Note #9251 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
06219 April 17, 2006
Assembly will act on more than 130 overtures
Task force, ordination standards, divestment action top packed agenda
by Jerry L. Van Marter
LOUISVILLE - A record number of overtures - more than 130, as of April 17 ¾ have been submitted by the presbyteries to the 217th General Assembly.
The dominant issues facing the 534 commissioners who will gather in Birmingham, AL, on June 15 include the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church (TTF); proposed changes to the ordination standards of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and whether to continue the denomination's policy of selective phased divestment from corporations profiting from Israel's occupation of the West Bank.
Theological Task Force
The task force, created by the 2001 General Assembly, was directed "to lead the PC(USA) in spiritual discernment of our Christian identity in and for the 21st century." The 20-member panel, whose final report will be presented to this Assembly, was specifically charged to address "issues of Christology, Biblical authority and interpretation, ordination standards and power."
The group's unanimous recommendations concerning ordination standards have drawn fire from both sides in the debate over the inclusion of gay and lesbian Presbyterians in the life of the church, including service as ordained church officers.
The TTF's recommendation 6 calls for the retention of the current standard - G-6.0106b of The Book of Order, which restricts ordination to those who practice "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness." That standard has provoked opposition from those who support the ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians.
The task force's recommendation 5 calls for an "authoritative interpretation" of G-6.0108 that would give ordaining bodies some leeway in determining whether any candidate's "departure (from scriptural and constitutional standards for ordination) constitutes a failure to adhere to the essentials of Reformed faith and polity..." If the answer is "no," the ordaining body could proceed with ordination, subject to review by church courts.
That recommendation has ignited a firestorm of criticism from supporters of G-6.0106b. A coalition of 11 Presbyterian "renewal" organizations and two dozen conservative leaders issued a statement last fall that the TTF report "constitutes a blend of truth and error that, if adopted, will undermine the church's purity and exacerbate the denomination's disunity. Indeed, it will promote schism by permitting the disregard of clear standards of scripture and the Constitution of the PC(USA)."
Task force members argue that there is an important distinction between "essentials" and "standards," which it says are "aspirational in character." The TTF says that its proposed authoritative interpretation - which, unlike constitutional amendments, would not have to be sent to the presbyteries for ratification - reaffirms the historical balance between national ordination standards and "the duty of ordaining and installing bodies to apply those standards in determining fitness for office and compliance with essentials."
The Advisory Committee on the Constitution recently issued its opinion that the TTF recommendations are constitutional.
A dozen overtures have been submitted, most of them directed at amending or removing Recommendation 5.
Ordination standards
Including overtures and concurrences, 22 presbyteries have petitioned the Assembly to send a proposed amendment to the presbyteries for ratification to delete G-6.0106b from The Book of Order.
When the 1996 General Assembly proposed the inclusion of G-6.0106.b, 57 percent of the presbyteries voted to ratify it. Two previous attempts to remove it from the constitution - in 1998 and 2002 - failed by votes of 67 percent and 73 percent, respectively.
The issue may be moot this year. The Assembly is scheduled to vote on the TTF report before taking up the G-6.0106b proposals. If it approves the TTF report's recommendation that no changes be made to the constitutional standards for ordination or the authoritative interpretations of the constitution that now buttress them, it would be hard-pressed to take further action on G-6.0106b.
Two presbyteries - Upper Ohio Valley and Central Washington - are calling for a moratorium on G-6.0106b-related action for eight years and 12 years, respectively.
Selective, phased divestment
Jewish groups and some Presbyterians reacted strongly to the 2004 Assembly's decision to "initiate the process of selective, phased divestment" from corporations the PC(USA) believes are impeding peace in the Middle East by profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the construction of the security barrier in Israel/Palestine.
The PC(USA) has been accused of being anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorism and worse. Interfaith relations nationally and locally have been strained. Supporters of the decision praised the denomination for putting its money where its mouth is, after 50 years of issuing seemingly powerless statements in support of peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine.
No fewer than 22 overtures have been submitted on the subject. Some, including those from Mississippi, the James and Eastern Virginia presbyteries, call for rescinding the divestment decision. Others, including those from Sheppards and Lapsley, National Capital, Transylvania, and Chicago, call for a strategy of positive investment in the region to "promote peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people," as National Capital puts it.
Related overtures call for a task force to draft a new statement of the PC(USA)'s Middle East policy (Eastern Virginia) and for an affirmation of "a common Abrahamic heritage" shared by Christians, Jews and Muslims as a step towards peace (Newton).
Other issues
Numerous other issues will also command the Assembly's attention, among them:
Historical Foundation at Montreat: The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly is recommending a budget-driven consolidation of Presbyterian Historical Society operations that would include closing the PHS facility at the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina. Columbia Theological Seminary has agreed to create a Presbyterian historical research and study center on its campus in Decatur, GA, to house some, but not all, of the artifacts and records now at Montreat. Reflecting its particular importance to southern Presbyterians, 15 presbyteries have petitioned the Assembly to preserve the Montreat facility, two-thirds of them calling for it to be governed by Friends of the Historical Foundation at Montreat, a group that has been raising support and funds for the preservation effort.
Christian educators: The question of whether Christian educators should be ordained church officers returns to the Assembly. Mission Presbytery is pushing for the new office of Minister of Christian Education; Shenandoah Presbytery urges the creation of a fourth ordained office - in addition to ministers, elders and deacons - called "Educating Elder," which would be open to Certified Christian educators.
Abortion: The Assembly will be asked to take up this perennial issue by considering an overture from Redstone Presbytery saying that, "when late-term pregnancies must be terminated, we urge decisions intended to keep the baby alive." Beaver-Butler Presbytery is proposing a ban on all PC(USA) funding of organizations that are for or against abortion. Mississippi Presbytery is asking the Assembly to oppose all abortions except those needed to save the life of the mother or in cases of incest or rape. Current PC(USA) policy regards abortion as the choice of last resort, but cedes choice to the mother and her medical provider.
Economic justice: Proposals will come from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches on such topics as economic globalization, usury, social insurance for older adults and the rights of people with disabilities.
Theological statement on the Trinity: A product of the Office of Theology and Worship, The Trinity: God's Love Overflowing is a strong affirmation of the church's traditional teaching on the doctrine of the Trinity. Little dissent has surfaced, but Shenandoah Presbytery has submitted an overture asking that consideration of the paper be held over until 2008, for fear that the TTF's report will overshadow it.
Celebrations: The PC(USA) Assembly will be held concurrently with the national gatherings of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America, celebrating the 300th anniversary of American Presbyterianism. The Assembly will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ordination of women as elders and the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women as ministers. And it will celebrate the mid-point of the PC(USA)'s drive to diversify to 20 per cent racial-ethnic membership by 2010.
New executive director: The eight-year tenure of John Detterick as executive director of the General Assembly Council (GAC) will be celebrated as he retires. The Assembly will be asked to confirm the GAC's election of his successor, which is scheduled for May 23.
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