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A letter on Amendment A |
| G-6.0106b is "wholly
un-Reformed"
[1-8-02]
Here's a comment from the Rev. Dennis Maher, who is
a member at large of Great Rivers Presbytery, living in Delavan IL and
a member of Westar Institute, Santa Rosa CA
In all of the recent debate about amendment A, the most basic reasons
why G-6.0106b should never have been added to the Constitution, and why
it should be now removed, seem to be neglected.
The offending section states: "Those who are
called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to
Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of
the church."
This statement is wholly un-Reformed. Never in the
ordination questions are we asked to "obey" Scripture, but
rather to witness to it.
An implicit assumption in G-6.0106b also is not
Reformed --- that there is but one way to interpret scripture and that
our task as ministers of Word and Sacrament is not to use our minds to
understand its meaning in the world as God gives it to us today.
Furthermore, no where are we asked to "conform to
the historic confessional standards of the church." This is a
misunderstanding of the nature of Confessions and the rationale for
having a "book" of many confessions. No single confession is
the ultimate interpretation of Scripture, nor is there necessarily a
consensus among them on ethical or ecclesiastical issues. Confessions
are understood to be conditioned to their time and place in their
attempt to express eternal truths. As human expressions of those truths,
each of them is ultimately unsatisfactory.
Officers are required to trust in and seek to be
faithful to Jesus Christ, as witnessed to in scripture, and understood
in the spirit and sense of our confessional tradition. The Reformed
Tradition has always seen idolatry as our natural and grievous tendency.
That we should state our bibliolatry and "confessionalatry" in
our Constitution speaks to the world of our loss of identity.
Finally, the remainder of G-6.0106b states for the
first time and in the only case in our history of specific behaviors
precluding ordination. Our ancestors did not specify such
"sin" because it was understood that we in our sessions and
presbyteries were to discern which such behaviors were unacceptable,
when, and for what reason.
Future historians and theologians will note these
things and conclude that amendment A was not a solution of polity, but
of theology. They will conclude that many in the PC(USA), intending to
uphold God's law and oppose cultural disintegration, were instead
preserving only the cultural prejudice against homosexuality.
G-6.0106a has been sufficient for many years and is
sufficient now for sessions and presbyteries to deal faithfully and
responsibly with any misconduct. |
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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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Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch
Seminar!
GHOST RANCH SEMINAR
July 26-August 1, 2010
WE’RE ALL IN
THIS TOGETHER
CONFRONTING THE STRUCTURES OF INJUSTICE |
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