218^th General Assembly
2008

by Gene TeSelle, Witherspoon Issues Analyst
[6-30-08]

Committee 5 on Church Orders and Ministry reported three issues in their logical order, and the committee's recommendations were followed by the Assembly as a whole.

1. It overwhelmingly approved the overture from Scioto Valley, with many concurrences from other presbyteries, to direct the Stated Clerk to collect or develop "best practices" for the examination of candidates. In the spirit of the authoritative interpretation (AI) of G-6.0108 by the 2006 General Assembly, such procedures have already been developed in many presbyteries, with the participation of their Committees on Ministry and their Committees on Preparation for Ministry, and even in some sessions. This grassroots initiative will now quite appropriately become more regularized, with plenty of opportunities for mutual stimulation.

2. It approved, by a vote of 53 to 47 percent, the John Knox overture, an AI designed to correct the decision of the General Assembly's Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) that the "fidelity and chastity" sentence in G-6.0106b is binding and cannot be "scrupled." The new AI, which is now in effect, says:

The requirements of G-6.0108 apply equally to all ordination standards of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Section G-6.0108 requires examining bodies to give prayerful and careful consideration, on an individual, case-by-case basis, to any departure from an ordination standard in matters of belief or practice that a candidate may declare during examination. However, the examining body is not required to accept a departure from standards, and cannot excuse a candidate's inability to perform the constitutional functions unique to his or her office (such as administration of the sacraments).

The PJC may have felt that it was required make its judgment in a strictly legalistic way. If so, it provoked a corrective action by the General Assembly. The constitution is interpreted by both the PJC and the General Assembly, but the PJC has only an appellate role, and the General Assembly's new AI new changes the terms under which it will make its future decisions. There is no place for "judicial activism," since the PJC is not an independent branch of government like the U.S. Supreme Court.

3. The most heated debate was over the Boston overture to replace the language of G-6.0106b with new language, and to adopt a new AI declaring that past AIs concerning "ordained service of homosexual church members" (starting with the "definitive guidance" of 1978/79 in the two churches and including the AI of 1993) have "no further force or effect."

This AI would take effect immediately upon approval by the General Assembly. The amendment to the Book of Order, of course, would have to be sent to the presbyteries for approval or disapproval. It reads: 

Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent to the constitutional questions for ordination and instllation (W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church. Each governing body charged with examination for ordination and/or installation (G-14.0240 and G-14.0450) establishes the candidate's sincere efforts to adhere to these standards.

It occurred to many people that these two actions might be voted on separately. But instead of asking for two separate votes, a commissioner moved to delete the AI, arguing that action on the proposed AI would be more appropriate after the presbyteries vote on the proposed amendment. This motion failed by a vote of 36/63/1 percent. The Assembly then voted on the Boston overture, with both parts included. It passed by a close vote of 54 to 46 percent.

Later in the day, a commissioner asked for reconsideration of the action so that the two items could be voted on separately, but this was rejected by a vote of 60 to 40 percent.

Some commissioners may have been uncomfortable about letting the AI go into effect immediately, feeling that the Assembly would be "jumping the gun" on the proposed amendment. But it appears that most of them thought it appropriate to let the AI go into effect, since it changes the climate within which the proposed rewording of G-6.0106b will be discussed and debated in the presbyteries.

Opponents will say, of course, that adoption of the AI tilts the discussion in favor of the amendment. In a sense that is true — but only in the sense that it lets the church discuss the amendment on its own merits (including the improved wording, more in keeping with the whole context of the sixth chapter of the Book of Order) without the oppressive presence of the AIs predating the insertion of G-6.0106b in 1996/97.

by Doug King, Witherspoon WebWeaver
[6-30-08]

The 218^th General Assembly took significant steps to make the Presbyterian Church (USA) more open and affirming toward its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members. There are, of course, many Presbyterians who are distressed – or maybe outraged is a better word – by this modest step toward justice and (we believe) authentic peace in the denomination.

We post these here partly to let the conservative side of the church speak for itself, in its own voice, to the more progressive side of the church. And we hope also to give our visitors a glimpse of the points of view and tactics which are already being set forth as the Right responds to these actions. As the new Authoritative Interpretation is put into effect, and the new amendment to G-6.0106b is debated and voted on in presbyteries over the coming months, those who see these as important steps forward need to be aware of the challenges that will continue to be mounted against theme.

[Note: The deadline for presbytery action on such amendments is “no later than one year following the adjournment of the assembly ...” Book of Order, G-18.0301.c.]

While we will continue to try to be sensitive to the pain that is felt by many on the right, we will also be vigilant to name and critique what we see as distortions of our Biblical and confessional heritage, and the realities of human sexuality and love, as they appear briefly in some of these statements.

We will continue to affirm the love of God for all God’s creatures, and the Biblical imperative that we “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly” with our God.

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Conservative groups complain:

GA has “struck multiple blows” against the PC(USA)

In a statement distributed shortly after the Assembly’s action to open ordination a bit more fully to lgbt Presbyterians, the Presbyterian Renewal Network was handing out a press release which began: 

Today the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) lies gravely wounded, by the hand of its own General Assembly. This Assembly has struck multiple blows, threatening to sever the sinews that hold us together as a Christian body and as a part of the larger body of Christ. This is a day for grieving.

The statement portrayed the church as threatened with by this action with isolation “from God's ancient law, ... from the apostolic Church, ... from the PCUSA's birthright in the Reformation, ... from the vast majority of the global Church today, ... [and] from our own denomination's members and congregations ...”

But, the statement concluded, “This is not a day without hope. We join the hundreds of thousands of faithful Presbyterians in looking to the Church's Savior in this hour. ... None of the damage done by this Assembly is final or irreversible.”

[Sorry, but we have not net been able to find this statement on the Internet.  It was handed out in hard-copy form during the Assembly.]

The statement was signed by leaders of these groups:

Presbyterian Renewal Network
Presbyterians Pro-Life
Presbyterian Forum
Presbyterian Lay Committee
Presbyterians for Faith, Family, and Ministry
Voices of Orthodox Women
New Wineskins Association of Churches
Presbyterian Coalition
Presbyterian Action

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Presbyterians for Renewal sets forth strategies for resistance

Presbyterians for Renewal expresses their pain, and look toward “re-shaping the life of the denomination ... [through] formally distinct bodies without a formal split in the denomination. Such possibilities have been discussed hypothetically under the rubrics of non-geographical or ‘missional’ presbyteries and synods.”

They state that they “will no longer consider the debates over ordination standards and sexual ethics as a meaningful venue to seek resolution of our denominational malaise.” So they will focus instead on “deeper divisions ... [which] include our understandings of the authority of Jesus Christ as Head of the Church, and our calling to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.”

Further, they pledge to work to defeat the proposed replacement of the “fidelity and chastity” requirement from the Book of Order, and to seek ways of electing GA commissioners who will be “more representative of the faith and life of the PC(USA).”

They also plan to continue working to make it easier for churches leaving the denomination to take their property with them, and to encourage congregations “to begin or continue redirecting their giving into missions and ministries that serve the Kingdom.”

The full statement >>

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The New Wineskins Association of Churches proclaims the GA actions leave the PC(USA) “theologically unhinged.”

They invite kindred spirits to join them for a meeting in Atlanta, August 6 & 7, “to voice your concerns over this General Assembly and to hear afresh the New WineskinsМ vision for the church.”

[Your WebWeaver confesses he’s particularly impressed with that “theologically unhinged” bit of Christian invective. We congratulate the New Wineskins Association of Churches for being theologically hinged.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Presbyterians Plant Seeds of Self-Destruction”

– IRD Director of Presbyterian Action Jim Berkley

Berkley’s statement concludes:

With a handful of rushed votes this morning, this General Assembly has turned its back on God’s gracious plan for our lives. It has abandoned scriptural morality. It has caused us to deviate from the belief and practice of the church throughout history and around the world to this day.

Presbyterian Action will not stand silent amid these decisions that are blatantly contrary to the Bible and to biblical morality. [Emphasis added, but this line is used as the headline of the whole statement.] We lament the damage to Presbyterian congregations across the country, who still believe God’s Word and intend to continue to abide by it, apart from any action of the General Assembly.

The full statement >>

Heather Reichgott, a member of the board of More Light Presbyterians, explains the background:

This is yet another round of something that we really do need to keep doing. Paragraph G-6.0106b in the Book of Order is anti-LGBT, it is bad law, and it is used exclusively as an instrument of harassment, not a true ordination standard. It prohibits the ordination of anyone who is not (a) faithful within a monogamous heterosexual marriage, or (b) single and "chaste" (whatever that may mean.)

All charges brought under G-6.0106b since it was added in 1996 have been against lesbians and gays. Not one charge has ever been brought against a heterosexual pastor who is adulterous, or who is intimate within a dating relationship. Unless this means that no heterosexual pastor has had an extramarital affair since 1996, and all the single-but-dating heterosexual pastors have been saving themselves for marriage, we can safely say G-6.0106b is not an ordination standard but a tool of harassment.

Additionally, it contains a clause that prohibits the ordination of anyone doing anything that the Confessions call sin. That means we currently prohibit the ordination of anyone who uses images of Jesus in Sunday school, puts images of anything in their stained glass windows, and allows women to baptize.

That's why this paragraph has to go, plain and simple.

Here is the full text (includes the full text of G-6.0106b):

Overture 011

On Deleting G-6.0106b, and on Providing a New Authoritative Interpretation—From the Presbytery of Hudson River.

The Presbytery of Hudson River respectfully overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to do the following:

1. Provide the following authoritative interpretation:

Interpretative statements concerning ordained service of homosexual church members by the 190th General Assembly (1978) of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the 119th General Assembly (1979) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and all subsequent affirmations thereof, have no further force or effect.

2. Direct the Stated Clerk to send the following proposed amendment to the presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes:

Shall G-6.0106b be stricken? [Text to be deleted is shown with a strike-through.]

“b. Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W 4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.”

Rationale

Current denominational policies regarding ordination contradict the foundational principle of Jesus’ teachings —God is love. From the early chapters in the First Testament where we read of Abraham and Sara inviting three strangers to stay for dinner (Genesis 18) to the frequent accounts of disciples in the early Second Testament churches creating an environment of welcoming, reconciliation, hospitality, and generosity (Romans 13 and 14, 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 2, Colossians 3, Hebrews 13, 1 John, etc.), the story of our faith is one in which God and God’s people are instructed to practice love. Jesus himself makes it clear that the greatest commandment is love of God and that the second is like it: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22, esp. 22:39). There are no exceptions to this expectation and yet our ordination policies certainly do not communicate a message of God’s love.

Current denomination policies regarding ordination contradict the Great Commission of Christ, who instructed his followers to go into all the world, making disciples, baptizing, and teaching (Matt. 28:16 - 20). The Scriptures call the church out of itself and direct us to practice hospitality towards all—even strangers (Hebrews 13), thereby demonstrating the message of grace and welcome that draws people into the community of faith. The Apostle Paul points out that “… God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears [God] and does what is right is acceptable to [God]” (Acts 10:34 - 35).

Current denominational policies regarding ordination contradict Scripture’s teachings about the freedom of God’s Spirit to engage in surprising, new, and unpredictable activities (John 3). Who of us can say with absolute certainty precisely what is God’s will with regard to the leadership of the church? For centuries we used biblical texts as the basis of our opposition to the ordination of women and inclusion of African Americans in our congregations. Now we know both practices were sinful violations of God’s will. Likewise, A Brief Statement of Faith reminds us that same Spirit “calls women and men to all ministries of  the Church” (The Book of Confessions, 10.4, line 64).

Current denominational policies regarding ordination contradict the value Scripture places on inclusive welcome (Acts 8:26ff, 10:28, and 11:17). So, too, current ordination policies conflict with numerous parts of the Book of Order that underscore the church’s call to openness and inclusiveness (G-3.0401, G-4.0100 - .0404) and the rights granted to members (G-5.0102 and G-5.0103, G-6.0107 and G-6.0108).

Current denominational policies regarding ordination contradict the church’s understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism. The Book of Order tells us that in baptism “we die to what separates us from God” (W- 2.3002). To be consistent with that teaching, we cannot then set up a barrier (ordination) that separates some of the baptized from their unity with God. Likewise we are told “Baptism is [a] sign and symbol of inclusion in God’s grace and covenant …” (W-2.3004), and “barriers of race, gender, status, and age are to be transcended. Barriers of  nationality, history, and practice are to be overcome” (W-2.3005). If we are willing to baptize all believers, then is it not incumbent upon us to ordain all believers who are called by God into service?

The Presbyteries of Cincinnati, Boston, and National Capital are submitting overtures which would replace G-6.01016b, rather than simply deleting it. 

Thanks to Heather Reichgott for this comment, and the replacements for G-6.0106b offered by each of the overtures:

I love these three overtures because they treat G-6.0106b with a hermeneutic of trust. They assume that b is there because the church wants some good solid ordination standards in force. They're just trying to make it better law (no one really intended to criminalize pictures of Jesus, did they?), to stop it from being an instrument of harassment, while not going so far as to require anyone to ordain gays and lesbians. Here are the three suggestions for substitution:

CINCINNATI

b. Those who are called to ordained service in the church are to lead lives of obedience to Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures and guided by the Confessional standards of the Church. Suitability for the offices to which they have been elected is determined by the governing bodies where the examinations for ordination/installation take place. By their assent to the Constitutional questions for ordination and/or installation, officers declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church. Whether the examination/installation decision complies with the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and whether the ordaining/installing body has conducted its examination reasonably, responsibly, prayerfully, and deliberately in deciding to ordain a candidate for church office is subject to review by higher governing bodies.

Full text of the overture >>

b. Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent to the Constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church. Each governing body charged with examination for ordination and/or installation (G-14.0240 and G-14.0450) establishes the candidate’s sincere efforts to adhere to these standards.

(This overture also inserts additional language elsewhere in the book to make it more important for candidates to adhere to the Constitutional Questions for ordination.)

b. Those who are called to ordained service in the church are to lead lives of obedience to Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures, and interpreted by the Confessions of the church. Their suitability for the offices to which they have been elected is determined by the governing bodies where the examinations for ordination and/or installation take place, subject to review by the next higher governing body. By their assent to the Constitutional questions for ordination or installation, officers declare their fidelity to the standards of the church.

Dealing with the question of ordination from a different angle, the Presbytery of Baltimore has submitted Overture 019, which would revise the definition of marriage in the Directory for Worship, to read

Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a covenant between two people and according to the laws of the state also constitutes a civil contract. For Christians marriage is a covenant through which two people are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong commitment is made between two people, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith.

Two overtures would rescind all actions from PUP Task Force report

[2-18-08]

Overture 005, from the Presbytery of South Louisiana, would "rescind the action of the 217th General Assembly (2006) on Recommendation Number Five, the “authoritative interpretation” of the Report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church."

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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