wfn.org | Board member tells Coalition to face the fact that divisions in

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Note #6254 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

PC(USA) are deep and lasting
7-November-2000
00395

Board member tells Coalition to face the fact that divisions in PC(USA) are
deep and lasting

But most evangelicals reject calls for leaving the denomination

by Alexa Smith

INDIANAPOLIS -- Although the Presbyterian Coalition opted last year in
Dallas to stop threatening to leave the denomination and to start talking
seriously about reforming it from within, it hasn't decided how to go about
it.

	The question is no longer whether to stay -- but how?

	"I don't know what will happen in the years ahead," said the Rev. Tim Snow,
of Seattle, WA, a new member of the Coalition's board. "There are schisms.
Deep divides. Without miracles, I don't see it getting much better ...

	"I do think we can go to scripture. That's a power far greater than us,
even when we don't know exactly what to do," Snow said, adding that healing
can only begin when a problem is properly diagnosed.

	These days, he said, that means to stop proclaiming unity when real
divisions run deep.

	"Let's face (this) in the depth of pain that it is," he told about 400
evangelicals and conservatives who gathered recently for the Coalition's
annual meeting. "And pray. And hope."

	Snow's approach was one among many held by leaders and members of the
Coalition, which met here over Halloween weekend. The organization was
formed in 1993 to oppose the ordination of sexually active gays and
lesbians, and has had no small amount of political success doing so.

	Four years later, presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
overwhelmingly voted to change the church's constitution to expressly forbid
such ordinations, and to explicitly forbid sexual activity by single
heterosexual clergy. Since then, the Coalition has had a task force
eyeballing judicial cases that challenge the ban, and, to work for the
passage of other ideologically similar legislation, such as this year's
Amendment O, which says church officers may not participate in same-gender
blessings or allow church property to be used for such ceremonies.

	For some, the political battle is enough. But for others, it is not.

	The Rev. Jerry Andrews, of Chicago, the Coalition's chair, opened the
gathering with a "State of the Church" address in which he reported, "We're
not doing so well." He blamed evangelicals, among others, for the fact that
about 11,000 PC(USA) congregations take in only 11,000 new members each
year.

	Andrews urged evangelicals to not abrogate their ties with 'colleagues in
ministry' who disagree with them, and to listen carefully to scripture,
because Christ's word, in his judgment, "cannot be separated from he who
spake it."

	He admitted that that's easier said than done.

	Andrews is one of the Coalition leaders who has backed dialogue with the
church's left wing -- something that has been scarce in 30 years of
wrangling. Andrews hosted the first of several scheduled Bible studies
involving Presbyterians from left and right, including such diverse
organizations as Presbyterians Pro-Life, which opposes abortion; More Light
Presbyterians, a gay and lesbian advocacy group; the Presbyterian Lay
Committee, a staunch crowd of theological conservatives; and the Covenant
Network, the left-leaning counterpart of the Coalition.

	Andrews said he's waiting to see what the outcome will be. He is hoping
it'll be more than just talk.

	"We have to remember our ordination vows require us to be friends with our
colleagues in ministry," Andrews told the Presbyterian News Service. "We
need to talk."

	Andrews admitted that talk won't get the church past its current polarized
condition.

	"But I cannot imagine that we can get past this without talk," he said. "
.. I do think we've drifted apart for a whole generation. ... We've gone to
different seminaries, read different books.  We read 'The Book' differently.
We talk to ourselves and we think we're 'the church.' We need to be
remembering that we are colleagues in ministry ... and we need to know the
truth about each others' beliefs."

                    Clear boundaries

	Of course, there are some members of the Coalition who think they know what
their opposing "colleagues in ministry" believe. The latest denominational
fight -- occasioned by remarks made by a speaker at a peacemaking conference
last summer -- indicates that some ordained leaders not only interpret
scripture differently, but dare to suggest that Christ may not be the only
way to salvation.

	One response has been a demand that church officials do a better job of
examining candidates for ministry and ministers who are moving between
presbyteries -- to see who is orthodox and who is not.

	The Rev. Jack Volkers, of Rushville, IL, and the Rev. Phil Keevil, of
Philadelphia, offered a workshop on 'gatekeeping' at the gathering. Keevil
told his audience that some would-be ministers "need to be caught before
they become candidates."

	Doing so is relatively simple: Ask specific questions and demand specific
answers that root out dishonesty. To do so, conservatives must either serve
on presbytery examining committees, or lobby such committees hard.

	In a document handed out during a workshop, Coalition members were advised
to see that very concrete questions are asked of candidates for ministry.
Instead of a general question, such as "Do you believe Jesus rose from the
dead?", ask instead: "Did the historical Jesus or Jesus of Nazareth (not
Christ) rise from the dead in the body in which he died?"; or, "Do you
understand the resurrection of Jesus as a literal, historical event?"

	The handout said situational questions are good, too, such as: "A member of
your youth group says, 'The Trinity is a great way to think about spiritual
things. Of course, we don't take it literally, do we?' How would you
respond?" Other pertinent questions include, "How is a person saved?" and,
"How can I know my sins are forgiven?"

	Volkers said clarification at the start helps avoid crises later, by
preventing messy matches that will require intervention by the Committee on
Ministry. He said clearly that Presbyterian theology has room for ministers
who are left of center, but such candidates must appreciate theological
boundaries, such as the great solas of the Reformed tradition (Faith alone,
grace alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone), and
the PC(USA)'s confessional standards.

	Volkers warned that a committee must be suspicious of any candidate who
uses such terms as peace, justice and love more than three times in his or
her faith statement, a document required of every clergy candidate. "There's
a problem," he said. "This person will not understand spiritual warfare."
	
                    Getting out the vote

	There was consensus during the Coalition's meeting that the organization
needs to gear up to secure passage of Amendment O.

	"We've taken the lead in pulling together the renewal network and engaging
in a cooperative effort in developing leadership resources for focusing the
church on Amendment O," said the Rev. Bill Giles, of Birmingham, AL, the
Coalition's executive director.

	To that end, a subsidiary organization, Presbyterians Together, has been
formed by several renewal groups to organize O supporters. Coordinators have
been assigned nationally to help reinforce the existing networks, some of
whom met during a lunch break to strategize.

	Moreover, a 60-page resource analyzing O, laying out arguments for its
passage and including sample speeches, was included in the conference
registration packet. Additional copies are available from the Coalition by
calling its office in Birmingham, AL at 205-979-3313.

	"We're pretty much building on what we have done on Amendments A and B,"
said the Rev. Daryl Fisher-Ogden, of Pasadena, CA, who led a conference
workshop on passing Amendment O. "... People have developed some good, solid
collegial relationships (in synods and presbyteries). People are saying
things like, ‘Oh, by the way, we've added this nuance in our presbytery,' or
‘Oh yeah, this is what you have to do.'

	"The conversation has more depth (than in the past). People are a little
more comfortable with the process," Fisher-Ogden said, noting that the
anxiety about this amendment isn't yet as high as it was during earlier
campaigns. "People take this seriously. No one is cavalier. This vote is not
in anyone's pocket.

	"But it is not as anxious."

                    The Anger Factor

	Anxiety hasn't gone away completely, despite the insistence of the
Coalition's leadership that the organization means to stay put in the
PC(USA). Some members are still clamoring for an exit strategy that might be
used, for example, if Amendment O is not passed.

	The Rev. Bill Stevens of Sacramento, CA, was the first to reach an open
microphone at the conference's end -- and he was asking the board to put a
policy in place for leaving the PC(USA), if it should be necessary. Stevens
identified himself as one of the ‘angry young West Coast pastors,' a
coalition within the Coalition that has long been pushing for a  more
serious look at splitting from the denomination -- a position that was
decidedly rejected by the majority of Coalition members during last year's
gathering in Dallas.

	Andrews told him no: "The board doesn't have an exit strategy, and I hope
we don't have one," he said, admitting that some members of the board want
to talk about leaving.  "We have a strategy for Amendment O. ... We have a
strategy for holding together."

	Those remarks were quickly seconded from the floor.

	Elder Bob Howard, of Wichita, KN, the president of the Lay Committee,
reminded conference participants that "the tide is turning," and said the
worst possible mistake would be fore the Coalition to "give up too soon."
Another conferee said that, while conservatives are not going to win every
battle, they're winning most of them now. "If you're ahead, you're ahead,"
he said. "Now is not the time to hike."

	Now, while the consensus is for staying, there are several options to
explore: providing fellowship for isolated evangelicals in presbyteries;
working on church renewal in a way that doesn't duplicate what other renewal
groups are doing; finding ways to implement the Coalition's strategy paper
for transforming the church's ministries through task forces on mission,
Christian education, theological education, worship, church discipline and
polity; or maybe even honing the task forces down.

	With the Coalition's track record, the way seems clear for the latter two.

	"The strategy paper was easier to write than to implement," said the Rev.
Hans Cornelder, of Oskaloosa, IA. "But we are working on that. All this work
is being done by volunteers. We're not divided about what to do, but how
much to do. And it looks like the struggle is not going to be over next
week."

	The Rev. Carmen Fowler of Rabun Gap, GA, also a board member, and one of
the regional coordinators for the passage of Amendment O, agreed. "I'd be
lying to say that conversations about leaving don't still go on," she said.
But she said the bigger issue for now is how to stay inside a denomination
that is deeply divided. "I know the left and the right are at an impasse.
There's an inability to more forward. I don't know if it is irreconcilable.
God is able to redeem anything and everything.

	"But I don't see the path forward right now."

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