News of PC(USA) from
April through December, 2001
Click here for the index for December
2000 through March, 2001 |
| Get
the news from General Assembly, Louisville, 2001 |
| WCC
General Secretary Konrad Raiser has issued a
Christmas message that proclaims God's grace in the face of "a
world without mercy," ruled by competition and money. [12-17-01] |
| Peace,
Unity and Purity Task Force holds first meeting
Gathering in Louisville, the group of 20 faced the
reality of differences in the church, but seemed determined to know one
another as persons, and to join in seeking a way forward for the
church. In their opening covenant the group committed itself
(among other things) to " |
|
Do you want to have some impact
on the life of our church? Here's one way!!
Nominations
are now being sought for GA level
committees and boards. Consider applying, or nominating someone
else. [12-12-01]
|
| Details have been announced for the
More Light
National Conference, scheduled for May 24-26, 2002, in Raleigh,
NC. [12-12-01] |
| The
General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission has finally ruled that the
case against the ordination of a gay elder in Stamford, CT, is moot,
because the term for which he was elected has expired. [12-14-01] |
Over 130 of the commissioners to the 213th General Assembly have
joined in an open letter to the PC(USA),
which concludes:
Amendment 01-A honors Scripture, Confessions, and our
Presbyterian heritage -- and allows Presbyterians to honor and respect
one another.
We
urge you to join us in supporting Amendment 01-A.
Check out the full
text of the letter, and see who has signed it.
[12-5-01]
|
| One
Retired Missionary's Response to
"An Open Letter from Our Missionaries"
[12-10-01]
Retired missionary Bill Hopper writes in response to "An
Open Letter from Our Missionaries," in which they express the
fear that "If Amendment A should pass, compromising our church's
commitment to the biblical and confessional understanding of chastity as
faithfulness in marriage and celibacy in singleness, we will put our
partnerships with sister Churches around the world in profound
jeopardy."
Hopper suggests that "Our Missionaries" are
showing a lack of respect for our sister churches around the world,
which are working out their own patterns of faithfulness in their
situations just as we are attempting to do in our own. |
Presbyterian
Disaster Assistance allocates second round of humanitarian aid
for Afghan refugees and displaced persons.
Food packets will help feed more than 100,000
people. [12-10-01] |
| Another
open letter, from leading figures on the conservative side of the
church, urges us all to defeat Amendment A. [12-5-01] |
Flying
the flag in church? [11-30-01]
A recent conversation on PresbyNet has yielded some helpful insights
and questions about an issue that a number of congregations are facing
these days. |
| Early
returns show Amendment A running behind
24 of first 28 presbyteries to vote would keep
"fidelity/chastity" provision [11-29-01] |
|
Looking
homeward from El Salvador [11-19-01]
Julia Jones, who formerly served on the staff of the
Presbyterian UN Office, is now in El Salvador, serving under the
Presbyterian Reconciliation and Mission program. She looks at the
US from her new vantage point and suggests:
"We should celebrate all the good that our
country does and has done in the world, because it has been a leader in
countless important ways. We also have the responsibility, as citizens
of the most powerful country in the world, to be aware of what our
country is doing around the world, at home, in the United Nations, and
elsewhere, to question it if need be, and to speak out or demand change
if the U.S.'s actions are preventing peace, the promotion of human
rights or a sustainable future."
She also offers some good thoughts on alternative
Christmas giving!
|
| One
"big gun" that has been wheeled into the debate on Amendment A
is a recent book by Robert Gagnon of
Pittsburgh Seminary, which attempts to make a case that the biblical
witness is unequivocally opposed to any homosexual practice. Dr. Beth
Johnson of Columbia Seminary has written a thoughtful review of the
book. [11-15-01] |
| Jonathan
Justice adds to Shawn Coons' comments
on the Coalition's plans for a "shadow denomination"
[11-15-01] |
| A
reader writes to express concern about the Coalition's announced
strategy of creating a "shadow
denomination." [11-14-01] |
| It's
time a pay serious attention to how we can talk with friends in our
presbyteries -- who may often be sympathetic, but fearful of possible
consequences for the church if Amendment A is approved. Here are
some thoughts on "talking
points." [11-14-01] |
| Chris
Iosso offers brief comments on the
"other" constitutional amendments that are going to
presbyteries for confirmation or rejection this year.
[11-7-01] |
The
Covenant Network gathering in Pasadena, Nov. 1-3, was an inspiring
reexamination of "Christ transforming culture," and
featured important statements by Moderator Jack Rogers and Stated Clerk
Clifton Kirkpatrick.
We have Gene TeSelle's report on the event,
and the full text of Jack Rogers' talk.
[11-5-01] |
| The
Rev. Jake Young reports on the recent "7%
conference" for pastors under the age of 40. As a
participant, he found a refreshing openness across the lines that divide
the church, and a shared grieving over the events of September 11.
[10-31-01] |
| Witherspoon
responds to open letter from "moderates" who express
concern over the "rhetoric of contempt" being used in the
church, and urge rejection of Amendment A. [10-31-01] |
| Progressives
believe conflict over ordination
will be a way to heal the church [10-31-01]
Alexa Smith of Presbyterian News Service reports on
the substantial number of Presbyterians who are convinced that now is
the time to change the church's total ban on ordination of gay and
lesbian people, believing that some conflict now will help heal the
church in the long run. |
| Presbyterians
have contributed more than $1.2 million in relief aid through
PC(USA) channels since the Sept. 11 strikes, according to Presbyterian
Disaster Assistance (PDA). [10-26-01] |
MLP
activist ordained
For the first time since the 1978 ban on the ordination of
"practicing, self-affirming homosexuals," an openly lesbian
candidate, Katie Morrison, has been ordained as Minister of Word and
Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). [10-22-01]
Presbyterian News Service reports on a
challenge to Morrison's ordination, which was not sustained by the
Presbytery. [10-23-01]
|
Why
do we call for civility? [10-18-01]
Some people who have seen the "Call
to Civility" (issued in August by the Witherspoon Society and
the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship) have asked us why we've been
concerned about this. They have not seen any evidence of the
"consistent and vociferous personal attacks directed at the
Moderator" and the 213th General Assembly, that were the
stimulus for that call.
Cataloguing all the attacks would demand more time
than we can give to the task right now, but it's a fair question, so
we'll try to give some evidence for our concern. |
| Elder
Marjorie (Marge) Coombs, of Spokane,
Washington, has written sharing her dismay at the attacks on Moderator
Jack Rogers, and her appreciation for being informed of what has been
going on. [10-18-01] |
Split
seems possible, say GA leaders
Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and Moderator
Jack Rogers spoke at the opening of the Committee on the Office of the
General Assembly on October 10, 2001, acknowledging that some
conservatives in the PC(USA) seem to be laying the groundwork for a
possible split in the church. [10-22-01] |
| A
"confessing church" has second
thoughts
Witherspoon member Berry Craig reports on the session
of a congregation in Kentucky that was led (by whom??) to endorse the
Confessing Church movement. A few people urged a little more
reflection, and the session and the pastor decided to remove their name
from the list. [10-11-01] |
| The
Office of Theology and Worship has offered a cautious statement on
Christology [10-6-01]
Responding to a request from the 213th
General Assembly, the Office of Theology, Worship and Discipleship on
September 27 issued a statement entitled "Hope in the Lord Jesus
Christ."
We offer a brief
comment from your WebWeaver, and a more thorough consideration from
Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle,
who regrets that the statement doesn't really respond to the issues of
our time.
Responding to the comments above, Barbara Kellam-Scott
sees the Theology and Worship statement as offering "magic
words" rather than true hope. [10-8-01]
Dennis Maher adds his
thoughts. His greatest concern is with the statement's "tone
of setting authoritative, narrow parameters of language with which we
may confess Christ." [10-11-01] |
| One
session explains why they support Amendment A
A session in National Capital Presbytery sent out a 7
page letter condemning Amendment A and asking every Session in the
Presbytery to respond to them. The Session of Bradley Hills Presbyterian
Church unanimously approved a response, which offers a brief and cogent
explanation of why they support Amendment A. [10-6-01] |
| Three
moderators announce 21-member theological
task force
Gary Demarest, Jenny Stoner to serve as co-moderators
of a 21-member task force that will try to help the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) out of its current theological malaise. [10-5-01] |
| On
Sept. 25th, 29 of the 33 living former moderators of the
church issued a call for civility,
similar to the earlier statement by the
Witherspoon Society and the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
[10-5-01] |
| The
struggle over gay ordination
continues, as a complaint is filed against Don Stroud in Baltimore, and
objections are raised to the ordination of Katie Morrison in Redwoods
Presbytery. [10-5-01] |
|
What Does God
Require of Us Now:
Life With or Without Amendment B
A regional conference for the Northeast is planned for
Nov. 9-10 in Buffalo, NY, with presenters from both sides of the
debate. [10-3-01] |
| Baltimore
Presbytery affirms Amendment 01-A [10-3-01] |
| Jane
Dempsey Douglass' Witherspoon address on Mission
Essentials for the Twenty-first Century: Beyond
Conflict over Sexuality offered a positive vision of our church's
mission in the years ahead -- a mission growing out of Christian
freedom, and seeking economic and environmental justice on a global
scale.
Dr. Douglass has graciously provided us with the full
text of her talk, and we are delighted to share it here. [9-24-01] |
| Some
250 people gathered at Montreat for a Sunday afternoon forum
on the Confessing Church movement. There was some concern
about claimed sponsorship by the presbytery, which the presbytery
denied. The Lay Committee worked hard to show it is not backing
the movement, though a |
| Beloved,
Let us Respect One Another
[8-30-01]
As we approach the debates on Amendment A, Gordon
Shull, elder of Wooster, Ohio, suggests ways of keeping the issues in
perspective so that we can engage in debate without letting the
differences divide us. |
Who
ordains, and for whom?
[8-26-01]
One of the major contentions of those opposing
Amendment A is that "ordination is for the whole church," and
so presbyteries must not be allowed do use standards which other
presbyteries might not accept.
Elder Richard Hong offers a clear and careful argument
that our Book of Order gives to each ordaining body (presbytery or
session) both the right and the responsibility to exercise its own
discernment in ordaining elders and ministers, and in calling ministers
already ordained in other presbyteries. |
| School
of the Americas demonstrators sentenced
Dwight Lawton, a member of the Presbyterian Peace
Fellowship, reports on the sentencing of 26
people who were arrested for demonstrating last November against the
School of the Americas. He also reflects on the reasons for their
action. The Peace Fellowship also announces plans
for another action this coming November. [8-28-01] |
| Moderator
Jack Rogers will be recording weekly commentaries on VoiceLine, the
recorded information service of the Office of Communication. His first
commentary deals with charges from conservatives that the Christology
expressed by the 213th General Assembly was somehow
insufficient. [8-26-01] |
| Civility
is appreciated [8-22-01] A number of people
have responded appreciatively to Kurt Norlin's reflections on the need
for calm in the midst of the "bitter battle" going on in our
Presbyterian Church. Here are two notes
we've received.
|
New
director of women's ministries program envisions another global
women's theological conference [8-22-01]
Mary Elva Smith said recently that she'd like to see the denomination
push for another global women's conference that she said will restore
the validity of feminist theology in the church. She said she doesn't
want to allow the continuing backlash to the legendarily controversial
Re-Imagining God conference of 1993 to continue silencing feminist
theologians in the denomination. |
| Here's
a calm conservative voice in the midst of
all the bitterness. [8-20-01]
We have been in e-conversation recently with a
self-avowed, practicing conservative who expressed dismay at some of the
things he has read on this site. He is concerned to find ways to
restore some civility to our discussions, too. Out of our
conversation he has written about his own convictions and concerns -- in
a tone which your WebWeaver finds heartening. And he raises
question that progressives might well take seriously. |
| From
a Ghost Ranch seminar comes a "call
to civility," urging an end to attacks on the General Assembly
and the Moderator -- endorsed by Witherspoon and the Presbyterian Peace
Fellowship. [8-16-01] |
| The
Rev. Kent Winters-Hazelton, who was one of the group at Ghost Ranch that
drafted the Call to Civility, writes
about why it's necessary now to take a
stand for that call. [8-18-01] |
A
report from Ghost Ranch
Crisis in Our Global Neighborhood [8-16-01]
Fifty-five people from across the U.S. gathered at
Ghost Ranch August 6-13 for an intensive seminar on the looming crisis
of economic globalization and militarism. The seminar was sponsored by
the Witherspoon Society, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, and
Presbyterians for Restoring Creation.
The group agreed on a need for our church to focus
education and action on three areas of concern: the US involvement
in the conflict in Colombia; the US-Mexico border; and the School of the
Americas. |
| Brazilian
churches deal with peacemaking and violence
A consultation in Brazil, in early July, brought
together representatives from the PC(USA) and two Brazilian churches to
share and strategize about ways the churches might respond and
peacemakers in the face of growing violence in Brazilian society.
Witherspooner Charles Hurst attended as an observer, and reports on the
group's struggles with the fact that violence is rooted in the growing
rich-poor gap, while the membership of the Presbyterian churches is
relatively well off. [8-15-01] |
| Moderators
begin putting together "peace, unity and purity" task
force [8-11-01]
More than 500 names have been submitted for 17-member
panel
Presbyterian News Service reports on the August 6-8
meeting of General Assembly moderator Jack Rogers and his two immediate
predecessors, to begin the process of selecting a 17-member task force
that will "try to lead the Presbyterian Church (USA) out of its
current theological malaise." |
| Layman
responds to statement by Moderator and Stated Clerk
The Layman has responded to the letter
from the Moderator and the Stated Clerk by posting supportive words
from Bob Davis, executive director of the Presbyterian Forum, a
conservative organization that works closely with the Lay Committee.
Davis asserts that the General Assembly leaders are
mistaken in their criticisms of the Layman's charges, and charges
that the leaders are trying "to isolate and alienate The Layman"
from other conservative groups. He bases this partly on the fact that
Moderator Jack Rogers acknowledged to the recent Denver
gathering of evangelicals that there may be many supporters of the
confessing church movement who are not supportive of the
"apostasy" charges, and who do not appear intent on splitting
the church.
Interestingly, the Layman's headline states: "Forum
leader says moderator, stated clerk were out of line." Well,
yes - Davis does use those words in his statement, but he uses them to
summarize what Rogers and Kirkpatrick were saying about the Layman,
and not to describe the actions of the two GA leaders themselves.
The
rest you can read for yourself. |
|
Church leaders
refute Presbyterian Layman charges.
In a strongly worded letter to the board of directors of the
Presbyterian Lay Committee, the moderator and stated clerk of the
General Assembly have asked the conservative group to
"reconsider" its accusation in the July issue of The
Presbyterian Layman that the 213th General Assembly was
"apostate." [8-8-01]
Background on
the meaning of apostasy: Early in
June, the Rev. Dr. Joe Small, Coordinator for Theology & Worship on
the General Assembly staff, sent a brief message clarifying the
significance of the term "apostasy." [8-8-01] |
| The
Presbyterian Coalition has announced the outlines of its strategy
for defeating Amendment A. [8-6-01] |
| What
does the Church need to learn from
Albert Einstein?
Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice
Ministries, National Council of Churches, poses this question, and
suggests that we might learn from that "frizzy-haired scientific
genius" to seek new and more expansive answers to the new and
expanding questions of our time. [8-2-01] |
|
An index of GA
actions relating to homosexuality, 1970-2001
The Constitutional Services Department of the Office
of the General Assembly listing of all actions of the General Assembly
relating to homosexuality from 1970 to the present. You may find it
helpful in researching this complex issue for the coming discussions of
Amendment A. [8-2-01] |
| The
Advocacy Committee for Women's Concerns is searching for resources local
churches can use to develop ministries
to prostitutes and other sexually exploited people.
Materials are needed by September 6. [8-2-01] |
| The
2001 Peacemaking Conferences
have provided both a celebration of diversity and exercises in doing
diversity. Here's the PNS report on the conference in Estes
Park, Colorado, July 21-25. [7-31-01] |
| The
official text of Amendment 01-A
Overture 01-08, as approved by the 213th
General Assembly, has now received its official name for the coming
year: Amendment 01-A. Ordination Standards - On Amending G-6.0106
[7-23-01]
The Office of the General Assembly has
published the full official list of
constitutional amendments that will be sent to the presbyteries for
their votes during the coming year. |
| Stem
cell research is a big issue today in Washington -- but the PC(USA)
has already done good thinking on the questions, specifically in an
overture approved by the 213th General Assembly. [7-25-01] |
| Eastern
Virginia Presbytery sends "an open letter to a confessing
church," which affirms the whole church [7-23-01] |
| A
Presbyterian has written to express his concern about the Layman's
charge that the General Assembly was "apostate."
[7-17-01] |
| Voices
of Sophia offers reflections on the General Assembly, by Sylvia
Thorson-Smith [7-16-01] |
Moderator
sends pastoral letter [7-10-01]
As requested by the General Assembly, Moderator Jack Rogers has send a
pastoral letter to the church interpreting the Assembly's action in
sending to the presbyteries an the amendment which would delete
G-6.0106b from the Book of Order. The full
text of the letter is here. |
| Presbytery
of the Cascades grants will help Oregon farm workers organize
by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service
PORTLAND, Ore. - 11-July-2001 - The Oregon Farm Worker
Ministry has received mission grants totaling more than $3,100 from the
Presbytery of the Cascades in the Synod of the Pacific.
The grants will be used to educate faith and justice
communities to stand with Oregon farmworkers in their struggle to
organize for better pay and conditions. The OFWM is led by Sara
Meza-Romero, a 2000 graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary.
Based in the agriculture-prominent Willamette Valley
of Oregon, OFWM is a member organization of National Farm Worker
Ministry, related to the National Council of the Churches. For
information about farmworker ministries in Oregon and the U.S., contact
the OFWM office by email at ofwm@earthlink.net. |
| A
world of concerns [7-10-01]
The Worldwide Ministries Division hosted a gathering
just before and after General Assembly, with over 50 ecumenical guests
from 27 countries sharing a wide variety of concerns (religious
persecution, the imposition of American military presence, exploitation
by foreign oil companies, the US rejection of the Kyoto global warming
treaty, and much more), and explored the meaning of partnership between
the PC(USA) and their own churches. |
| National
Capital overture 01-56: issues still
unanswered
Overture 56, from National Capital Presbytery, sought
a study of inconsistencies in our constitution, and ways to avoid them
in the future. Gene TeSelle sorts through some of the complexities of
this issue - one, he notes, that perhaps "only a polity wonk can
love." [7-7-01] |
| The
Confessing Church Movement seems to be experiencing some strains along
with its apparent gains in support. Here's a
brief update from your WebWeaver and others. [7-4-01] |
| Witherspoon
member Alan Pickering offers calm, clear thoughts, and a
"cautious" response to the Confessing Church movement
[7-5-01] |
| Commissioner
Lewis Wilkins opines that Overture 8 is the only way our church can
escape our impasse, and move forward with the task force on peace,
purity and unity of the church [7-5-01] |
| A
sermon on freedom by Kent Winters-Hazelton (on the Sunday before
July 4th) reflects on Paul's ringing proclamation of Christian freedom,
and the recent action of our General Assembly. [7-5-01] |
| Nominations
are being sought for members of the task force on peace, unity and
purity of the Church, to be established by action of this
Assembly. [6-29-01] |
| European
churches take an open attitude toward gay/lesbian ordination
A special visiting reporter with Presbyterian News
Service writes on the very different attitudes in European churches
toward gay ordination. While conservatives have pointed to relations
with former "mission churches" - especially in Korea and parts
of Latin America - as a reason to resist changes in the church's
attitude toward glbt members, this report suggests that other sister
churches have much more open attitudes and policies. [7-3-01] |
| A
visitor to this site is trying to think through the implications of his
church's joining the "confessing church
movement." He asks for help from others who have considered
the possibility. Please take a minute to read
more, and respond if you can. [7-2-01] |
"The
Problematic of Belief"
The Rev. Byron Bangert, who lives in Bloomington, Indiana, has been
moved by the current emphasis on right belief in certain parts of the
Presbyterian Church to ponder what it means to believe something.
He explores three basic theses:
1) For the most part, we do not choose to believe what we believe.
2) However necessary beliefs may be, they invariably tend to be
divisive.
3) Although Christian faith surely involves beliefs about certain
matters (e.g., God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, salvation), faith is
fundamentally a matter of trusting relationship rather than cognitive
consent. [7-3-01] |
| Semper
Reformanda and Witherspoon Society seal merger
[6-27-01] |
| A
pastor from Upstate New York sees new hope
through the work of this Assembly [6-27-01] |
| Two
recent writers -- Diana Eck of Harvard and Robert von Oeyen, PCUSA
Mission Specialist Professor teaching at the Presbyterian College and
Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea -- shed light on the realities and
the theological issues in our
current debates about religious pluralism. [6-4-01] |
| Some
900 pastoral counselors have
signed a call for recognition of sexual orientation as a gift from God [5-12-01] |
| Amendment
A is defeated [5-11-01]
The presbytery voting on Amendment A, which would have
deleted a list of categories of persons who cannot be excluded from
membership in the PC(USA), has finally yielded a result. The amendment
has been defeated by a very narrow margin.
The amendment reflected a move at the 2000 General
Assembly to side-track an overture which would have proposed adding
"sexual orientation" to the list of factors which could not be
used to exclude people from full membership, including "race,
ethnic origin, worldly condition, or any other reason ..."
By this defeat of the removal of all the earlier
categories, the church has turned down an effort to ignore our church's
history of exclusions on the basis of factors such as race and
ethnicity. We may hope that this is a modest sign of hope that we may
yet move to be more fully inclusive of people who are still excluded on
the basis of their sexual orientation.
More Light
Presbyterians offers a comment, too.
Check out our earlier
reports on Amendment A. |
|
Affirmation
2001 [5-11-01]
The recent announcement of the
Affirmation 2001 statement, which is modeled on the Auburn Affirmation
of 1924, is clearly a matter of significance in the life of our
Presbyterian Church, as is the prior proclamation of a Confessing Church
Movement by the Presbyterian Layman.
Witherspoon
offers some thoughts on both Affirmation 2001 and the Confessing
Church Movement.
For background, check out the Affirmation
group's press release. |
| The
Rev. Dr. Aurelia T. Fule writes in support of Dirk Ficca's commitment
to interfaith dialogue. It reflects, she says, not only
our Reformed tradition, but also our faith in the Biblical traditions of
Hebrew scripture and the New Testament. [4-16-01] |
| Presbyterian
News Service reports on the "movement" being fueled by the
Lay Committee to encourage congregations to make "confessional
statements," and perhaps "loyalty oaths" for PC(USA)
staff. Comments are included from the Lay Committee's Parker
Williamson, Vice-Moderator Rebecca
McElroy, Joe
Rightmyer of Presbyterians for Renewal, and Joseph
Small of the Department of Theology and Worship. [4-14-01] |
| Presbyterian
Women is planning an exchange visit to
Africa, "Sisters Together: Listening With Our Hearts,"
for October 2002. [4-16-01] |
| The
address by Dirk Ficca at the Peacemaking Conference, from which all the
uproar started, is now available here -- edited from its original oral
presentation for better reading. Click
here to read "Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a Diverse
World." |
| News
about the PC(USA) from December
2000 through March, 2001, is now listed on a new page. |
| For
more news notes and links to longer stories, from July through early
December, 2000, click here. |
