Warning: Illegal string offset 'itemurl' in /home/lutheran/www/www/admin/global_functions.inc on line 257
A Bibfeldt Moment
Abstract: Presbyterian judicial commission asserts the non-existence of same-sex marriage. Lesbian evangelist was unable to break church rules prohibiting non-existent marriages.
On April 29, the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ruled that because same-sex marriages do not exist in the Presbyterian Church, lesbian evangelist emerita Rev. Jane Spahr (who presided over several same-sex ceremonies) could not possibly have violated church rules. The 11-page PJC ruling affirmed the rights of gay and lesbian couples to have their relationships sanctioned by the church but declined to view same-sex unions as equivalent to heterosexual marriages.
A letter from retired ELCA pastor Rev. Paul Feiertag offers a Lutheran commentary on the decision.
