Church of
Scotland abandons Bible - allows gay pastor
Associated
Press - 5/24/2009
The church's ruling body
voted Saturday by 326 to 267 to support the appointment of the Rev. Scott Rennie, 37, who was previously married to a woman and is
now in a relationship with a man.
Rennie was first appointed as a minister 10 years ago, but has
faced opposition from some critics since he moved to a church in
The case threatens to
divide Scottish religious leaders and follows tensions within the worldwide 77
million-member Anglican Communion. About 900 elders and ministers took part in
a debate on Rennie's case, but many chose to abstain
from casting a vote.
Anglicans have conducted
lengthy debate over sexuality issues since the Episcopal Church - the
Anglican body in the
Rennie said he believed religious conservatives were behind
attempts to oust him from his post. "The same talk was about when women
were ordained and I think that argument suits those that don't want any
change," he told
Following the vote to
back
Protesters had lobbied
the Kirk - the Church of Scotland's ruling executive - over Rennie's case, saying his appointment was not consistent
with the teachings of the Bible.
"We are absolutely
opposed to that on the basis of what God has to say about homosexuality in the
Bible," one opponent, Pastor Jack Bell of the Zion Baptist Church in Glasgow,
Scotland, said.