Pastors Propose Church Split

From Florida-

As surely as the sun comes up, religious folks are going to feud with one another. The feuds are often fiercest within denominations, among people who are supposed to be on the same doctrinal page.

The so-called mainline Protestant denominations -- Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian (USA) churches -- have had internal feuds for more than 30 years now over the role of gays. They agree that gays can be members of congregations, but when it comes to placing them in leadership roles or performing marriage (or blessing) ceremonies for them, then the shooting starts.

By and large these denominations officially have held to traditional teachings, prohibiting the ordination of gays or the blessing of their relationships, although they have not always been enforced. But over the years many or most of their more conservative pastors and congregations have given up the fight and split off. They either became independent or joined more conservative denominations.

In the case of the Episcopal Church, a group of conservative pastors and churches recently organized themselves into a new denomination. Now, it appears, a group within my own denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), is poised to do the same.

Last week, an informal group of 45 pastors, most from large churches, issued an open letter to the denomination, accompanied by a white paper. In the documents, they gave an account of their complaints, their despair over resolving the issue, their longing for theological consensus. And they laid out a proposal that sketches the outlines of a new "fellowship," which looks very much like a loosely connected denomination.

More here-

http://www.theledger.com/article/20110212/COLUMNISTS/102125014?Title=Pastors-Propose-Church-Split