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PriestprayingWEBThe Church of Scotland will decide today whether to keep a ban in place forbidding gay ministers from being ordained.

 

The current ban on the ordination of gay ministers was provoked by the decision to ordain an openly gay minister two years ago.

Revered Scott Rennie was appointed as minister of Queen’s Cross Church, Aberdeen. This decision angered those opposed to the fact he lived with his partner.

However his congregation came out overwhelmingly in favour of the decision to appoint him minister.

Following this, the church placed a moratorium on gay clergy to last until this year.

The Church of Scotland will now decide whether to lift the ban or to wait until the publication of a report next year.

Research has found that one in five church members have said they will leave if out gay ministers are permitted. More optimistically one in ten said they would leave if the ban continues.

Aberdeen University’s Dr Bill Naphy, an expert in the history of sexuality and Calvinism, appeared on the BBC Politics Show to discuss the issue. He said: “I think the Kirk is likely to take a very cautious approach. I think if they allow the ordination of gay ministers there will probably be whole congregations that leave…Either way the vote goes there will be people and congregations who are likely to leave.” He added,“In actual fact the Bible doesn’t say a great deal about sexuality at all.”

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