wfn.org | Assembly rejects attempts to define 'essential tenets' of the faith

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03-July-1996 
 
GA96082 
 
Assembly rejects attempts to define `essential tenets' of the faith 
 
ALBUQUERQUE--An attempt to amend the constitution of the Presbyterian 
Church (U.S.A.) to be somewhat more specific about what constitutes 'the 
essential tenets' of the faith was soundly defeated on the floor of the 
208th General Assembly on July 3. 
 
    "It's not sufficient to say theology matters and not have some 
definition of what we're talking about," said elder-commissioner Charles 
Higgins of the Assembly committee on Theology and Worship as he presented a 
minority report on the floor. 
 
    But a motion to consider the minority report was defeated by a 335-163 
vote -- with one abstention -- after brief debate. 
 
    Committee chair the Rev. Kay Huggins of Santa Fe said the committee 
rejected two overtures (96-32 from the Presbytery of New Covenant and 96-42 
from the Presbytery of Los Ranchos) attempting to define 'the essential 
tenets' since the denomination has only been able to do so for "brief 
periods" in its "long history." 
 
    "We have broad resources ... and there's room for the Holy Spirit to 
continue the work of reforming us," she said, citing Scripture and the 
denomination's confessions, polity and practice. 
 
    The Assembly approved the committee's comment on the overture as well, 
acknowledging "the pain presently felt in parts of the church over a 
perceived lack of doctrinal clarity."  It commends Chapter II of the Book 
of Order to the church as "a helpful tool in interpreting the concept of 
'essential tenets.'" 
 
    The minority report advocated defining the tenets as "the beliefs of 
the Church catholic, of the Protestant Reformation and of the Reformed 
tradition that are enumerated in [Chapter II of the Book of Order] and that 
are derived from The Book of Confessions" -- the wording of overture 96-32. 
It dropped subscription language about church officers and commissioned lay 
preachers -- alluded to in the original overture and required by overture 
96-42. 
 
    Overture 96-42 attempted to require affirmation of five particular 
doctrines by church officers and staff.  It was disapproved by the 
committee and the Assembly. 
 
    In other business, the Assembly approved an amended overture from the 
Presbytery of Central Nebraska that defines baptism with the more precise 
language of the Great Commission. 
 
    To amend the constitution, a majority vote of the presbyteries is 
required. 
 
    It also voted to extend the deadline for completion of the work of the 
Special Committee to Write a New Presbyterian Catechism for one year to 
allow time for field testing the material.  The final report is to be 
presented to the 210th General Assembly in 1998. 
 
 
Alexa Smith 

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