Fahed Abu-Akel

The Moderator candidates respond to questions

The Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel

"Where there is no vision, the people perish," according to Proverbs in the King James Version. What vision do you offer to our church in these difficult days? And what vision should our church be offering to our society as a whole?

My vision for the PC(USA) is three-fold: (1) Spiritual renewal driven by a commitment to daily prayer, Bible study and worship. (2) Public witness to the Gospel message through renewed focus on local and global mission. (3) Unity in the midst of our diversity. We have allowed our differences to divide us rather than acknowledging our unity in Christ. When we acknowledge unity in Christ, we can speak with a single voice to the rest of the world challenging our nation and the world to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before our God. My vision for the PC(USA) is a church that models for society the role of servant leadership focused on sacrificial love, forgiveness, peace, service and mission. This is the vision of hope in Jesus Christ for a broken world.

Since a majority of our presbyteries have failed to approve Amendment A, some have suggested a "moratorium" on any actions related to sexuality and ordination. How would you deal with such suggestions? If there should be such a moratorium, what form should it take?

To simply have a moratorium is meaningless. A moratorium without people meeting, talking, praying and doing intentional work together will accomplish nothing. That is precisely why we need a unifying vision, a shared aspiration of what the church should be. In the Israeli Palestinian conflict, Dr. Munayer, a Palestinian Arab Christian established "Musalaha" (the Arabic word for reconciliation). This is an organization focused on bringing together Palestinian Christians, Muslims and Jews "in order to help them share hopes, solve common problems and seek mutual understanding." Musalaha is an excellent model for the resolution of our own conflicts. I believe that in the results of the last three sexuality votes the Holy Spirit is speaking to us in the PC(USA) telling us to wait upon the Lord, to seek Him together and focus on reconciliation and mutual understanding during this waiting period in the life of our church. We should trust our orderly process in the church.

The movement of Confessing Churches is seen by some as promising the salvation of the Presbyterian Church, while others view it as a serious threat to our church's unity and mission. Some are concerned about the rise of a 'parallel church' through this movement, with the apparent aim of displacing the structures, programs, and personnel that now strive to serve the whole church. How would you deal with the Confessing Church movement?

Dr. Laird Stuart, Dr. Jerry Tankersley and I attended the Confessing Church Movement's celebration in Atlanta, in February. At that conference, I saw some 700-1,000 PC(USA) elders and ministers come together to share their concerns about the church and the future of the church. As I examine the Bible, the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order, the Confessing Church Movement does not seem to bring anything new at this point. Everything they are saying I find either in the Scriptures or our Constitution. My concern is our connectional system. To be Presbyterian means to be connected together as one body, part of the body of Christ, from the Session, Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly. That means that as a church, we are connected in loving one another, praying for one another and supporting the church. I challenge all congregations, whether in the Confessing Church Movement or any other group that wishes to bring about change, to work within our existing system to renew and reform the PC(USA) rather than create alternative or parallel structures that can undermine the unity and integrity of the church.

The attacks of September 11th have had a profound effect on our society and our church. What do you see as the role of the PC(USA) at this time in our nation's history? In particular, how should we deal with extremism that is rooted in religious traditions, and with our own nation's increasing reliance on military measures to "solve" large and very complex problems?

The role of the church is not changed by day to day circumstances. The ultimate mission of the church is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow - that is to bring the gospel message of Jesus Christ to a world in need of hope. I saw that modeled in the response of our Presbyterian congregations across the nation in their ecumenical calls to prayer for the victims, our nation and the world.

In the context of Roman military occupation over Palestine and the call by religious extremists for violent response, Jesus gave his own life as a sacrifice to save the world. After his resurrection Jesus commanded his disciples to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." What better response could there be from the Church to the hatreds rooted in religious extremism?

As the world's only superpower we are depending more and more on military might to solve every problem. The church's role is to remind our leaders that military solutions cannot address the issues of poverty and injustice. Our focus on justice, human rights and freedom is essential to the Biblical vision of jubilee.

Web site: www.amis-inc.org

You can also read the responses to these questions from

	The Rev. Laird Stuart
	The Rev. Dr. Jerry Tankersley