FRUIT HEIGHTS -- Leaders of each presbytery across the country will soon take a vote to decide how they will handle two controversial issues surrounding homosexuality, and Christ and individual salvation.
The Rev. Jack Rogers, moderator of the 213th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church presided over the two-day service at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Fruit Heights.
Saturday, Rogers answered several questions from the congregation pertaining to both issues. Concerning homosexuality, Rogers said a lot of attention has been centered around an action to delete what is known as the "fidelity and chastity" amendment from the church"s Book of Order.
The amendment states that those who are to be ordained ministers, elders or deacons will live either in fidelity between a husband and wife or in chastity as a single member of the church. In other words, no self-affirming homosexual will be ordained.
Rogers said discussion to remove the amendment will be voted on by each presbytery in February. He said the action makes no judgment on homosexuality.
"It just says that we haven"t been able to agree, so we"re going to allow the governing bodies to decide, following its conscience according to the Bible. We"ve disagreed on many things over the years and we"ve taken the time to work them through," Rogers said.
On the issue of Lordship in Christ, which states that only those who believe in Jesus Christ will gain salvation and go to heaven, Rogers said the church believes that people will be saved through Jesus Christ.
However, he said it is not up to the church to determine who of God"s children will be saved.
Rogers is a lifelong Presbyterian who resides in California. After graduating from the University of Nebraska and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary he received a fellowship to study in the Netherlands, where he served as pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church. He is also the author of several books.
Also during the meeting, Rogers addressed the terrorist attacks on the country Sept. 11 and told members, the church as well as the world will never be the same.
"It has been asked that if God is good why do evil things happen to good people? We don"t know the answer to that but we know that we belong to God and he will give us hope and enable us to go on," Rogers said.