You could not make this one up!
- crossroadscaloundr
- Jun 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 3
Disregarding Biblical Morality: Denomination Faces ‘Sharp Internal Backlash,’ Arguing That A Monogamy Requirement For Pastors Would Be ‘Harmful’
If your definition of morality is not rooted in the authority of Scripture, ultimately anything goes. And the very progressive denomination PCUSA is currently highlighting this truth in full color as the church will soon vote on a “monogamy requirement” for pastors that is “facing sharp internal backlash.” Yes, leaders within the denomination are upset that the denomination might require its pastors to have only one sexual partner at a time because such a rule would “regulate the private lives and relational structures of individuals in ways that risk harm rather than healing.”
But ultimately, there is no reason for only two in marriage, except that marriage itself comes from the Bible. Even though they use other arguments, they really know marriage is for only two! Oh, and saying “only two” means that one is taking that part of the Bible literally.
Ironically, according to reports, the proposed rule is not because the denomination—which “has allowed for the ordination of openly gay clergy since 2011”—is clinging to a shred of biblical truth. No, it’s because “the practice of polyamory or polygamy can create ‘power imbalances, emotional harm, and spiritual confusion,’ particularly for women, children and historically marginalized persons.”
So some leaders think polyamory and polygamy can be damaging—but others think that ruling against these practices is what is damaging:
In its official response, the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice claimed that requiring pastors to be monogamous attempts to “regulate the private lives and relational structures of individuals in ways that risk harm rather than healing.” The committee further argued that a monogamy mandate could “unintentionally reinforce systems of shame, silence, and spiritual coercion.”
The Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity also argued that the monogamy rule reinforced White privilege. The group claimed the mandate imposes “a narrow, culturally specific understanding of family” that “privileges a dominant cultural framework over the lived realities of communities of color and global Christians.”
Another activist group within the denomination said such a rule is because of “narrow and culturally bound definitions of relationships that have historically been used to exclude, police, and harm queer bodies and lives.”
And so the debate continues, because morality for the PCUSA denomination is not based on the unchanging doctrines of Scripture. Rather, it’s based on man’s interpretation of “harm” and a woke worldview that elevates every desire of the supposedly “oppressed” as good and worth celebrating. It’s a mess of opinion because there is no ultimate authority!
And this kind of moral relativism is what will happen to every denomination that abandons God’s Word as the authority and embraces man’s word instead. If God’s Word is not the authority, ultimately anything goes because morality becomes subjective and arbitrary based on human opinion (man’s word).
It’s the same battle that’s been raging for 6,000 years. Satan undermined the authority of God’s words and got Eve to doubt what God had said: “Indeed, has God said . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1)
And then he tempted her to be her own god: “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5).
We face the same temptation today (it’s the same attack, just manifested in a different way in our modern era): Will we start with God’s perfect, authoritative Word or will we ignore God’s Word and start with our own fallible human wisdom?
Proverbs has a warning for those who ignore God’s Word: “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀 '𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑' 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: 𝐈 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋
A self-described pastor preaching in Florida used the pulpit to float a theory about Christ's sexuality — dressed up as an open theological question.
“𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘐 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴.” Then came the part that wasn't really a question: “𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘪 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭? 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.”
Being undefined in scripture doesn't make it 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 — a congregation didn't sit down for a sermon to hear a preacher's personal theory about Christ's love life dressed up as theology.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐭.
Comments