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Note #8406 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Families paper approved
GA04112
July 2, 2004

Families paper approved

Assembly also adopts call affirming civil rights of same-sex couples

by Evan Silverstein

RICHMOND, July 2 - The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a
much-rewritten report on the ever-changing American family Thursday night.

After a brief discussion, the commissioners endorsed "Transforming Families,"
which sets Presbyterian Church (USA) policy for ministering to families, by a
vote of 482 to 23, with four abstentions. The Assembly's National Issues
Committee had recommended approval.

Last year's Assembly had a far different experience with the original version
of the report, authored by the denomination's Advisory Committee on Social
Witness Policy (ACSWP) in response to an order from the 1997 Assembly.

The idea was to strengthen the denomination's ministry to contemporary
families in the church and in society, but the 43-page first version sparked
heated debate. Critics said its authors had sidestepped Biblical teachings
and placed families headed by same-sex couples on the same moral plane with
those headed by married heterosexual couples, in violation of scripture and
Presbyterian belief.

Since then, its most controversial parts, especially those having to do with
theology, were rewritten as many as 18 times after ACSWP recruited some of
the most vocal critics of last year's version to help write the draft to be
brought before the 216th Assembly.

The version this year's Assembly approved has a more evangelical bent, more
Biblical and confessional language and an unequivocal definition of marriage
as a union of one man and one woman, in keeping with PC(USA) doctrine.

Commissioners hailed the revised document as a compromise that meets the
needs of today's church, although some advocates of gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered Presbyterians said they were disappointed with the changes.

In other business on matters from the national-issues committee, the
Assembly:

*Urged state lawmakers to change legislation to incorporate the right of
"same-gender persons" to be joined in civil unions, and to extend to them all
the benefits, privileges and responsibilities of such unions; and urged all
Americans to support such changes. The Assembly stopped short of supporting
civil "marriage" for same-sex couples, instead approving an amendment
reaffirming the Presbyterian church's historic definition of marriage as "a
civil contract between a woman and a man."

*The Assembly approved the national-issues committee's recommendation to take
no official position regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment, a proposed
amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban gay marriage. Despite the
Presbyterian church's past opposition to such a prohibition, the Assembly
directed church entities such as the Washington Office to work neither for
nor against it.

*Voted against endorsing  "A Christian Declaration of Marriage," an
ecumenical document adopted by many other faith groups and the Bush
administration. Instead, the commissioners called the PC(USA) to a year of
prayer for marriage, renewal and reconciliation.

*Approved a resolution calling for a comprehensive legalization program for
immigrants living and working in the United States and for reform of current
immigration policies.

*Called for a "thorough, calm and reasoned review" of the USA PATRIOT Act,
while voting down a measure that would have called for its repeal.

*Directed the PC(USA) to establish an "Antiracism Institute" to provide
training for anti-racism facilitators and continuing-education opportunities
for pastors and others engaged in racial-justice ministries, beginning next
year, and to establish a "theologian in residence" position in the institute.

This story and many others may have photos, media, video clips that can be
found at http://www.pcusa.org/ga216/.

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