WITHERSPOON SOCIETY ALERT TO COMMISSIONERS

July 1, 2004

Dear Friends in Christ,

There are several items of historic significance in the business remaining before the Assembly. For over 30 years our society of volunteers has been concerned for the church's heritage of public responsibility, summarized in the name of John Witherspoon, our first Moderator and the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence. As July 4 approaches, we remember their courage to resist an empire. As the Assembly begins voting, we'd like to offer thoughts on some of the critical issues you will be dealing with.

PEACEMAKING: IRAQ: PALESTINE: PRISONER ABUSE: We believe the church must not be silent on the tragedy unfolding daily. We honor all casualties of war, including our brave soldiers and the uncounted civilians, and urge commissioners to remember that Jesus did not balance his witness with efforts to cushion God's judgment on those without compassion. On both Just War and pacifist grounds, we urge commissioners to support the solid and necessarily detailed ACSWP statements. On these war-related matters and the INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS reports, our words must meet the test of honesty and confession before the one worldwide church, rather than succumb to nationalism or to denial that Americans are also sinners - with massive power at our command. It was this sense of great responsibility, we believe, that prompted the new President of Princeton Seminary yesterday to speak of his own disapproval of the Blair and Bush policies.

NATIONAL ISSUES: "TRANSFORMING FAMILIES": This major report is now a consensus document, including solid, prophetic analysis of economic and cultural pressures on the family, and a theological appreciation for the Reformed tradition's encouragement of nurture and admonition of the Lord within the nuclear family. Watch for efforts to add a Christian Marriage Declaration that reflects more Southern Baptist and Catholic emphases on authority and procreation, rather then companionship and full personhood of wife and husband in Christ.

CHURCH ORDERS AND MINISTRY: The Committee's majority has taken a moderate position, recommending the elimination of earlier Authoritative Interpretations about gay and lesbian Christians while leaving "Amendment B" in place. The Witherspoon Society stands with More Light Presbyterians in favoring the removal of G-6.0106b. We also stand among all groups working for the removal of old, outdated Authoritative Interpretations. This will give more freedom to presbyteries and sessions to discern for themselves how the values of "fidelity and chastity" might best be understood in questions of fitness for ordination. If motions are made to remove G-6.0106b from the Book of Order, we believe that would move us further toward justice and an easing of the conflict in our church. The Theological Task Force has indicated that the actions recommended will not disrupt their work, which was always intentionally far broader than the consideration of full inclusion in considering candidates for ordination.

HEALTH ISSUES: REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE AND RESPONSIBILITY: Over 75% of Presbyterians, like most college-educated, middle class Americans, support the moral capacity of the individual woman, with her family and minister, to chose how to deal with problem pregnancies. Every year the pro-life organizations in our church prompt efforts to restrict the majority opinion of our membership, with the inevitable goals of criminalizing and making more dangerous one or more forms of abortion.

This year, pro-life efforts in committee have led to two steps in the wrong direction, one which would force delivery of any fetus that could be kept alive technologically, and the other which would keep the morning after pill off the over-the-counter market -- though it is used safely in many countries and is the preferable form of preventing a problem pregnancy.

The consequence of this committee's recommendations would be to put the State back in the doctor's office, claiming that even a very damaged fetus has more rights than a mother. It would also use a politicized FDA ruling to keep a safe, non-surgical pill away from young women most in need of back-up contraception.

We're grateful for your dedicated work in this Assembly, and we pray for the guidance of God's Spirit as you continue your tasks.

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

Witherspoon’s Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, Witherspoon’s Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive

Got more blogs to recommend?

Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch Seminar!

GHOST RANCH SEMINAR

July 26-August 1, 2010

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