Presbyterians to tackle gay clergy debate -- again

The nation's largest Presbyterian denomination will tackle the question of gay and lesbian clergy at its biennial General Assembly next week (June 20-28) in San Jose, Calif.

After more than 30 years of back-and-forth debate, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will try once again to settle a perennial fight over whether non-celibate gays and lesbians should be ordained to church pulpits.

Most recently, the fight has centered on rules adopted in 1996 that mandate "fidelity within the covenant of marriage" or "chastity in singleness" for all clergy.

Two years ago, after spending four years studying the issue, the church approved a delicate compromise that kept that language on the books but essentially said gays and lesbians could be ordained after they registered a conscientious objection to the policy. See Presbyterians to tackle gay clergy debate -- again