The Savannah River and South Texas Presbyteries have submitted overtures requesting the PCA General Assembly to petition the U.S. government to retain the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy that governs service of homosexuals in the U.S. military.

These overtures express concern that the removal of the DADT policy might jeopardize the free exercise of religion among military chaplains, as well as among PCA members serving in the military. The overtures outline the following potential consequences for military life:

• Chaplains may be vulnerable to charges of discrimination or command reprimand if they preach, teach, or counsel in accordance with the passages in the Bible which directly
speak of the sin of homosexual practice.
• Bibles in military chapels and on military bases will be under the threat of excision of all passages which speak directly to the sin of homosexual practice.
• Marriage retreats conducted by chaplains intended to strengthen traditional marriage may have to include homosexual couples, which may violate the faith tenets of chaplains and negatively impact the voluntary participation of married heterosexual couples.
• Homosexual couples may seek union ceremonies or marriages, which violate the beliefs and ordination vows of a large percentage of military chaplains.

The overtures state that any government decision permitting homosexuals to serve openly in our military services will interfere with the Christian ministry of evangelical chaplains in the Armed Services, particularly the nearly 200 sponsored by the Presbyterian and Reformed Joint Commission on Chaplains and Military Personnel. Therefore, these presbyteries urge the PCA General Assembly to petition the relevant military and civilian authorities with a letter outlining the concerns of the denomination, and appealing to these authorities to uphold the current DADT policy.