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| Thoughts on individual conscience,
from Calvin
by Sarah Melcher
[3-13-01]
The author
is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at Xavier University in
Cincinnati. She is an ordained
minister
in the P.C. U.S.A. and a graduate of Louisville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and of
Emory University (Ph.D.).
On the issue of using amendments to the Constitution
of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. in order to settle issues of morality,
I refer my colleagues to Jean Calvin's discussion in Book IV, chapter X,
in the Institutes of the Christian Religion. In this lengthy
discussion on the freedom of the individual's conscience before God,
Calvin cautions the Church against heaping up laws to bind the
consciences of human beings. By promulgating one law after another to
bind the morality of our fellow Christians, "thus the Kingdom of
Christ (as I have just suggested) is invaded; thus the freedom given by
him to the consciences of believers is utterly oppressed and cast
down."
Elsewhere in the same chapter (X), Calvin states,
"Now let us return to human laws. If they were passed to lay
scruples upon us, as if the observance of these laws were necessary of
itself, we say that something unlawful is laid upon conscience. For our
consciences do not have to do with men [sic] but with God alone."
The clear intent of Amendment O is to so constrain the
behaviors of fellow Presbyterians, so that they reflect the moral
judgment made by a supposed majority. By virtue of a simple majority
vote, Amendment O allows no church to make moral decisions about how its
church property shall be used. The important theological process that
should take place in decision-making, where individual churches weigh
their current circumstances in conversation with Scripture and the
traditions of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., while seeking the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, is utterly circumvented by Amendment O.
By voting in favor of Amendment O, we are saying that
we do not trust individual churches to make moral decisions in the
matter of homosexual relationships.
In my opinion, Amendment O represents an encroachment
upon pastoral prerogatives, as well as an encroachment upon the freedom
of the individual's conscience before God. Let us find some other means
to settle our disputes about moral behavior, than to constrain the
choices of others through the imposition of the will of a simple
majority.
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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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