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GA06060
Theological Task Force report clears committee intact Minority report promised on authoritative interpretation
by Jerry L. Van Marter
BIRMINGHAM, June 18 * The report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church (TTF) cleared one major hurdle Sunday when the Assembly Committee on Ecclesiology voted 41-22 to send it to the floor of the 217th General Assembly virtually intact.
Only one amendment was made to the report, and it was blessed by the TTF as helpful. Four of the TTF's seven recommendations * calling the church to stay together, to engage in processes of "intensive discernment" around divisive issues, to study the theological reflection portion of the report and to "explore the use of alternative forms of discernment and decision-making as a complement to parliamentary procedure" * were approved unanimously.
The most controversial of the TTF's recommendations * a proposed "authoritative interpretation" of G-6.0108 of the Constitution that would maintain all of the denomination's current ordination standards but give ordaining bodies greater leeway in determining if any individual candidate's conscientious objection to any constitutional provision is disqualifying * generated prolonged, heated debate.
When a motion to strike it from the report lost 40-22, talk of a minority report openly surfaced in the committee, guaranteeing that debate on the measure will spill over onto the plenary floor when the committee reports Tuesday morning.
At a press conference after the vote, committee moderator Blair Monie of Grace Presbytery and vice-moderator Catherine "Kate" Kotfila said they were not sure what the minority report would contain. Monie said, "Every committee has the right to a minority report." Kotfila said, "I don't believe they'll be coming with a sense of rancor."
A last-ditch effort to refer the authoritative interpretation to the presbyteries for their "consideration and response" * and a recommendation that the General Assembly approve no further amendments or authoritative interpretations "changing denominational policy on any of the major issues in the task force report" * was defeated 38-26.
The motion to refer was supported by a number of overture advocates, most of whom had earlier argued for either the deletion of the authoritative interpretation (Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tropical Florida), an amendment of G-6.0108 on which the authoritative interpretation is based (Mississippi, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh), an alternative authoritative interpretation (Stockton, Riverside, Palo Duro) or the referral of the authoritative interpretation for more work (Charlotte, Plains and Peaks).
Though some argued that giving greater discretion to presbyteries and congregations on ordination decisions will lead to a "balkanization" of the PC(USA), several supporters echoed former General Assembly Moderator Marj Carpenter, who told the committee during Friday's open hearing, "I've always thought [non-celibate gay ordination] was a biblical issue, and I oppose gay ordination."
"We've fought this battle in the ditches for 30 years and the ditch just keeps getting deeper and deeper, and now it's affecting mission and evangelism. I don't know if [the authoritative interpretation] is right or not, but I'm willing to compromise if it will get us back to being the church * we can't just go on and on like this * but stay inside the Constitution."
The Rev. Richard Brondyke of Boston Presbytery, in his hearing statement, said the authoritative interpretation would merely "shift the [ordination standards] controversy to the local level." With interpretation and application of ordination standards made locally, he said, "There will be no consistency, and the church's balkanization would be complete."
Task force members argued otherwise, noting that ordaining bodies' responsibility for ordination decisions dates to the Adopting Act of 1729, with its balance between doctrinal standards for church officers (at that time the Westminster confession and catechism) and the right of ministers to declare "a scruple" against any Westminster standard with which they disagreed. The presbytery would then determine whether the scrupled article was an essential tenet.
"This balance we've spoken about has to do with putting responsibilities in the right place," TTF member and Dubuque Seminary professor Mark Achtemeier told the committee. "We say the whole church defines standards, but when it comes to the individual person before you, the people best qualified are the ones who know that person best."
"So the whole church establishes the teaching while the ordaining body decides if the individual is a right fit."
TTF members also rejected the assertion that the authoritative interpretation constitutes what is euphemistically called "local option" * that ordaining bodies are free to establish their own ordination standards.
Ken Thomas of New Harmony Presbytery told the committee during the hearings, "I don't see any way to read [the authoritative interpretation] without reading local option." Calling the proposal "congregational polity," Thomas said, "I've heard some say this week they will jettison virtually all standards. I don't want to abandon my brothers to local needs and options."
TTF member and Auburn Theological Seminary president Barbara Wheeler responded, "Local option allows local bodies to establish their own standards. This [authoritative interpretation] maintains national standards and requires local bodies to explain and justify their decisions in applying them. There can be no blanket deletions or additions."
"If the ordaining body sets the standards, that's local option," Achtemeier added. "This is not local option."
The committee reinforced that understanding by amending the authoritative interpretation to add that ordaining bodies have responsibility to determine, "Whether the examination complies with the constitution of the PC(USA)." The amendment passed unanimously, with TTF member William Stacy Johnson of Princeton Theological Seminary musing, "Gee, we wish we'd thought of that."
The committee also added a comment to its endorsement of the TTF report, stating that, "The success of this proposal is dependent upon all governing bodies taking all standards of the church seriously and applying them rigorously in the examination process. All governing bodies are encouraged to develop resources to ensure that this happens."
At the press conference, Monie said, "We went into this wanting an open, fair process. We felt we'd be successful if everyone [on the committee] was heard and if they heard everyone they wanted to hear."
Monie refused to speculate on predictions in some quarters that Assembly approval of the TTF report will produce schism, saying, "If the committee is a microcosm of the church, I didn't hear anyone wanting to walk out."
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