Lots of people have things to say about the General Assembly just concluded.

[6-29-01]

Hello Friends.

I have been reading the responses to articles and other letters in the Outlook on their letter to the editors page.

I hope for some voices of moderation and reason to speak. If one were to judge by these [letters,] all Presbyterians are leaving the church, taking their money, and forgetting that we still have so much work to do for the Kingdom.

God abides.

And that is Good NEWS!

from a Commissioner to the 213th General Assembly:

Dear Doug King, 

A real concern of the commissioners to the G.A. was the distortion of our actions and intentions in some news releases (including a few from our own Presbyterian News Service). When I arrived back home, I was distressed to read accounts in my own local newspaper the Roanoke Times and World News. I have composed the attached Op-Ed piece for my paper, and thought that other Witherspoon people might find it helpful as they seek to convey in their own communities what really happened at the Assembly. 

Thank you, 
Dean Lindsey 
Pastor, Salem Presbyterian Church 
Salem, VA

Re: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly

Many of us have participated in some large or complex event that has made it into the news; only we have found ourselves quite perplexed, even disturbed, that the account we read in the newspaper seemed surreally unrelated to what we had experienced first-hand. When I returned from my recent service as a commissioner to the General Assembly meeting of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I was curious to know how our meeting was reported in the Roanoke Times; however, I was appalled at how badly the Associated Press reporter had misconstrued both the spirit and the content of our deliberations.

First of all, I feel compelled to say what an awesome and humbling experience it was for all of the commissioners who were in Louisville, KY for this annual meeting. Before it began, we were bathed in prayer as faithful men and women from across the country lifted us up both individually and as a group. Arriving in Louisville, we participated in worship, committee work, small group meetings and plenary sessions. We laughed, cried, studied, and prayed together. We acknowledged the profound divisions in this part of Christ's body, but we were all united in our love for the church and our love for Christ. It was in a spirit of deepest mutual respect that we began deliberating some difficult issues. Never was there rancor or name calling; we felt blessed by the Spirit to be working side by side -­ liberals and conservatives, men and women, youth and adults, African Americans, whites, Asians, Hispanics -­ seeking God's will for our church.

A June 15 article in this newspaper was headlined "Presbyterian Church Struggles over the Path to Salvation." In our accepted doctrinal and confessional statements which stretch back historically as far as the Apostle's Creed, the Lordship of Christ and his death and resurrection as the sole source of salvation have been repeated time and again and were not up for debate in the recent Assembly. However, a small and vocal group urged us to restate this basic doctrine. Unfortunately, the resolution they presented for our consideration was hastily and poorly written. While prescribing that we "place Jesus first," it ignored the vocabulary of God's sovereignty and the concepts of sin and grace, mercy and forgiveness, which have always been a part of Presbyterian conversations about God's saving work in Christ. As an assembly, we were being asked to approve 'sound bite' theology, mere slogans rather than serious ideas, and we refused.

Presbyterians do have some honest disagreements on a related issue of how far the saving work of Christ extends. The question of whether Hindus, Muslims, or atheists will join us in heaven is one that we take care not to answer too quickly. We unyieldingly affirm that God alone chooses those who will be saved, and in God's providence that choice will be made in a way that is loving, merciful and just. We also believe that God is at work in the lives of non-Christians whether or not they have been blessed to know and proclaim that Jesus is their Lord, too.

Our struggles over the issue of inclusion were most fully demonstrated in our debates about standards for ordination. As reported in this newspaper, we did take an action which if approved by our presbyteries in the coming year will allow in certain circumstances for the ordination of non-celibate gay and lesbian deacons, elders, and ministers. Currently, our constitution places the issue of sexual behavior in a primary position when we consider the gifts for ministry and the call to church office of a particular person. By striking language that was introduced into our polity several years ago, sexual behavior would still be a consideration in evaluating a person for church office but would no longer be the single criteria that can "trump" all other aspects of an individual's character and faith. Rather than legislating one standard across the board, the action of the Assembly would allow more latitude to the congregations which ordain deacons and elders and the presbyteries which ordain ministers.

Quite obviously, this decision has brought distress to those who oppose it and will provide the occasion for some passionate debates within our presbyteries in the coming year. Some have warned that they will leave the denomination if the action of the assembly is upheld. Certainly, that is their right, whether to stay or to leave. It is ironic that up to this point, gay and lesbian persons who have felt the call to serve Christ as leaders of the church and the churches which have desired to ordain them have not been able exercise a similar range of choices.

After the Assembly took its action, my wife was entering a coffee shop and invited a woman who approached the door to walk through it first. "No," the other person demurred, "the door has already been opened for a lot of us today." It turned out that this stranger was one of the leaders among the gay and lesbian people who have been standing outside for a long time. Whether or not the Presbyterian church chooses to hold that door open will be decided in the year ahead.

Dean Lindsey
Salem, VA

Dean Lindsey later sent another note, adding this thought:

For my own part, I think that the biggest reason for our decisiveness is that so many prayers were offered on our behalf by men and women throughout the denomination. These folk were explicitly asking God that we (commissioners) be guided in the right way. To anyone who bemoans the action we took, I would say, "that's what happens when we really pray hard about this issue." And, "If you don't like the direction we took, stop praying for the church.

The writer sent another note, added here on 6-25-01:

Dear Doug King, 

Thank you for running my comments, and I hope I haven't made a pest of myself by writing you too much. I just wanted to tell you that the Roanoke Times did run my op-ed piece on Sunday, June 24, in a form only slightly edited from what I gave you. 

It has generated a lot of conversation around here. Interestingly enough, there were two visitors in the congregation who identified themselves to me by saying, "I came to your church because I read your op-ed piece this morning." 

How's that for evangelism? 

God bless you and the work you do, 

Dean Lindsey

[posted here on 6-21-01] 
[See below for two responses.]

Doug

I followed the link to your site from Presbyweb and read your assessment of the GA action on Fidelity and Chastity (Overture 8). I disagree rather emphatically with the action, but that's not the reason for this note.

What I would sincerely would like to know - from the perspective of the Witherspoon society - is how Overture 8 represents a middle ground? Frankly, it seems like "the liberals" (Witherspoon among them) got everything they could ask for and more. I would be interested in your rationale in interpreting this rather total revision as a compromise - maybe there is something that I do not see in it. Can you help my understanding? I would be very interested in a response to my query.

Thank you

Reggie Gates, Elder
Lakewood First Presbyterian Church

We invite responses!!

[Received on 6-27-01, published here on 6-29-01]

Along with my path as a woman was another candidate, equally qualified, who was male and gay. He was not ordained.

My advocate spoke against me in committee because I was a married woman with four children. The pastor of the church where I was under care did not believe in the ordination of women and did not attend my ordination service.

I know what it means to be spiritually qualified, and excluded from consideration.

The G.A. action was a third way because it was the work of the Spirit moving among the delegates. It returns the decision of ordination to the governing bodies where it rightly belongs..... the presbyteries and sessions. It allows freedom of conscience, illumination of scripture, guidance of the confessions, and discernment of the Spirit. It restores us to our past history of 1977 when we relied on that Spirit instead of judicial mandates.

Amendment B was an attempt to legislate morality. Now we have the opportunity to return to our traditional polity which worked for us in our past. It frees us from judicial process, long battles over words in presbytery meetings, and judging each other in an unloving way.

The life in Christ is what our institution should be about. We are His body.

Karen L. Kiser, Granada Hills, California

Congratulations to all of you for the work done at GA! Hallelujah indeed.

I am suggesting that you simply refer Mr. Gates to that excellent power point presentation that I have just scrolled through on the Covenant Network website.

Bebb Stone

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