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Theological Task Force -- July 2005 |
| Theological Task Force set to
consider portions of final report
Drafts of sections to be released at end of meeting
Press release from The Office of the General
Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
[7-13-05]
LOUISVILLE – July 11, 2005 – The
Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church will hold
its next meeting July 18-21, 2005, in Dallas, Texas. The group will have as
its main agenda the consideration of initial drafts of portions of its final
report.
The final report will be adopted at the task
force’s August 24-25, 2005 meeting in Chicago.
Since December 2001, the Theological Task Force has been working to address
ongoing conflict within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Mandated by the
213th General Assembly (2001) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), its
20-person membership represents a wide range of Presbyterian diversity,
including racial, age, geographic, gender, and theological perspective.
The task force’s mandate includes, but is not limited to, issues that have
challenged the church in its recent past, including Christology, biblical
authority and interpretation, ordination standards, and power.
The release date for the task force’s final report is September 15, 2005,
which is nine months before the 217th General Assembly convenes in
Birmingham, Alabama, June 15-22. This early release date provides time for
synods, presbyteries, sessions, and other entities to consider its content
and recommendations. Already, many groups have been formed to consider the
task force’s preliminary report and supplemental material in response to its
call for presbyteries to form theological reflection groups.
Task force members plan to spend much of this coming fall and winter
traveling throughout the denomination to interpret the report.
At the conclusion of its Dallas meeting on July 21, drafts of the task
force’s report will be available on their Web site at
www.pcusa.org/peaceunitypurity.
Additional background material and resources are also available at this
site.
For more information, contact Sharon K. Youngs,
communications coordinator, Office of the General Assembly, 100 Witherspoon
Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396; phone (888) 728-7228, ext. 5750; email
syoungs@ctr.pcusa.org.
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ'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!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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