[11-15-01]

Shawn Coons is rightly concerned that the Presbyterian Coalition has elected to articulate its posture as a shadow denomination in a sense roughly parallel to the British parties' practice of shadowing the government operated by the party in power, so that they will be able to hand out Ministry portfolios to people who actually know what goes on in a given Ministry if they should win the next parliamentary election. The Coalition would seem to have a more dramatic program in mind. Meanwhile, I think there is also a different sense in which we might refer to a shadow denomination in our efforts to understand what is happening in our denomination as we move through the present crisis or valley.

Does anyone else think it just a mite strange that a bunch of Presbyterians professes a new Confession, and pronounces itself the new connectionalism, but cannot be bothered to create what some of us might call "polity"? The (Presbyterian) Confessing Church Movement's friends at the Lay Committee regularly report on the growth of the list, and boast of the big churches on that list. But somehow the mundane business of organizing the group in any way that might make someone an official and responsible representative of this fabulous new thing, or subject those who might presume to speak for it to such restraints as a representative organization might choose to impose, has to wait for the really fabulous party they plan to have towards the end of the Presbyteries' voting on Amendment 01-A.

Until that does get done, I have to think "shadow" is exactly what is intended. A whole phantasmagorical series of shadows on the wall intended by its operators to variously frighten and inspire without bothering to get down to the plain daylight work that what we might call "true witness" requires. God is reported to have a certain distaste for the other sort of witness, and I think that quite sensible on God's part.

Consider for instance what Moderator Rogers encountered in his daylit earnest effort to listen to the people at the Coalition's fourth Gathering in Orlando last month: Bob Howard walked into the Open Mike session at the end and used most of it up with his Power Point presentation of the wonderful stuff the Confessing Church Movement is going to do to the Presbyterian Church.

What constituent assembly formulated this program? To what degree does this manifesto parallel programs that have been endorsed by other organizations. What are those organizations? Why does the idea of the divine right of kings come to mind? ( Well, for one thing; "oligarchs" is such a long word, and requires so much explaining, and for another, real oligarchs like to have formal organizations so that the agreements they have negotiated in private can be publicly endorsed, while kings are ostensibly above all that, getting their orders directly from God.)

GA actions ratified (or not) by  the presbyteries   

A number of the most important actions of the 219^th 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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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!

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive

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