What Does God Really Think About Sex?

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His reaction is typical of the strong feelings roused by the sweeping revisionism of Body and Soul. Among other things, it declares that "there is no single, consistent biblical ethic of sexuality" and instructs the church to "repent" its oppressive morality, which the document deems to be the work of white patriarchal "heterosexists." Forget "rules about who sleeps with whom," it urges, and do not "restrict sexual activity to marriage alone," but celebrate all forms of sexual intimacy, "marital, premarital or postmarital."

Body and Soul is most unorthodox in condoning sex among unmarried heterosexuals. It states that the church should no longer insist on celibacy as "the only moral option for single persons."

On the delicate topic of teenage sex, the document advises youngsters to make decisions on the basis of "mutuality," "consent" and "maturity." Marilyn Washburn, a clergywoman-physician and dissenting member of the sex panel, considers it "tragic" that the report never tells teens that "there is no perfect means of birth control and that condoms do not prevent sexually transmitted diseases."

The document is ambiguous in its pronouncements on sex within marriage. It redefines fidelity as a learning process in which spouses renegotiate the relationship "as needs and desires change." At the same time, the report omits any mention of the Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." This lapse caused conservatives to declare that the document opens the door to extramarital sex, a charge that committee members deny.

In line with trends in other mainline denominations, the Presbyterian report asked church members to repeal legislation from the 1970s that bars sexually active gays and lesbians from the clergy. That too was rejected. Nonetheless, the assembly may have reflected the extent to which the sexual revolution has infiltrated the ranks by refusing to include in its final resolutions a clause that condemned all intercourse outside marriage as "not in conformity with God's will."

EPISCOPALIANS

At next month's convention, an official commission, chaired by Rhode Island's Bishop George Hunt, is proposing that the church endorse the view that homosexuality is a "God-given" state and that gay relationships are "holy, life-giving and grace-filled." The panel wants the church to develop blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples and allow local bishops to ordain actively homosexual clergy.

Some bishops are already doing so. Two weeks ago, Bishop Ronald Haines of Washington ordained the Rev. Elizabeth Carl, 44, who is living openly with a lesbian partner. Haines acted despite pressure from the denomination's Presiding Bishop, Edmond Browning, who is sympathetic to the gay cause but wished to avoid the controversy. The action drew a pained comment from the capital's premier Episcopal churchgoer, President George Bush: "Perhaps I'm a little old-fashioned, but I'm not quite ready for that."