Biblical Interpretation regarding Homosexuality in the Recent History of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Abstract

In the 1950s, Presbyterian denominations, North and South, revised the Westminster Confession of Faith to allow divorce and remarriage for those elected to office in the church. They moved from a literal interpretation of selected texts to an interpretation of the spirit and totality of Jesus' teaching. In 1967 and 1976 Presbyterians North and South produced contemporary statements of faith that directed members to view the biblical documents in their cultural context and to interpret them according to the spirit of Christ. In the early 1980s both Northern and Southern Presbyterians adopted guidelines for the interpretation of Scripture rooted in the Reformed confessions and in line with their recent contemporary statements of faith. It remains to be seen whether the change in biblical and confessional interpretation adopted during the debate over divorce and remarriage will be perceived as an analogy to the issue of the ordination of homosexuals.