Social context and the presbyterian gay/lesbian ordination debate: Testingopen-systems theory

This paper examines the context within which Presbyterian Church (USA) lead ers formally decided to prohibit the ordination of openly gay and lesbian e lders, deacons, and clergy. Data from resolutions presented to Presbyterian General Assemblies from 1990-1996 reveal that a disproportionate percentag e of initiatives seeking to restrict leaders' sexual behavior in general, a nd homosexual behavior in particular, come from Synods located where conser vative Christians dominate the religious culture. State and county-level da ta on religious affiliation gathered by the Glenmary Research Center were m erged to correspond with Synod boundaries. Analysis reveals that resolution s explicitly prohibiting homosexual and non-marital sexual behavior by chur ch leaders are, overall, more likely to come from Synods where conservative Christians disproportionately outnumber Presbyterians. However our analysi s falls short of completely explaining this phenomenon. The Synod from whic h the single largest number of conservative overtures originated is actuall y the same one wherein conservatives are least prevalent. Thus, we provide qualified evidence that aspects of the larger "Open-System" within which ch urch leaders make decisions help predict organizational action. In general, we argue that Presbyterian leaders who live and work where Biblical conser vatism dominates the cultural scene are more likely to act in ways which re flect a literal interpretation of Biblical prohibitions against homosexuali ty. But much more work needs to be done.