wfn.org | Presbyterians take tentative step toward finding common ground

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Note #6046 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

27-June-2000
GA00098

	Presbyterians take tentative step toward finding common ground

Covenant Network, Coalition members plan a retreat together 

by John Filiatreau
								
LONG BEACH, June 27--It finally happened Tuesday afternoon: The twain met.

	The Presbyterian left and the Presbyterian right called a General Assembly
time-out and got together in the Long Beach Hyatt Regency hotel in an effort
to find a little common ground.

	And found a little.	
 
	It wasn't a secret meeting between representatives of the Covenant Network
of Presbyterians and the Presbyterian Coalition ("'Secret' has a very
negative connotation," one participant observed), but it was held behind a
closed door, some of the people who showed up acted vaguely surreptitious,
and very few of the thousands of Presbyterians attending the 212th General
Assembly nearby got wind of it.

	This was the second "first meeting" of the two delegations. Would-be
participants canceled a 1999 meeting when they weren't able to agree on the
ground rules.   The two groups were formed several years ago around the
issue of ordination of gays and lesbians.

	This week's parley disclosed no obviously "irreconcilable differences" even
between the most liberal and most conservative Presbyterians. But it did
involve some group reflection on the "huge gulf" that divides them.

	The principal result of the meeting was an agreement that the same 10
people, perhaps with a few others, will take part in a "retreat" later this
year, and study the Bible together.

	The Rev. Parker Williamson, executive editor of "The Presbyterian Layman"
newspaper, remarked that candid conversation "can really kind of lay us
bare, sometimes," and added: "It kind of excites me to be that vulnerable
before the whole church. ...What a wonderful thing, for the church to see
that!"
				
	The Rev. Jane Spahr, a lesbian evangelist who represents the group That All
May Freely Serve, talked about "power dynamics," and said repeatedly that,
because no African-Americans or other "ethnics" were taking part, the group
was "not representing where the world is."

	The Rev. Jerry Andrews, the president of the Presbyterian Coalition,
quipped that he has sometimes thought, mistakenly, that "we have a left wing
and a right wing, and this plane will fly."

	The Rev. Laird Stuart, a co-moderator of the Covenant Network, said
hopefully, "We have made a start in this circle."

	The Rev. J. William Giles, executive director of the Presbyterian
Coalition, talked about "a shift in theological instruction" that was like
"almost a line being drawn in the sand" between Baby Boomers and those who
came before and after them. "The Sixties did something to us," he said.
			
	Mitzi Henderson, co-moderator of More Light Presbyterians, observed that it
sometimes seems that the left and right "are not even talking the same
language."
		 
	Also taking part in the conversation were Anita Bell, vice moderator of the
Presbyterian Coalition; Terry Schlossberg, executive director of
Presbyterians Pro-Life; Debra Block, co-moderator of the Covenant Network;
and Pam Byers, executive director of the Covenant Network. Andrews and
Stuart were co-hosts for the event.

	At times the atmosphere seemed strained, the situation awkward. At one
point, Andrews broke a long silence and relieved the tension with the quip:
"Well, this was great; see you next year!"
		
	During the conversation, a few themes emerged:

	* Presbyterian evangelicals and "Coalition types" feel that they are often
excluded from important dialogues in the church.
	* Presbyterian liberals and "Covenant types" feel that conservatives
interpret and argue from the Scriptures in a dishonest and manipulative way.

	* Some theological differences may be generational. The participants seemed
to agree that  Presbyterians who "came of age" in the 1960s view theology,
Scripture and the church differently from those who are significantly
younger or older than themselves, especially regarding the extent to which
culture should be allowed to shape one's theology.

	Spahr rejected "civility" as a characterization of the event, calling it
far more than that. "I think people really listened to one another," she
said afterward. "I felt warm. There was a sense of warmth there."

	Henderson said: "It's always good to talk and listen. ... It's crucial to
try anything. ... We have to be willing to take a risk. And we have to be
willing to fail."
	Williamson said he and the others will be participating in the upcoming
"retreat" as individuals, not as representatives of their various
organizations.
	"One of the worst things that could happen is for this to be perceived as a
negotiating session among power brokers to reach some kind of agreement for
the purpose of impacting policy in the church," he said. "I'm really not
representing the Lay Committee today. I'm strictly me."

	Another participant said it can only help for long-time foes to come to
know each other: "It's harder to demonize if you've actually met somebody."

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