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Twin Cities Area rejects O and A
a report from Doug King
January 13, 2001
The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area voted today
on the constitutional amendments, and approved two overtures to the 213th
General Assembly.
Amendment A was rejected by a vote of 148-101, and
Amendment O was rejected by 168-80.
In the discussion on "A," one commissioner
supported the amendment, arguing that deleting the present list of
persons to be welcomed as members by the PC(USA) would change nothing,
and simply affirm the welcome that we already extent to all people.
In opposition to "A," another commissioner
recalled how for the centuries we thought it was inclusive enough to say
that "all men are created equal." We have had to revise our
understanding of that statement over the centuries, and have often
modified our language to reflect those changes. We now recognize, he
said, "that we must make explicit statements to compensate for the
exclusions of the past."
The discussion on Amendment O was opened by a pastor
who stated flatly that the total ban on same-sex unions would be a good
thing because "there's only one sexual relationship affirmed in the
Bible." Minister commissioner Jeannette Hickman then commented that
"having seen all our problems with managed health care, this looks
a lot like managed ministry to me." If we are concerned about
healthy committed relationships, she added, we support people who are
trying to build just such relationships.
Two overtures dealing with G-6.0106(b) were presented
to the gathering, and both were approved for transmittal to the General
Assembly. One from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis calls
very simply for putting to the presbyteries the question: "Should
G-6.0106(b) be deleted in its entirety?" An overture from St. Luke
Presbyterian Church, Wayzata, MN, would go beyond that, calling on the
General Assembly to issue an Authoritative Interpretation by which the
interpretive statements "concerning ordained service by homosexual
persons," beginning with the 1978 statement of the UPCUSA, and the
1979 statement of the PCUS, and all subsequent authoritative
interpretations, "shall be given no further force or effect."
Today's presbytery assembly also elected commissioners
to General Assembly. Clergy commissioners elected for GA included Louise
Bender, Stephen Elderbrock, and Tammy Lindahl.
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
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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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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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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