CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The leaders of Australia's third largest Christian denomination Thursday voted to allow gays to become priests--a move that risks splitting the Uniting Church and raising the ire of other faiths. Those opposed to the change warned it could trigger a mass exodus of followers from the church--an amalgam of the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregational faiths. After two days of heated debate, more than 75% of delegates at the Uniting Church's national assembly in Melbourne voted in favor of gays in the clergy. Individual presbyteries--regional governing bodies with the church--will decide on ordinations on a case-by-case base. The Uniting Church was formed in 1977 by a merger of the three denominations. The church already has some gay clergy but until now has not formally recognized this reality. Uniting Church president the Reverend Dr. Dean Drayman said it was "inevitable" that Thursday's decision would cause division, but he urged church members to keep an open mind. "We want our members to read what the proposal is, to see that nothing has changed for their congregation," he said. But Mary Hawks, a spokeswoman for a conservative faction opposing gay clergy, said the church was now "horribly close" to a full-blown split. "I'm going to be doing my very best to persuade everybody to do absolutely nothing this year except pray and talk and find a way forward," she told reporters outside the meeting. The vote with the Uniting Church coincides with a long-running debate within another denomination, the Anglican Church, about whether it should also allow gay clergy. Last month several Anglican bishops in Sydney condemned the appointment of gay bishops in the United States and Britain. One Sydney Anglican bishop, Peter Tasker, criticized Thursday's Uniting Church decision as being contrary to Christian teachings. "We view this departure of our Uniting Church colleagues from the teaching of scripture and the ages-old moral tradition of the Christian church with grave concern," Tasker said on behalf of the Sydney Anglican Diocese. "Homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture," he added.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM
Here's how far-right activist Leonard Leo helped fund Bud Light boycott
July 23 2024 10:27 AM
Elon Musk’s comments about his trans daughter prove why she doesn’t speak to him
July 23 2024 9:16 AM
Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 22 2024 4:07 PM