to make it. There is tremendous community that has been built among the couples and Janie’s family and other committed supporters. While it is difficult to describe how hurtful it is to have to listen to anyone discussing whether it is right or wrong to perform same sex marriage ceremonies, what is even more hurtful is to have the discussion occur in the church.
The prosecutor in the case is a woman even older than Janie Spahr who has been supportive of Janie throughout her ministry. She is a retired lawyer and she volunteered to prosecute the case partly in order to save the Presbytery the money they would have had to spend on a lawyer. She volunteered in part because she believes in the rules of the Presbyterian Church and she believes we must follow the rules to the letter of the law until the rules can be changed.
As is often the case when I consider human rights’ issues, I find myself wondering again if I would have been one of the people in the fifties and sixties who would have realized that human beings are always more important than rules. Would I have stood with MLK Jr. and the countless others who realized the rules were killing people, literally and figuratively? Or would I have been one of those who would have waited and hoped the rules would change but would have participated in widespread racism and bigotry? I will never the know the answer to that question but I do know the answer related to now. I refuse to stand by and watch human beings relegated to “less than” status because of a human rule. We have always said Jesus is the head of the church and I know without doubt Jesus would not have created a separate category for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. In fact, I often imagine Jesus shuddering at the way the church has often treated the Beloved Ones.
One of the things the prosecution said when she began her argument was that the trial was about the unity of the church. She couldn’t have been more wrong. The trial was about a mistake that was made in 2008 by the GAPJC and their chance to right the wrong. The unity of the church has NO bearing on that group providing leadership and doing the right thing. For years the Presbyterian denomination has lived in fear and bent over backward to produce unity and the cost has been enormous. There is still no unity and there is also no leadership and no prophetic voice. What a tragic result for the denomination. This is a time for phophets, for courage, and for creating a denomination that lives the love it proclaims.
The Rev. Jim Rigby, a prophetic ally for the dignity of LGBT people in the church, said over the weekend that it is not us (Janie or the couples) who are on trial. Rev. Rigby said, “It is the church that is on trial this weekend.” He could not have been more right. The verdict will be announced on Wednesday, February 22nd, and it remains to be seen how the church will fare in this trial. The GAPJC has the opportunity to demonstrate to the world that the Presbyterian Church (USA) does still have a prophetic voice. Let’s hope they realize in their deliberations that the “good news of the gospel” that Jesus came to proclaim is the news that all are loved and cherished equally by the One who created us. May they finally free the denomination from bigotry and fear for a ministry of love and prophecy.