Saturday, May 23, 2009

Protest Staged over Gay Minister

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The protesters are against the appointment of a gay minister. Photo credit: BBC

BBC: About 20 people have staged a demonstration outside the General Assembly meeting which is due to debate the appointment of a gay minister.

The protest, at The Mound in Edinburgh, was led by Pastor Jack Bell of the Zion Baptist Church in Glasgow.

The Reverend Scott Rennie was backed by a majority of the congregation and the local presbytery as the new minister at Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen.

But some have since said they were unaware of Mr Rennie's sexuality.

The matter was referred to the General Assembly, the church's supreme court and will be debated on Saturday evening.

Mr Rennie, a 36-year-old divorced father-of-one, was previously a minister at Brechin Cathedral.

He has said he was open with the congregation at Queen's Cross about being gay and living with his male partner.

But more than 400 Kirk ministers and almost 5,000 Church of Scotland members are said to have signed an online petition opposing the appointment. >>> | Saturday, May 23, 2009

Listen to BBC audio: Reverends Ewen Gilchrist and David Randall discuss opposition to gay minister Scott Rennie’s appointment: The Church of Scotland is to decide whether gay minister Scott Rennie will be allowed to take up his post following a petition opposing his appointment from evangelical church members. The Reverend Ewen Gilchrist, who has been standing in for Mr Rennie ahead of his appointment, discusses the case with The Reverend David Randall. >>>

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Church of Scotland Votes to Appoint Gay Minister

LONDON — The Church of Scotland has voted in favor of appointing an openly gay minister — the latest case involving sexuality to create a division in the Anglican Communion.

The church's ruling body voted 326 to 267 Saturday 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 Aberdeen, Scotland, last year.

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.

The case has divided 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. >>> Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press | Sunday, May 24, 2009