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North
Carolina Church Takes Stand
for Gay Rights
By Yonat Shimron
Winston-Salem, NC — Members of
Wake Forest Baptist Church cleared the way in November 1998, for its ministers
to perform same-sex unions — a decision that will have wide-ranging
ramifications for the church and its standing within the Baptist State
Convention [N.C. Southern Baptists]. The church, however, stopped short of
formally endorsing same-sex unions and resolved that only God can bless
relationships between two people.
The church will likely proceed with a ceremony for two lesbian members who have
asked that their union be given a formal church blessing. If it does, the church
will also face almost certain expulsion from the Baptist State Convention of
North Carolina, the state’s largest religious group with more than 1.2 million
members. At a denominational meeting, convention President Mac Brunson was
quoted as saying, “We can’t condone sin.”
The congregation is the third in the
state to take a stand in favor of full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the
life of the church. A church in Raleigh and a church in Chapel Hill were
expelled from the convention in 1992 for performing a gay covenant ceremony and
ordaining a gay divinity school student, respectively. Both churches — Pullen
Memorial Baptist in Raleigh and Binkley Memorial Baptist in Chapel Hill — were
later kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention as well, after the national
group amended its constitution to bar churches that affirm homosexuality.
The November decision, approved in a
90-33 vote after more than two hours of discussion in a basement auditorium, was
not as strongly worded as some in the church would have liked, but at least one
member, a deacon who is a lesbian, said she was satisfied. “I’m pleased our
ministers have the opportunity to participate in these ceremonies,” Susan
Parker said. “It’s important for gays to know this service is now available
through Wake Forest Baptist Church.”
The discussion was closed to the
media, but church leaders later held a news conference to announce the
resolution. They stood underneath an oil painting of the Rev. Samuel Wait, the
founder of Wake Forest University, and the man whose name graces the chapel
where the church meets. The original motion would have affirmed same-sex
relationships. But the substitute motion was typically Baptist, said the Rev.
Richard Groves, the pastor of the church, in that it affirmed the right of each
individual to make personal decisions about their faith. “We are very
committed to the idea that each of us has a relationship with God,” Groves
said.
But last week, at their annual
meeting in Winston-Salem, state Baptists said they would ask for even tougher
measures against North Carolina churches that affirm gays. The state convention
prohibits churches that endorse homosexuality from contributing money to the
denomination — a policy that, in effect, limits those churches’
participation. But some said they wanted to see stronger language or a formal
amendment to the convention’s constitution. “Somewhere a line needs to be
drawn in terms of how we respond to churches that practice things contrary to
Scripture,” said the Rev. Wayne Blackwell, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in
Rutherford County. “I’m concerned that our convention remain faithful to
Scripture.”
But members of Wake Forest Baptist
Church said the relationships among church members were more important to them
than membership in the state convention — a position that is becoming
increasingly popular among congregations across the South.
“We’re more concerned with the
effect this decision will have on our members than our connection with the
Baptist State Convention,” said Ed Christman, a member of the church. “I
think the focus has been more on what this means for our long-standing
members.” The church, which was founded in 1957 shortly after Wake Forest
University moved to Winston-Salem, has at least a dozen gay members including
two openly gay deacons.
Baptist historians say
denominational unity is weakening and many churches are leaving the fold for new
alliances. “We are at a time when increasing fragmentation is taking place in
the old Baptist system,” said Bill Leonard, the dean of the Divinity School at
Wake Forest University. “There seems to be more questioning of official ties
to the Southern Baptist Convention.”
In the past few months several
churches, including First Baptist of Raleigh and Watts Street Baptist in Durham,
cut off ties to the national denomination after it amended a statement of faith
to require women to be submissive to men. Wake Forest Baptist is among those
churches that have felt alienated from the Southern Baptist Convention over its
position on women. The church includes women on the deacons board and the
church’s associate minister is a woman.
Dialogue on the status of gays began
in 1993, when the church revised its weekly bulletin to say that it was “an
inclusive Christian community.” Over the years it has grappled over Scripture
quotes that condemn homosexuality and pondered whether gays and lesbians choose
their sexuality or are born with it. In October, 1998, the church took a
decisive step toward performing gay unions when it voted to allow church space
to be used for covenant ceremonies. November’s vote was intended to be more
principled: whether church members endorse the idea.
Members said it was the presence of
gays in their midst that convinced them they were ready to recognize their
lifelong commitments. “They’ve been extraordinary, good, faithful
members,” said Richard Barnett, a deacon in the church. “They’re
hard-working and deserve as complete a level of participation as any member
should have, including the blessing of their relationships — which are
long-term and monogamous.”
From the Raliegh News
& Observer
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