Saturday morning in Louisville -- fresh
air and a new day?
[6-16-01]
A few thoughts as the historic 213th
winds down --
After a hot, sticky week in the Ohio Valley, this
feels like a really new day. The air is clear enough that, for the first
time in a week, we can look out our hotel room and see the hills of
Southern Indiana.
Yesterday afternoon, as the Assembly voted to send
Overture 8 to the presbyteries, a cold front rolled through town. We
hardly noticed in the closed world of the Assembly Hall, except for some
rumbles of thunder. But we emerged into clearer, cooler air that wasn't
the oppressive blanket of the week past. And this morning is even
better.
That seems to reflect the events of yesterday: There
is much to be done in the months ahead, but as someone said this
morning, we've witnessed a tectonic shift in the earth of the
Presbyterian Church. It does indeed look like a new and fresher world.
Why such a change? As I've talked with people over the
last few hours, I've heard various ideas. Moderator Jack Rogers, in a
news conference after the vote yesterday, commented on the quality of the
commissioners this year. They were, he said, largely representative of
the center of the church, concerned more for the church than for
ideological stands on which they would not compromise. In the debates,
both in the committee which considered Overture 8 and then in the
plenary session, many speakers referred to their struggles and times of
meditation, and the changes they were making in their own thinking.
The abilities of the commissioners were impressive,
too. They knew what was going on, and refused to be bamboozled by
parliamentary maneuvers. There were fewer moments of total confusion in
the debates, even as points of order were raised in discussions of
amendments piled on minority reports that were being perfected. That was
due partly to the gentle, sure touch of the Moderator, who was able to
keep track of the substance of debates, provide clarifying answers, and
guide things with both firmness and fairness.
The cooperation and organization of those working for
a more just and more inclusive church were also a huge factor.
"Liberals" (or whatever you prefer to call them) are a
notoriously hard breed to organize, but a wide variety of groups and
individuals worked together to provide clear and helpful information,
first to Committee 6 and then to around 500 other people, many of them
commissioners, after the committee finished its work. For this week
people worked very hard toward shared goals, and it made a difference.
And finally, there's the mysterious dimension of the
Spirit. This has not been a week of politics as usual, but a shared
search for what has been called the middle ground for our church. And it
may be (though there's always that dimension of mystery!) that the
Spirit really has blown through our church this week, bringing the hope
of a bright new day.
