Boesak quits 'anti-gay' church
2008-10-06 08:06
Pretoria - Dr Allan Boesak has accused the General Synod of the Uniting
Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) of betraying the Belhar
Confession, which pledged the church against all forms of discrimination.
Boesak shocked the Synod on Friday evening by announcing that he would step down from all church positions. This followed an accusation during a debate on homosexuality that he was abusing the Belhar Confession.
Boesak told the Synod that, based on Belhar, the church should fully accept
gay members, should perform gay marriage ceremonies and allow ministers in gay relationships to serve in the church.
On Saturday morning, Boesak said in his heart the decision was final, but he
would not write his letter of resignation before he has spoken to his
people.
The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed that he would change
his mind, he said. Boesak spoke harshly about the Synod, although he said
their criticism was not aimed at him personally.
He said he confronted the Synod with an issue that they were neither
emotionally nor theologically ready to discuss.
Fundamentalist reading of the Bible
The way in which Synod delegates read the Bible is deeply fundamentalist.
They could therefore not claim a deeply reformed reading of the Bible, he
said.
They could not refute the arguments in the report he presented. Yet some
delegates said although they couldn't answer him, they would still vote
against him.
Boesak said the Synod has a deep hatred and disgust for gay people. Because he emphasised that one should not talk about gays in the style of Robert Mugabe, delegates had vented their anger and disgust of gay people on him.
He believes the Synod actually wanted a task team that would come up with an anti-gay report.
But if you did that, said Boesak, you would be manipulating the Bible to
suit yourself and your own prejudices. Boesak said he is no longer prepared
to represent a church that was betraying the Belhar Confession in that way.