by Gene TeSelle, Witherspoon Issues Analyst
[11-8-04]

The organizing meeting of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians took place in 1997 in the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. It was made noteworthy by Parker Williamson's long-distance shot of several hundred people huddled in the front of the long nave. This year the eighth meeting (or the seventh conference) was held in the same place. The 600 attendees comfortably filled the nave; the small groups overflowed the meeting rooms and had to get space in the Chicago Sinai synagogue a few blocks away.

There was official representation and participation by leaders in More Light Presbyterians, Shower of Stoles, That All May Freely Serve, Witherspoon, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, and other organizations. Three members of the Theological Task Force were present. Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick was represented by Kerry Clements; Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase was represented by Vice-Moderator Jean Marie Peacock, who, speaking as a professed evangelical, read the opening lines of the hymn "O For a World . . . "

After the showing of the hour-long video "Turning Points," the whole Calhoun family from Newport Church in Bellevue, Washington, featured in one of the four segments, was introduced. Mark Smutny also showed a 3½ minute "trailer" with high points from the video. It should be a good "teaser" for those who do not have the motivation to watch the whole video; highlighting the presence of GLBT persons in our churches, the conspiracy of silence, the crises that inevitably arise, and the change that occurs on everyone's part, it should stimulate new audiences. Smutny also commented, in answer to a critical question, that the video is not just "touchy-feely" but is filled with doctrinal content, worked through by people who are seriously involved with "turning points" in their lives.

The conference gathered just a day after the election results had become clear, with amendments hostile to same-sex marriage passing by large margins in eleven states. Participants came, as Jay McKell said during an eloquent prayer, "from red states, and blue states, and states of confusion." It was clear to all that a new struggle lies ahead for equal justice and equal protection under the laws, and religious voices are needed more than ever.

Cynthia Campbell introduced one of the sessions by commenting that families have often tried to avoid discussions of sex, religion, and politics, but this year all of them became the subject of avid debate, leading from sex to religion to politics.

The topic was "Made in the Image of God: Thinking Theologically About Sex." The planners wanted to get participants actually talking about sex, and this happened most effectively in small reflection groups using the "mutual invitation" method developed by Eric Law in The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, giving each person power to speak, invite others, pass, or be called on again. They started by reacting to the "Turning Points" video; then they asked, first, what was helpful and not helpful in the church's teachings about sex, and then what is needed by way of faithful reflection.

Discussion did not necessarily follow this sequence, since there were also some powerful responses to speakers; but it succeeded both in expressing concerns and in discussing insights. The group in which I participated started from a comment that the church has not done very well even in dealing with heterosexual marriage. It moved on to ask what we can learn from the couples who come to be married after living together; or from senior citizens who, for a variety of reasons, are living together without marriage; or from gay and lesbian couples, who may be overlooked in dealing with the problems of heterosexual marriage. It was a healthy reminder of the complexities and our need to learn from them. One participant cited the saying that it is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting; personal encounter, then, trumps ideology.

A pervasive question in these discussions was how we can break the barriers of silence, the wish to be reassured that "No one I know is gay or lesbian," the hypocrisy that avoids the issue -- and how we can meet the spirit of meanness that had been manifested in the recent referendums, to the extent of trying to nullify the domestic partner benefits that are offered by private corporations.

The preacher in opening worship was Rick Spalding, chaplain at Williams College. He began by reminding us how words can say how things might be and can even determine how things will be (e.g., "I promise," "You are different"). In an evocative way he traced the story of how "the adam" was created, then named all the creatures, but no suitable companion could be found until "the woman" was created; then "the adam," speaking of "bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh" (Gen. 2:23), found words that did not hide nakedness but sanctified it as mutual gift.

The next morning began with worship.  The preacher, Amy Miracle, spoke to the Covenant Network on the topic "Are You Saved?" and got the congregation to answer Yes -- several times. Of course it was not quite as simple as that. She took as her text Romans 8:18-25 with its rich evocation of the many dimensions of salvation, not reducible to the simple question that has been used to hurt many people. The question, she said, needs to be taken back from those who abuse it; and since salvation comes as God's free gift, the answer is always Yes.

Stephanie Paulsell spoke on "Honoring the Sexual Body," concentrating on the Song of Songs, a book whose role in the Bible has always been puzzling, a book that is usually read only at weddings -- and in monasteries. One difficulty, she suggested, is that "it is easier to legislate than to tell stories."

Continuing the same theme, Susan Andrews preached on "Eros and Ethics," noting that sex education typically misses the emotion, delight, morality, and spirituality that are involved. Unlike Genesis 2-3, she noted, the Song of Songs expresses no shame or guilt. Then she referred to Paul in 1 Cor. 6:12-20, where the sexual body is connected with spiritual love and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. She reminded hearers that Paul's concern was with temple prostitution, which is a different matter from living together today. She mentioned Archbishop Rowan Williams' recent statement on marriage, where he emphasizes that it is grounded in covenant as a mutual relationship. It is exclusive whether with God or with a spouse, he said; and it is concerned for the joy of the other, for healing and enlarging the life of the other, and thus excludes casual sex, patriarchy, and abuse. It is eros transformed by agape, a sharing of bodies in the context of covenant.

A plenary discussion was started off by Jack Stotts, developing the theme "In the Beginning Was the Relationship," taken from Martin Buber. He commented that relationships always require fidelity, not only in personal but in economic and political life. He listed some contemporary issues: it is a time when people often "want love but get sex," a time of casually "hooking up," a time when "all are using each other," a time when sex is exploited by the media who in turn are held hostage by the quest for commercial gain. In such a time an overemphasis on same-sex relationships amounts to a displacement from the many other issues of sexuality.

In the beginning, Stotts suggested, there was relationship; and in the end there will be relationship; but in the middle things are complicated and tension-filled. He commented on the relative weight given to law and relationship. "If you begin with relationship," he said, "you will be open to change. If you begin with law [natural law or biblical law], you will be resistant to change."

During an hour-and-a-half Town Meeting a number of questions were raised, and a number of statements were made that needed no answering.

The need for serious conversation with brothers and sisters in the Third World, and with people of color in the U.S., was mentioned a number of times. Stotts noted that there had been similar problems with the Brief Statement's mention of God calling "women and men" to all ministries in the church, and a wise leader simply replied, "We do not agree with you and we hope you will change your mind." Gene Bay, who had been in East Africa and acknowledged that this is a difficult issue, said that we cannot be held hostage by this one issue but must take the initiative in seeking dialogue.

Several people emphasized the need to converse with conservatives as brothers and sisters, since dialogue depends on relationship, one of the major themes of the conference. Former Moderator Susan Andrews mentioned that, during her visit with African church leaders who asked how the PC(USA) could even be considering a broadening of its inclusiveness, she emphasized the need to affirm the integrity of all parties to the debate. Vicky Curtiss of Portland, a member of the Theological Task Force, pointed out that the TTF's procedure is not to change each other but to understand each other and seek unity. On the other hand, a young man reminded the gathering that "safe space" may not be safe and could even lead to reprisals; "separation already exists," he said, and it might be made worse by dialogue.

Luke Timothy Johnson of Emory delivered a packed, complex, stimulating, and rousing address on "Sexuality and the Holiness of the Church." He noted that for Paul the new creation must be worked out through bodies that belong to the old creation, and in the ancient household with its relationships of dominance and subordination.

When Paul addressed the fragile household churches, he emphasized edification, building up. The "saints," those who are holy, include all the members of the church; they are the temple of the Holy Spirit. This also conveys a mandate, for holiness means being different from the world. In summary, Johnson made four points: sexual holiness is relational, not casual or recreational; it is faithful or covenantal; it is generative of new life, which need not be the begetting of children, for it can be the nurturing of others in many ways; and it involves "chastity" or "modesty," including resistance to the sexualization of all aspects of life.

Gene Bay preached at closing worship with the theme "Don't Give Up." His text was from Galatians 6. "You reap what you sow" (vss. 6-7): violence begets violence, but there is always the need to sow good and move forward. "Let us not grow weary, for we will reap if we do not lose heart" (vs. 9): we may say, "How long, O Lord," and the struggle is always long and hard, but it is carried on with hope. "Let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the household of faith" (vs. 10): the sowing of good is not only for the church, but also for the world.

Looking ahead, the Covenant Network is planning several regional conferences -- April 1-2 at Davidson College in North Carolina; June 26-July 3 at Ghost Ranch; and October 18 in Bellevue, Washington. The next national conference will be held November 3-5, 2005, at the Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring Amy Plantinga Pauw, Larry Rasmussen, and Eugene Rogers.

For more reports, photos, and the text of some of the presentations at the conference (which will be posted as they are prepared), check the Covenant Network website.