A conversation with a leader in the New
Wineskins movement:"Why a New Wineskins
Initiative?"
[6-30-06]
In the
Spring 2006
issue of Network News, which was sent to all GA commissioners and
advisory delegates, Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle in his survey of
issues coming to the 217thGeneral Assembly, listed some possible
responses of the Assembly to the report of the Theological Task Force on the
Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church.
The first response he mentioned was that some groups would
likely oppose the report. And by way of example, he wrote:
The New Wineskins movement promises that, if this part
of the Task Force report is approved, it will start a campaign to get
congregations to sign a formal threat to withdraw from the church. The
hope is to drive a hard bargain with the General Assembly, letting them
leave with their property and continue to draw pensions. (This hardball
strategy has been compared, not surprisingly, to that of Karl Rove and Tom
DeLay in national politics.) [Click
here to find this paragraph in PDF format. Just scroll or jump
to page 10.]
That characterization of New Wineskins elicited an
objection from Renee Guth, a member of the Board of the New Wineskins
Initiative. And that sparked an exchange of views between TeSelle and Guth,
leading Ms. Guth eventually to write a longer statement of the significance
of purpose of New Wineskins.
Ms. Guth prepared this essay in May, and we had intended
to post it before the Assembly in June. But things piled up as they seem to
do around GA time, and your WebWeaver just lost it in the pile. As last it’s
come to the surface again, and we’re happy to share it with our constituency
– whoever you may be!
We (both Witherspoon and Ms. Guth) will
welcome any comments you’d care to share.
Just send a note!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why a New Wineskins Initiative?
Many thanks to Gene TeSelle for welcoming discussion about
the various issues facing our beloved denomination. Our first conversation
surrounded the idea of affinity-based judicatories in 2004. I continue to be
interested in finding new ways of being the Church. With his encouragement,
I hope to clarify, "Why a New Wineskins Initiative?"
First of all, I wish that things were different. I would
love to wake up one morning to find the entire Body of Christ dwelling in a
blissful and dynamic unity as described by Jesus in the gospel of John. We
are all waiting for that day.
Even so, as our God would ordain, I became a believer and
follower of Jesus as the way to God outside of the walls of a church
house. Having no particular direction regarding theological traditions or
denominations, I read these last chapters in John’s gospel without prejudice
and with utter naiveté.
At the time, it seemed to me that all Protestants were
schismatic and that it was quite obvious that the true Church was the first
Church. So, with a certain amount of ignorance, I walked into a Roman
Catholic congregation and worshiped there for a couple years. Upon
approaching the priest regarding membership, he asked me a number of
questions about why I wanted to become Catholic and asked me questions about
my beliefs about God.
I didn’t believe in even the near infallibility of the
pope, or praying to Mary, let alone to the saints. The priest recognized
that I wasn’t a match. As a blessing to me, he advised me to continue my
journey elsewhere. I saw this half full and half empty glass as mostly half
full. But no matter how you look at it, the mother church passed me along to
one of her children!
With over 33,000 denominations worldwide as possibilities,
why Presbyterian, and why the PCUSA? First of all, I had the good fortune of
marrying my husband, a Presbyterian, and secondly, I lived in the United
States.
Why do I remain Presbyterian? I have only three distinctly
Presbyterian reasons: the distinctives of Reformed theology and the emphasis
placed on the authority of the Word of God as expressed in the historic
confessions, the ordained offices of Elder and Deacon for non-clergy, and
the emphasis on covenant community. I believe that these three elements
counter the unexamined cultural assumptions of progress, professional-ism,
and individualism as approaches to faith and the work of the Church. As the
North American culture continues to change, the Church must offer something
other than a trend, go where the people are, and live in Christian
community. We can no longer assume that folks know what the Church teaches,
will come to a church house on their own, or be attracted only to our
message and not our way of life. We have a timely gift of the timeless
message, church-sent leadership into our mission fields, and a pattern for
Life and living!
Why a new wineskin? I have yet to meet anyone who thinks
our denomination should stay as it is! We all hope that God will bless us
with new wine! However, there is less consensus on what the new wine tastes
like and what a new and improved wineskin would look like. We all seek to
fulfill the ministry and mission of the Church.
So what is distinctive about the New Wineskins Initiative
(NWI)? At the core, we seek to be theologically centered and missiologically
focused by confessing Biblical truth, connecting in relationship, and
carrying the Gospel to the lost. As a possible slight, some have defined
our theological statement as "Mere Christianity". I embrace that notion.
It is in this way that NWI is a unifying movement. Additionally, we see the
work and mission of the Church as essentially linked to theology. In brief,
if one believes that Jesus is the only way, the focus and practice of
ministry and mission will be quite different from one who believes that
Jesus is one of many possibilities. Ministry and mission are derived from
theology.
How is the New Wineskins different from other renewal
ministries within the PCUSA? The New Wineskins Initiative is composed of
endorsing congregations who send delegates to the NWI convocations. These
delegates have and will determine the direction of this initiative. Also, we
have not predetermined our ultimate direction, whether to stay within the
denomination "no matter what" or to leave.
The
article in Presbyterian Outlook by Leslie Scanlon may be helpful
here. Referring to the Presbyterian Coalition gathering in November 2005
(emphasis added), "In workshops presented by organizers from
the New Wineskins movement, there
was considerable discussion of what conservative churches would do if
there were a "precipitating crisis..." This is to say that our minds are not
made up. We hope to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as we deliberate
our future together.
Since the formation of the New Wineskins task force in
2003, much has changed on the denominational landscape. At this point, the
approval of the authoritative interpretation from the Peace, Unity, and
Purity task force recommendations constitutes a "precipitating crisis" for
many of us. It was never our hope that the PUP task force would recommend
such an action. Candidly, as a GA commissioner at the Louisville Assembly
that voted to form the PUP task force, I never imagined such a poor outcome.
I assumed that the task force would recommend "local option" regarding the
ordination standards surrounding sexuality but never "local option" for any
and all standards!
I hope that this letter has helped clarify "Why a New
Wineskins Initiative?" for you. I welcome your further questions and
comments.
In Christ Jesus,
Renee Guth
New Wineskins Initiative board member
