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After defeat of "A"
-- a call for reconciliation |
| Church leaders call for
reconciliation in wake of Amendment 01-A's defeat
by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE -- March 4, 2002 - Jack Rogers, the General
Assembly moderator, and the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk,
have sent a letter to the Presbyterian Church (USA) calling for
reconciliation and healing in the wake of the defeat of Amendment 01-A.
The amendment would have repealed the constitutional
provision -- G-6.0106b of the Book of Order -- that requires of
church officers "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a
man and a woman or chastity in singleness." The effect of the
amendment would have been to allow presbyteries and congregations to
ordain gay and lesbian Presbyterians.
As of March 2, 41 presbyteries had voted for the
amendment and 114 against, with one presbytery -- Western New York --
electing to take "no action."
The complete text of Rogers' and Kirkpatrick's letter,
dated March 4:
A Letter to the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Dear Friends in Christ:
While there have been a number of informal reports
over the last few weeks, only this week have we received enough
official ballots from the presbyteries in the Office of the General
Assembly to show that Amendment A has not passed. Therefore, G-6.0106b
will continue to be part of the Constitution. Those called to office
in the church and all ordaining bodies are responsible to uphold this
provision for ministers, elders and deacons.
We are encouraged by the many stories we have heard
from presbyteries about the spirit and manner of the debate about
Amendment A. We were told that in many places the honest exchange of
views was an example of the Presbyterian system working at its best.
Elders and Ministers of the Word advocated their particular position
on the amendment and then went on in the meeting to find agreement on
the mission work of their presbytery.
In other presbyteries the debate over Amendment A
has left wounds that will take time to heal. In our passion to serve
and exalt Christ, some have had difficulty in acknowledging the
reality of Christ's presence in the lives of those who disagree with
them. Our challenge now as Presbyterians is to begin the process of
reconciliation and in so doing to become a model for healing the rifts
that divide our world.
The Confession of 1967 speaks of the
ministry of reconciliation. In Part II 9.31 we read:
To be reconciled to God is to be sent into the world
as his reconciling community. This community, the church universal, is
entrusted with God's message of reconciliation and shares his labor of
healing the enmities which separate men from God and from each other.
Christ has called the church to this mission and given it the gift of
the Holy Spirit. The church maintains continuity with the apostles and
with Israel by faithful obedience to his call.
This community, our Presbyterian Church (USA), has
been entrusted by God to be agents of reconciliation for the world and
with one another. The Confession calls reconciliation the
labor of healing. It is hard work, but it is the work we are called to
do and equipped to do not by our own intentions but by the Holy
Spirit. The Confession also reminds us that the long history
of the church from Jacob and Esau to today has been a long story of
men and women reaching out to each other across the enmities that
divide them.
That is our prayer for the church. A church composed
of people with varied views united around a common call from God to be
God's servants of mission in this world. Let us work to be reconciled
to one another and to the grace of Christ that claims us all.
Yours in Christ,
Jack Rogers, Moderator, 213th General Assembly
Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General
Assembly
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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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