Christian Faith Under a Big Test in the Presbyterian Church, USA

Presbyterian Church Ordains Openly Gay Minister

MADISON, WISCONSIN. -- The Presbyterian Church is ushering in a new era by allowing gay and lesbian ministers to be ordained.

On Saturday at Madison's Covenant Presbyterian Church, Scott Anderson, 56, became the first openly gay minister to be ordained under the new guidelines of the church.

It was a day that Anderson said didn't think he'd ever see.

"I left the ministry 21 years ago, and I never thought this day would come in my life time," Anderson said.

After two decades, Anderson's title officially changed back to reverend on Saturday.

"By this act today, the Presbyterian Church is living what it believes," said Anderson. "We are witnessing with some integrity what we proclaim to be true about God."

Anderson served as a minister in Sacramento, Calif., from 1983 to 1990. He was in the closet, but when a couple threatened to reveal that he was gay he came out to his congregation and then resigned.

Over the summer, the church made changes to its constitution allowing gay and lesbian people to serve as ministers.

Some parishioners at Saturday's service said the honor is long overdue.

"What an important moment in a person's life, a congregation's life, and the life of the Christian church," said Nancy Gunder.

"Ordaining him is just recognition of the gifts God already gave him," said Bob Lorenz.

The Rev. Mark Achtemeier was previously an opponent of gays and lesbians being ordained. Now, he said God changed his heart, making him a supporter of the change.

"I don't think the Christian faith is designed to destroy people like that," Achtemeier said. "And so I figured something is wrong here, I've missed something. I went back to studying the Bible over a series of years and found I'd missed a lot of stuff along the way."

At one point in Saturday's service, Anderson made mention of people who haven't accepted the idea of gays and lesbians being ordained. He said he believes their faith would help to one day bring them all together.

"I honor their point of view because we are brothers and sisters in the faith, even in the midst of a disagreement. And many of them agree with that," said Anderson.

Along with the title, church leaders returned Anderson's stole, meaning he can also serve as pastor of a church -- a role he hopes to return to someday.

Anderson said he is looking forward to continuing his work with the Wisconsin Council of Churches, an organization that oversees about 2,000 congregations in the state.

Meanwhile, a group from Westboro Baptist Church, also known for protesting at funerals of soldiers, traveled from Kansas to Madison to protest Saturday's ceremony. Their leaders had strong words of displeasure over Anderson's ordination.

"That's when the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ comes to the scene and says it's not okay to be gay and that sin will destroy this nation," said Margie Phelps, of Westboro Baptist Church.

Another group was also nearby to hold a counter-protest in support of Anderson. This crowd said their hope was to tame the anti-gay message coming from the competing protest.

"The Westboro Baptist Church is such a small minority, such a small fraction of the people of faith in this country and yet they seem to have this habit of trying to push people's buttons," said Michael Schuler, of the Unitarian Universalist Association. "And we just don't feel that the kinds of hateful rhetoric should go without any kind of response."

Schuler added that gay and lesbian ministers have been accepted in his faith for the past 35 years.

"We're here to support Scott, number one," continued Schuler. "And the actions of the Presbyterian Church of the United States in finally agreeing with the principle we have always espoused, that gay and lesbian clergy are equipped to perform the duties of that office."