Kirk Report on Homosexuality a "Major Disappointment"

A long-awaited report on homosexuality from the Church of Scotland's Mission & Discipleship Council has been described as a "major disappointment" by a group of evangelicals who said it failed to give clear theological guidance on the issue.

The "A challenge to unity" report, which will now be presented to the General Assembly in May, intended to offer theological perspectives on same-sex partnerships and human sexuality. It concluded that gay and lesbian members have a right to serve in the Church so long as they remain celibate and that homosexual orientation did not preclude service to Christ and the Church.

OneKirk, a liberal group in the Church of Scotland, welcomed the conclusions of the report, which took two years to write, saying it was "encouraged by the further movement in this latest report to greater openness within the Church of Scotland".