wfn.org | Milwaukee Overture Defeated

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusanews@pcusa80.pcusa.org>]

Reply-To: pcusanews list <pcusanews@pcusa80.pcusa.org>

19-June-1998 
GA98118 
 
                  Milwaukee Overture Defeated;  
                 No Sexuality Amendment this Year 
 
                       by Jerry Van Marter 
 
CHARLOTTE--By an overwhelming margin of 412-92, the 210th General Assembly 
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted not to send another amendment 
on sexual standards for ordination to the presbyteries this year. 
   After brief debate June 19, the Assembly voted to disapprove Overture 
98-37 from Milwaukee Presbytery, which would have asked the presbyteries 
whether they want to delete G-6.0106b -- the "fidelity and chastity" 
requirement for church officers -- from "The Book of Order." 
   At the same time, the Assembly approved a new authoritative 
interpretation of the constitution affirming the denomination's commitment 
to "consider the lives and behaviors of candidates [for ordination] as 
individuals...and not to exclude anyone categorically." 
   The authoritative interpretation of G-6.0106b and G-4.0403 was proposed 
by the Advisory Committee on Women's Concerns in response to a 1997 
overture from Chicago Presbytery.  It passed 355-179 and reaffirms what has 
been implied in "The Book of Order" -- that candidates for ordination are 
judged individually and not on the basis of their age, race, class, gender 
and sexual orientation. 
   The Rev. Carol McDonald of Wabash Valley Presbytery, chair of the 
Assembly Committee on Church Orders and Ministry which brought the matter 
to the Assembly, described the committee's process in considering the 
overture as "a discernment process about what God is calling us to be and 
do."  
   Speaking to the authoritative interpretation, she said, "It is very 
clear to us that people matter...that we consider not who a person is but 
what a person does...and we trust our presbyteries and congregations to 
determine the fitness of individuals based upon their behavior."  
   An accompanying comment to the disapproval of the Milwaukee overture 
states: "It is our hope that dialogue can, will and must continue on this 
topic [sexual standards for ordination]." McDonald said she trusts that 
Presbyterians "will continue to speak our consciences and will continue the 
dialogue." 
   To that end, the Assembly also directed that a national conference of 
Presbyterians be convened within the next six months "to address the 
theological and ethical issues in the current crisis."   The conference, 
approved in response to Overture 98-65 from National Capital Presbytery 
will be called, "The Nature of the Unity We Seek in Our Diversity." 
   The conference, which was authorized on a voice vote by the Assembly, 
"is to focus on an informed analysis of the modern history of 
ecclesiastical conflicts within the Reformed tradition and their 
resolution; the nature of and need for justice in church and society; the 
meaning of the love and grace of Jesus Christ in Reformed theology; and the 
values and contributions of our various diversities in light of the unity 
already given to us." 
   The Assembly's decision not to send down an amendment on sexual 
standards for ordination this year honored a request by a number of 
denominational leaders for a "sabbatical" on the ordination debate.   
 
   Similar requests for no more amendments this year were issued prior to 
the Assembly by stated clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, by the leaders of "The 
Presbyterian Coalition" and the "Covenant Network of Presbyterians" -- the 
major advocacy organizations on each side of the ordination standards 
debate -- and all three candidates for moderator of this year's Assembly. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  This note sent by PCUSA NEWS
  to the pcusanews list <pcusanews@pcusa80.pcusa.org>.
  Send unsubscribe requests to pcusanews-request@pcusa80.pcusa.org