| The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, in another high-profile case involving gay ordination, has voted to restore the ordination of seminary professor Paul Capetz Capetz, who had been ordained in 1991 as a minister of Word and Sacrament, had voluntarily set aside his ordination in 2000 because of his disagreement with language in the ordination standards of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that requires those being ordained to practice fidelity if they are married or chastity if they are single. But in 2007, Capetz asked the presbytery to allow him to declare a scruple -- an objection based on conscience -- to the standards, and asked that his ordination be reinstated.
The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, in another high-profile case involving gay ordination, has voted to restore the ordination of seminary professor Paul Capetz Capetz, who had been ordained in 1991 as a minister of Word and Sacrament, had voluntarily set aside his ordination in 2000 because of his disagreement with language in the ordination standards of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that requires those being ordained to practice fidelity if they are married or chastity if they are single. But in 2007, Capetz asked the presbytery to allow him to declare a scruple -- an objection based on conscience -- to the standards, and asked that his ordination be reinstated. In a day-long, specially-called presbytery meeting on Jan. 26, the presbytery did just that, voting 197 to 84, with two abstentions, to permit the scruple Capetz had presented, determining it did not involve "a failure to adhere to the essentials of Reformed faith and polity." The Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the PC(USA) had opened the door for such scruples, by convincing the General Assembly in 2006 to pass an authoritative interpretation which allows scruples to be granted if the ordaining body determines they do not involve essentials. And those exceptions are granted for individual cases; the theological task force reminded the church that the PC(USA)'s national ordination standards involving "fidelity and chastity" have not changed. The language presented to Twin Cities presbytery asked for a vote on "whether or not to restore Dr. Capetz -- given who he is as an actual, fallible human being and considering the reasons for his principled objection to one particular section of the constitution -- to the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament in a particular ministry, at this particular time and place in the life of the church and with the blessing of this particular Presbytery." Twin Cities Presbytery voted 196 to 79, with three abstentions, to restore Capetz to ordained office. And, by a voice vote, it approved accepting as a "validated ministry" Capetz' position as an associate professor of historical theology at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. The decision in Minnesota marks the second time in less than two weeks that a presbytery has granted a scruple involving the "fidelity and chastity" standard. San Francisco presbytery voted 167 to 151 on Jan. 15 to approve as "ready for examination" Lisa Larges, a lesbian who works as minister coordinator for the advocacy group That All May Freely Serve. A challenge to the action involving Larges is being filed, beginning with a stay of enforcement, to be followed by an appeal to the Synod of the Pacific. Whether there will be an appeal in the Capetz case is not yet clear. In an interview late last year, Capetz, 50, said he is gay and not currently involved in a relationship. But he said he would not, as a matter of conscience, pledge to be celibate as a condition of ordination -- contending that such a vow amounts to "works-righteousness before God." In his statement to the presbytery, Capetz told of growing up in the church and his sense, starting in high school, that "God was calling me into the ministry." He remembers clearly a sermon around the campfire one summer at church camp -- listening to the story from John's gospel of Jesus asking Peter, "Do you love me?" and then of Jesus telling Peter: "Feed my sheep." On that night, Capetz said, "it was as though Jesus had posed the question directly to me: `Paul, do you love me?' " In answering yes, Capetz said, "I had found the direction for my life." But Capetz said he also struggled during those years with an emerging sense of his sexuality -- grappling what he called "an undercurrent of despair," as he began to understand that he was different from many other people. At that time -- the mid-70s -- there was no public discussion of homosexuality, Capetz said, "nothing but a deafening silence." And "in the 30-plus years since then, I have never heard a sermon that offered wisdom as to how a gay man should live his life in a faithful Christian manner. All I have heard is silence -- or, when there was something other than silence, the words have been condemning. If I asked how I was to live my life in a morally responsible way as a Christian, I was told that celibacy was my only option-- a life of permanent renunciation of any embodied expression of sexual desire and love. But that was nothing but a counsel of despair. I had answered the call to the ministry when I heard Jesus' words `Feed my sheep,' but looking back upon my life I have to admit that the church has left me starving: starving for understanding, guidance, wisdom, and compassion." As he studied the Protestant Reformation, Capetz told the presbytery, he read of Martin Luther's own struggles with celibacy, and he resonated with the Reformers' rejection of celibacy as contradicting the concept of "justification by faith alone." If the church were to recognize same-sex marriages as valid, Capetz said, he could abide by the "fidelity and chastity" standard. "But as it now stands, while the door is always open for single straight persons to get married, that door is slammed shut for gay people with the result that permanent celibacy is our only option if we would serve the church," he said. Capetz argued that the PC(USA)'s position is morally flawed because it treats all sexual behavior by gays and lesbians the same -- making no distinction between prostitution or promiscuous behavior and life-long, monogamous partnerships. Before the presbytery voted, Vicky Curtiss, a member of the Theological Task Force, led the presbytery in discernment, a process that was conducted in closed session. The meeting, at Christ Church in Edina, also included worship with all present and the celebration of communion. The presbytery was voting on recommendations from its Committee on Ministry, which presented both majority and minority reports. The majority of the committee agreed that Capetz' scruple did not involve a failure to adhere to the essentials of the Reformed faith and polity, with the majority report citing a number of reasons for that decision. The report praises Capetz' theological integrity and clarity, cites Martin Luther's rejection of celibacy as a tenet, expresses the desire that homosexuals should be treated the same as other persons, notices that Biblical references to homosexuality are few, and recognizes a significant majority of the presbytery, as well as a significant minority of the PC(USA), do think gays and lesbians should be eligible for ordination. Five members of the Committee on Ministry disagreed with that view. They presented a minority report stating that Capetz' scruple did constitute a departure from an essential of Reformed faith and polity. It cites, among other reasons, the witness of Scripture, the Book of Confessions, and the Book of Order as supporting the view that marriage is between a man and a woman. The minority report also states that most of the PC(USA)'s global partners in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America do not support the ordination of gays and lesbians. Discussion during the meeting focused in part on whether Capetz' objection amounted to an "essential" -- with some commissioners telling of their own emotional and theological journeys towards accepting gays and lesbians as ministers, and others describing a sense of alienation in serving in a presbytery that's more liberal than they are. When asked why he wanted to have his ordination reinstated, Capetz answered, "I believe my fundamental vocation is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ." After the meeting, Sarai Schnucker, the interim executive presbyter for Twin Cities Presbytery, said in a news release: 'We are overwhelmed by the grace and love that this presbytery exhibited today. The members of the presbytery have conducted themselves with respect and restraint, even while handling such a controversial issue. As a Presbytery we listened to each other and heard each other. In the midst of this time of debate and discernment, there was true worship by the body of Christ as we sang songs and broke bread together. We are unaware of what might take place as a result of today, but we have come together as the Body of Christ and we are grateful for the presence of the Spirit with us. Thanks be to God.' Capetz said in an interview, "I'm happy with the outcome," and said his ordination would be restored immediately. Capetz will continue teaching at the seminary, where he's worked since 1992, but said he'd be open to what possibilities might come along, to discovering "what God wanted me to do." What will change, he said, is that he'll be a member of presbytery again. "I'm really looking forward to being actively involved," he said. "I realize I've missed it." Leslie Scanlon is national reporter of The Presbyterian Outlook residing in Louisville, Ky. Dana Caraway is a student at Princeton Theological Seminary and is presently doing an internship at Church of All Nations in Minneapolis.
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