219^th General Assembly
2010

Major reports on Middle East, marriage/unions, FOG coming

by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service
[7-2-10]

NOTE:  Links in this news article will take you to comments of our own from Presbyterian Voices for Justice.

MINNEAPOLIS — If all the documents to the "paperless" 219th General Assembly here were printed out, they'd rival Tolstoy’s War and Peace in length. By the time the Assembly concludes July 10, the 712 commissioners and roughly 200 advisory delegates will have acted on more than 300 items of business that would span about 1,400 printed pages.

Nearly half the business of the Assembly comes as overtures from presbyteries and synods. Added to the reports of Assembly agencies and permanent and special committees, the range of concerns presented to commissioners and advisory delegates for their deliberation and action is breathtaking in scope.

They include Middle East peace, the war in Afghanistan, ordination standards for church officers, the relationship between Christian marriage and same-sex unions, gun violence, theological issues around compensation for church workers and consideration of two doctrinal statements — the Heidelberg Catechism and the Belhar Confession.

Issues internal to the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) include the election of the moderator and confirmation of the recent elections of two denominational leaders, mission and per capita budgets for 2011 and 2012, a sweeping revision of the denomination's Form of Government, renewal of the PC(USA)'s emphasis on church growth called "Grow Christ's Church Deep and Wide," a new "strategic direction for Presbyterian World Mission" and a proposal to create a Commission on Middle Governing Bodies to deal comprehensively with the severe stresses facing many presbyteries and synods.

A brief look at some of the key issues —

Middle East peace: "Breaking Down the Walls," the 110-page report of the Middle East Study Committee created by the 2008 General Assembly, affirms Israel's legitimacy as a state but says the continuing occupation of Palestinian territory is "illegitimate, illegal under international law and an enduring threat to peace in the region." Its 60 recommendations call for a "two-state solution," the renunciation of violence by all parties to the conflict, and end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and non-interference by all governments in the internal politics of another.

Two presbyteries have submitted overtures calling for the PC(USA) to divest from Caterpillar for profiting from the use of its equipment for non-peaceful purposes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The church's Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee is recommending that the Assembly denounce Caterpillar for its activities but retain its stock in the company, a position similar to the study committee's. Assembly Committee 14 —Middle East Peace Peacemaking Issues

Two reports from the Theology and Worship Office address theological relationships between Christians and Jews and Christians and Muslims. "Christians and Jews: People of God" examines the historic ties between Christianity and Judaism, the important role of the land in the Bible and history, and the relationship between evangelism and proselytization in Jewish-Christian relations. Noting that there is less common ground between Christians and Muslims, that report calls for "a fuller study articulating a theological understanding of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations" that would come to the 2014 Assembly. Assembly Committee 08 — Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

Ordination/Marriage: More than a dozen presbyteries have overtured the Assembly, seeking to remove from the Book of Order the requirement that church officers live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness." The requirement, adopted in 1996, has been challenged repeatedly and the presbyteries narrowly defeated an amendment to delete it that passed the 2008 Assembly. Assembly Committee 06 — Church Orders and Ministry

Another major report authorized by the 2008 Assembly comes from the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage. The committee is not calling for a change in the church's definition of marriage but recommends further discussion and the development of resources that will help guide presbyteries and congregations, particularly in states which have legalized gay marriage. Three committee members have submitted a minority report which defends what they call a more "traditionalist" stance against any sexual relations outside marriage between a man and woman. At least five presbyteries have submitted overtures to change the constitutional definition of marriage from "between a man and a woman" to "between two people." Assembly Committee 12 — Civil Union and Marriage Issues

Leaders/Budgets: Six candidates are standing for moderator of the 219th General Assembly.

Commissioners will be asked to confirm the General Assembly Mission Council's election of Linda Valentine to a second four-year term as the GAMC’s executive director and to adopt 2011 and 2012 General Assembly mission budgets in the amounts of $82,097,234 and $80,550,613, respectively. Assembly Committee 09 — Mission Coordination

They will also be asked to confirm the Presbyterian Foundation's election of the Rev. Tom Taylor as its new president. Taylor formerly served as Valentine’s deputy executive director for mission. Assembly Committee 18 — Board of Pensions, Foundation and Presbyterian Publishing

Per Capita budgets of $13,719,940 for 2011 and $14,047,690 for 2012 are being proposed. If adopted, the per capita apportionment will rise from $6.15 to $6.35 per member next year and to $6.55 in 2012. Assembly Committee 03 — General Assembly Procedures

World Mission/Evangelism: Commissioners will hear about a new "strategic direction" for Presbyterian World Mission for the next 3-5 years that seeks to knit together the many ways Presbyterians are engaged in mission around the world into "communities of mission practice." The strategy is built around six core values: dignity, empowerment, holistic ministry, partnership, relevance to God's world and stewardship.

The Assembly will be asked to extend for at least two more years a churchwide commitment to "Grow Christ's Church Deep and Wide" in the areas of evangelism, discipleship, servanthood and diversity. Assembly Committee 15 — Church Growth, Christian Education and Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program

Confessions: Two doctrinal statements will be on the Assembly's agenda. One special committee is proposing that the Belhar Confession — developed in the mid-1980s as the South African churches' response to apartheid and which addresses racial justice and reconciliation — be added to the PC(USA)'s Book of Confessions. Another committee is addressing translation problems with the Heidelberg Catechism — which is already in the Book of Confessions. It is seeking a two-year extension in order to continue conversations with the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church, who are also working on the Heidelberg translation issue. Assembly Committee 16 — Theological Issues and Institutions

Social concerns: In addition to the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, commissioners will deliberate about such issues as public education, HIV/AIDS, a theology of compensation for church workers and a paper on gun violence, always a contentious issue.

Rather than addressing gun control, the paper this year focuses on illegal gun sales and programs that have proven successful in stopping the illicit gun trade in the U.S. Assembly Committee 11: the Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World

Governance: The 2008 Assembly sent a proposed revision of the Form of Government in the PC(USA) Constitution back for an extra two years of discussion and revision. The project's task force — appointed in 2006 and enlarged in 2008 — returns with a proposal it says would "return the Form of Government to its original intent — a constitution rather than a manual of operations." It promises to enable governing bodies to operate more flexibly and missionally. Assembly Committee 07 — Form of Government Revision

And as financial stresses and cultural shifts impact more and more presbyteries and synods, the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly is proposing a Commission on Middle Governing Bodies that would have the authority to make changes in the governing body system — at the request of those governing bodies — without having to wait for the next Assembly’s approval. Assembly Committee 04 — Middle Governing Body Issues

Presbyterian Voices for Justice
Commissioner Orientation

Saturday, July 3, 2010

[6-28-10]

(prepared by PVJ Issues Analyst Sylvia Thorson-Smith, with appreciation for Doug King's more thorough overview in Network News and articles by Gene TeSelle, John Harris, and Jerri Rodewald)

Committee 03, General Assembly Procedures:

Items 03-07 and -17 would both create serious procedural obstacles to LGBT inclusion. They are thinly veiled efforts to prevent Assemblies from moving forward on justice issues.

Item 03-19 seems to call for a GA “morals squad” and seeks to regulate affinity groups that shouldn’t be required to subscribe to constitutional standards that they deem unjust.

Item 03-21 is a resolution to use a statistical procedure that would provide PCUSA specific data on women of color; PVJ supports this.

Items 03-03 and -20 would restrict the role of advisory delegates in the work of the Assembly. Item 03-20 would specifically limit the voice of Young Adult Advisory Delegates in plenary sessions. We believe these limitations should be resisted.

Committee 04, Middle Governing Body Issues:

Items 04-03 and -04 call for new non-geographical presbyteries and synods. PVJ rejects this effort to create a divided denominational structure operating under different standards.

Items 04-05 and -06 recommend studies of middle governing bodies. PVJ is concerned about the naming of a commission with the power to alter structures – a matter that should be dealt with by the General Assembly. We would suggest that at the very least, should these go forward, serious attention be paid to the process for naming members of such a committee.

Committee 06, Church Orders and Ministry:

Item 06-01 provides a helpful clarification about Certified Christian Educators (they’re entitled to be active in their presbyteries).

Items 06-04, -05, -11, and -18 all seek to reinstate a more complete ban on LGBT ordination.

Items 06-06 through -10, and 06-12 through -17 all seek to remove the ban on LGBT ordination.

Items 06-02 and -03 seek to restrict discussion of ordination standards.

PVJ strongly favors continued discussion of these issues and supports whatever action is needed to end the ban on LGBT ordination.

Committee 07, Form of Government Revision:

Items 07-01 and -02 present recommendations of the Form of Government Task Force. PVJ notes several issues that need attention in this report:

*questionable return to language of “councils”
*omission of COR, as well as a guarantee of permanent status of ACWC and ACREC.
*potential problems with the slogan “the church is mission” if it’s seen as a way to avoid controversial justice issues and dilute procedures for decision-making, due process, and protection of minority rights.

Committee 08, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations:

Item 08-01 seeks to deepen our relationships with other churches.

Item 08-02 represents backward movement in interfaith relations.

Items 08-03, -04, and -09 address study papers on relations between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Based on serious questions others have raised, PVJ agrees that further consulting and revision are needed.

Item 08-10 is the recommendation of the Committee on Ecumenical Relations that the PC(USA) become a full participant in the new Christian Churches Together. There are concerns about the full inclusion of racial justice and gender equality on the agenda of this new ecumenical body. The review committee recommended further study and conversation, and not moving yet to full membership.

Committee 09, Mission Coordination:

Item 09-01 seeks to celebrate and strengthen the church's Peacemaking Program, a goal which PVJ strongly supports. However, it focuses on actions of other nations and is silent about serious US threats to peace. Also, the proposal to create an advisory committee seems to impose external controls on the Peacemaking Program. PVJ advocates trust in the Peacemaking Program and its strong prophetic witness.

Items 09-06, -07, -09, and -18 all point to areas in the PCUSA that have been recently neglected or dissolved. PVJ supports the call for renewed commitment and clear provisions for funding.

Item 09-17 recommends simply re-designating funds for the Status of Women Task Force; PVJ supports this.

Item 09-19 includes a recommendation that the three corresponding members to the GAMC from the advisory and advocacy committees (ACREC, ACWC, and ACSWP) be included in all closed sessions. PVJ supports this as a function of these committees to do their work on behalf of the General Assembly.

Committee 10, Social Justice Issues A:

Items 10-02, -04, -05, -06, -09, and -10 all deserve serious attention and support in order to celebrate social justice pronouncements, increase our cultural proficiency, enhance the church’s vision of diversity, address violence against women and children on the US-Mexican border, and guide Presbyterians to turn needed attention to economic justice issues.

Item 10-07 calls for presbyteries to explore local resources and conduct training in cultural proficiency on the intersection of race with gender; PVJ supports.

Item 10-08 would direct the Stated Clerk to send a letter to the president and Congress calling on the United States government to ratify, without reservations, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; PVJ supports.

Committee 11, Social Justice Issues B:

Items 11-01 and -02 seek renewed commitment to restoring creation and endorsement of the shared religious principle of compassion.

Items 11-04, -05, -06, and -07 represent important work by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) on issues of human rights, public education, gun violence, and the nature of human life. PVJ supports serious study, discussion, and action based on these papers.

Committee 12, Civil Union and Marriage Issues:

Items 12-02, -03, -04, -07, and –10 would expand the meaning of marriage to include same-gender unions; 12-06, -08, and –09 would make the more limited change of permitting pastors to conduct legal same-gender marriages without facing ecclesiastical charges.

Items 12-01, -05 and -11 oppose any change in the definition of marriage.

PVJ regards the issues of same-gender marriage as a matter of justice and compassion, and supports changes in Presbyterian governance that would expand the meaning of marriage to include two persons of the same gender.

Committee 13, Peacemaking and International Issues:

Items 13-01, -02, -03, and -09 call for nonviolent approaches to hostilities in Afghanistan and point out that no GA has yet addressed this 8-year war. PVJ strongly supports a clear GA directive to speak boldly on this issue.

Item 13-04 calls for peace partnerships in Sudan, and Item 13-06 proposes a 6-year discernment on embracing nonviolent responses to war and terror – both of which PVJ supports.

Item 13-05 raises an important concern for human rights in religious matters, but uses problematic language and insufficient contextual analysis to raise the issue of protecting Christians in the Muslim world. PVJ encourages serious discussion and careful revision if this issue is to be addressed.

Item 13-07 provides hope for more connectional peacemaking between seminaries, colleges, and congregations.

Item 13-08 calls for a dramatically different, peaceful accord in Colombia, and PVJ supports this urgent request from our partner church there.

Committee 14, Middle East Peacemaking Issues:

Item 14-08 is a report by the Middle East Study Committee, and it lies at the heart of the work to be done by Committee 14.

Items 14-01 through -05, -09, and -10 call for corporate divestment, engagement with corporations involved in the Middle East (Mission Responsibility Through Investment report), recognition that Israel is practicing crimes of apartheid, study and advocacy around a statement about Palestinian suffering, investigation of violations of international law, continued attention to the war in Iraq, compliance with laws and human rights protection in the use of military aid.

Item 14-06 recommends that the PCUSA take no action that appears to support either side of the Israel-Palestine conflict. PVJ does not support a call for inaction.

PVJ supports recommendations of the Middle East Study Committee report and those overtures that sensitively support or carry forward those initiatives. PVJ also supports denunciation and divestment as strategies in the face of corporate non-compliance with PCUSA policies.

Committee 15, Church Growth, Christian Education, and PILF:

Item 15-08 calls for a task force to study Racial Ethnic and New Immigrant Church Growth; PVJ supports.

Item 15-09 seeks to address Hispanic/Latino/a Participation at All Levels of the Church; PVJ supports.

Committee 16, Theological Issues and Institutions:

Item 16-01 seeks to reverse action by the 2008 GA and cease discussing inclusion of The Belhar Confession in the Book of Confessions. It rejects Belhar because it has been used by some Christians to champion liberation theology and press issues other than racial equality, such as full equality for LGBT persons – both goals that PVJ strongly supports. PVJ affirms inclusion of Belhar in the Book of Confessions, as proposed by Item 16-12, and concurs with a request by the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC) that the language for God in Belhar be revised and made fully inclusive.

We also support the unanimous report of the Heidelberg Catechism Committee, Item 16-11.

Item 16-03 proposes to amend the Directory of Worship section on Baptism by stating that God “adopts our infants as his children, before they are born.” PVJ opposes this overture for reasons given by the Advisory Committee on the Constitution and the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (see ACC and ACWC comments for Committee 16 on PC-BIZ).

Committee 18, Board of Pensions, Foundations, and Presbyterian Publishing:

Item 18-01 and -06 seek to extend benefits to same-gender spouses and domestic partners. PVJ fully supports this simple step toward equitable treatment of the members of our Benefits Plan, their partners and dependents.

Committee 19, Health Issues:

Items 19-03 and -04 couch opposition to abortion in language that seeks to protect pregnant women from violence and intimidation. Both view women as victims who are unjustly pressured to have abortions. PVJ supports strong repudiation of any form of coercion against women as well as strong support for PCUSA policy affirming that women are competent moral agents who can be trusted to make their own reproductive decisions.

Items 19-02, -05, and -06 address the HIV/AIDS pandemic by encouraging Presbyterians to promote testing for the virus, calling for full prevention and treatment services in US correctional facilities, and becoming an HIV and AIDS competent church by implementing recommendations in the ACSWP report before this committee. PVJ supports all of these items and encourages commissioners and others to participate in the voluntary HIV testing program at this Assembly.

And there’s more on our website.

For our GA page, with links to pages for each committee, and more complete comments on their items of business, please go to http://presbyvoicesforjustice.org/2010/219th_GA.htm

These pages will be updated regularly during the Assembly.

We welcome your comments and opinions as the Assembly progresses.

Reflecting on some of the work coming to the Assembly

Prepared by Doug King, Communications Coordinator of Presbyterian Voices for Justice
[published in Network News, pp. 10-28, and posted here on 6-4-10]

Introduction

This Assembly, like those before it, will face a daunting amount of work, mostly in the form of reports prepared by committees over the past two years, and overtures sent by presbyteries for consideration and action. They cover a huge range of subjects large and small, from minutiae of rules governing the Assembly itself, to policies dealing with the Middle East, the war in Afghanistan, who may or may not be ordained, and much more.

The purpose of this overview of the issues is not to cover everything – who could write such a document, and who would read it? But we will try to lift up some of the questions and issues that seem most important to the mission of our group: “We seek the wisdom of the Spirit for following Christ’s example and for living into the hope of sustained gender equality, racial reconciliation, full human rights for LGBT persons, economic justice, environmental wholeness, an end to war and all forms of violence, and a justice-loving shalom over all the earth.” Well, that may sound a bit ambitious, but those aims all seem essential to the living out of the Gospel in our world today.

This analysis offers some comments and perspectives on the issues that we are lifting up for attention, but this should not be read as a declaration of policy or recommendations for action by Presbyterian Voices for Justice. Our aim is simply to provide food for thought as you consider the issues.

Our survey is organized following the division of labor among the nineteen committees that will be working on clusters of more or less related issues during the Assembly, and we’ll follow the order by which the committees are numbered. We apologize to those committees whose work seems to get less of our attention; that is not because those issues are less important, but simply because they are not so closely related to our group’s particular aims. It is simply a matter of trying to focus on the matters which concern us most, and on which we feel most informed.

Finally, we want to thank a number of friends and colleagues who have contributed greatly to preparing this survey. A great deal of material on international and peacemaking affairs has been contributed by Marilyn White of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, and the Rev. Len Bjorkman, who has been involved in Presbyterian Middle East peacemaking efforts for many years. Len has produced essentially, and with some help, the entire survey of the work for Committee 14, the comment on item 13-07, and the discussion of items 08-03, -04, and -09. Sylvia Thorson-Smith, a member of the board of Presbyterian Voices for Justice and our Issues Coordinator, has also contributed significantly to this preview of the issues.

Our thanks to all of them, and the others who have contributed in so many way.

If you have comments or questions you would like to share with us, please do so! You can contact us online with a note to dougking2@aol.com, or call me, Doug King, at (608) 782-5275, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. At the Assembly, we would be happy to see you at the PVJ booth in the Exhibit Hall and at any of our events.

Here are links to all the committees whose work we're commenting on below:

Committee 3: General Assembly Procedures

Committee 4: Middle Governing Body Issues

Committee 6: Church Orders and Ministry

Committee 7: Form of Government Revision

Committee 8: Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

Committee 9: Mission Coordination

Committee 10: Social Justice Issues A: The Promotion of Social Righteousness

Committee 11: Social Justice Issues B: The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World

Committee 12: Civil Union and Marriage Issues

Committee 13: Peacemaking and International Issues

Committee 14: Middle East Peacemaking Issues

Committee 16: Theological Issues and Institutions

Committee 18: Board of Pensions, Foundation, and Presbyterian Publishing

Committee 19: Health Issues

So – here goes.

We welcome your comments in response to our comments on these issues!
Please just send a note, to be shared here.

Committee 03: General Assembly Procedures

This committee deals with some of the mundane but vital matters of how the Assembly is conducted. A couple of critical matters will be discussed here which are of special concern to those who are committed to helping our church become more just and more inclusive.

Committee 03 will deal with proposals that would in one way or another simply have us stop talking about making our policies relating to ordination and marriage more inclusive to Presbyterians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Item 03-07, from the Presbytery of New Harmony, would require that any “amendment to the Constitution that proposes substantially the same action as that which was approved by one of the two previous sessions of the General Assembly” and then was not approved by the presbyteries, may not be considered by an Assembly unless 75% of the commissioners vote to accept it as an item for business.

Item 03-17, from the Presbytery of Foothills, might accomplish the same thing – delay of any change – by having the PC(USA) hold a legislative General Assembly only once every six years, and having an “Annual General Convocation Meeting” with no legislative action in the other years.

We believe these overtures are thinly disguised efforts to prevent Assemblies from regularly reconsidering justice issues. Movements for social justice take time, and hearts are changed as each Assembly wrestles with important issues of the day. Passage of these overtures would bind the Spirit of God from moving in the work of each Assembly.

Item 03-19, from the Presbytery of Santa Barbara, seems to call for the creation of a GA “morals squad,” to require that all Presbyterian organizations and events held at an Assembly or in relation to any other PC(USA) event must be evaluated before they occur and afterwards, to insure that they are “conducted in a manner that honor the constitutional standards of the church.” This is proposed in reaction to the celebration of a wedding during the More Light Presbyterians’ dinner at the 2008 General Assembly – a celebration and affirmation of the marriage of two gay men. Click here to read our report of that celebration.

Not only would this overture be unenforceable; it seeks to regulate affinity groups in the church that are not required to subscribe to constitutional standards that they deem unjust.
 

Committee 04: Middle Governing Body Issues

Item 04-03 has come to the Assembly from the Presbytery of Santa Barbara, which calls for the creation of a new, nongeographical synod, upon the decision of three presbyteries to join such a body, which would “maintain the standards for ordination and continuing ministry,” including such doctrinal affirmations as “the singular saving work of Jesus Christ, [and] the unique and authoritative witness of Scripture,” along with “the standard that its officers will live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.” The synod would also provide to its presbyteries and congregations some statement such as the “Essential Tenets and Reformed Distinctives” statement which was adopted by the Presbytery of San Diego in 2003. And of course the synod “will celebrate marriages only between a man and woman.”

The Rev. Margaret Thomas has prepared a thoughtful analysis of this proposal, which she has kindly shared with us.

Item 04-04, from Beaver-Butler Presbytery, seems to aim for non-geographical presbyteries as well, by providing “flexibility in presbytery membership,” by replacing the current definition of the presbytery as consisting of churches and ministers within a defined geographical area, so that it would instead include those “who have chosen to affiliate based on geographic, theological, missional or other considerations of importance to those congregations.” The rationale for this proposal includes the familiar affirmation of G-1.0301(1)(a), that “God alone is Lord of the conscience ...” Further, the rationale includes the affirmation in G-3.0401d that the church today is called “to a new openness to God’s continuing reformation of the Church ecumenical ...” These are all affirmations which most progressives in the church would certainly affirm heartily, so the debate on this may be interesting.

Item 04-05, from the Synod of the Southwest, would create “a Special Committee to Explore the Roles and Relationships of Synods and Presbyteries to Each Other, to the Agencies, and to Congregations.”

Item 04-06, a recommendation from the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, would deal with the same issue of middle governing bodies by appointing a General Assembly Commission.

We note that both of these last two proposed studies could clearly have a profound effect on the structure and indeed the whole life of our church. Who is named to any such committee, and what groups and interests they represent, should be a matter for serious attention.

Committee 06: Church Orders and Ministry

Item 06-01, from Mission Presbytery, is an important and helpful clarification that Certified Christian Educators are “entitled” to play an active role in their presbyteries.

On Ordination:

It’s no surprise that there are lots of overtures on this topic, but some of them offer new approaches to the issue – some taking further steps toward fair and inclusive ordination policies, others calling for a reinstatement of the more complete ban on LGBT ordination, and still others calling for delay, in one way or another, of any further action.

To restore the ban:

There are of course efforts to overturn the action of the 218th General Assembly, which removed the various statements, of Authoritative Interpretation and Definitive Guidance, propounded since 1978, which effectively banned the ordination of LGBT Presbyterians. The ban remains in effect through provision G-6.0106b in the Book of Order, but it is now left to the ordaining body (congregation or presbytery) to determine how to weigh its relevance to each particular candidate.

Item 06-04, from the Presbytery of San Diego, would reinstate the various interpretive statements, thus restoring the absolute ban on ordination.

Item 06-05, from the Presbytery of Shenandoah, would enact an authoritative interpretation reinforcing G-6.0106b so that “those engaged in unrepentant homosexual practice or those who affirm their freedom to be so engaged, may not be ordained as ministers of the Word and Sacrament, elders, or deacons.” [Italics added.]

Item 06-11, from the Presbytery of Beaver-Butler, would replace the current G6.0106b with a longer and more intricate statement, which claims that “foremost” among the standards for ordination are “the New Testament Epistolary ethical requirements for ordained officers of ministry, which include but are not limited to chastity in singleness and fidelity in monogamous heterosexual marriage.” This seems to elevate the letters of the New Testament over the Gospels and the life and teaching of Jesus – perhaps because Jesus was never quite specific enough in condemning certain groups or actions.

Item 06-18, from the Presbytery of Central Washington, acknowledges the right of conscience, but says that does not trump the ban in G-6.0108b. In essence, people are free to disagree with the rule, but cannot be ordained if they do.

To end the ban:

Many overtures have been submitted aimed at removing the ban. Item 06-07, from the Presbytery of Hudson River, does the job most directly, simply calling for the deletion of G-6.0106b entirely, arguing that “G-6.0106b is superfluous.” If, to quote the old Shaker hymn, “ ’tis a gift to be simple,” then this proposal is indeed gifted.

Item 06–06 , from the Presbytery of Detroit, would replace G-6.0106b with an affirmation of the moral commitment being undertaken by candidates for ordination, with the emphasis on candidates’ pledge “to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, as revealed in Holy Scripture, striving to follow where He leads through the authoritative witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions.” There is no specific mention of sexuality or marriage.

Item 06-08, from Hudson River Presbytery, offers another option to the simple deletion of G-6.0106b, by substituting for that narrow ban on certain sexual relationships a much broader and positive call “to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples, to love neighbor and enemy, and to express the love of Christ in faithful relationships with others.”

Item 06-09, from Western Reserve Presbytery, would also replace G-6.0106b with an affirmation that ordained service should “reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000).”

Item 06-10, from the Presbytery of Southern New England, affirms that “Jesus, the Head of the Church, has established standards for church officers.” Scripture, the Confessions, and the Constitution of the church are all seen as reflecting Jesus’ own standards, and are to be used as the examining body considers each candidate’s “calling, gifts and preparation and their willingness to adhere to church standards.”

Items 06-12 through 06-17 all generally follow one or another of those mentioned above, either replacing or amending the text of G-6.0108b, in ways that interpret our “standards” for ordination as dealing with matters of faith and life, without focusing on matters of sexuality.

Committee 6 will certainly want to weigh the advantages and drawbacks of these various options for change. Our hope is that their choices will help our church move toward a ministry and mission that bears faithful witness to the Christ who proclaimed and demonstrated God’s love for all.

Or – to stop talking about it

Items 06-02 and 06-03 call for either a “moratorium” on discussion of the ordination standards, or “a season of rest.” And then there are the more extreme proposals referred to Committee 03 – numbered 03-07 and 03-17, which would forbid discussion of the matter in one way or another for some length of time.

Committee 7: Form of Government Revision

Items 07-01 and 07-02 present the recommendations of the Form of Government Task Force. Gene TeSelle, the former Issues Analyst of the Witherspoon Society, provides an analysis of this important matter in a separate article, below.

The other items coming before Committee 07 suggest amendments of various sections of the recommended new Form of Government, except for items 04, 07, and 08, which in one way or another would dismiss or delay implementation of the recommendations.

Committee 8: Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

Item 08-01, from the Synod of the Northeast, lifts up for attention and further study the Covenant of the Lund Principle and Codicil, which were mentioned in the 2008 Assembly, and which are summarized in the words, “… we recommit ourselves to the historic Lund principle that Christians should take united action whenever they find this possible.” This would invite our church to serious reflection on ways in which we might deepen our relationships and cooperation with other churches, affirming our unity in Christ both by word and by deed.

Item 08-02, from the Presbytery of Yukon, calls for an amendment of the action of the 2008 General Assembly, which encouraged the creation of better relations with the Muslim community by celebrating diversity of faiths, and joining in acts of prayer and dialogue with Muslims. Given that call to dialogue and understanding, it would be unfortunate to give in to this demand for an attitude of fear toward followers of other faiths.

Items 08-03, -04, and -09: reports on Christians, Jews, and Muslims

Item 08-03 calls for the approval of the paper on “Christians and Jews: People of God.” Item 08-04 would approve the report “Toward an Understanding of Christian-Muslim Relations” and commend it to the church for study and guidance. Both papers represent much work by the respective committees, and do contain many helpful perspectives. Nevertheless, we believe such action would be seriously premature, as is indicated by Item 08-09, based on an overture from the Presbytery of San Francisco.

Item 08-09 would refer both reports for rewriting, to be based on “broader consultation to include the National Middle East Presbyterian Caucus, PC(USA) partner churches and agencies in the Middle East, relevant mission networks of the PC(USA), the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns, and the Advisory Committee for Social Witness Policy.” A memo from the Israel Palestine Mission Network, which is attached to the rationale of this overture, provides helpful background. It raises concerns about both the process of writing these documents and such matters as: the relationship between theology and justice, how Biblical metaphors related to the “root of the olive tree” and “the dividing wall of hostility” can be used in the current situation in Israel-Palestine, how Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann has altered his opinion about the promise of the land, or the nature of the Palestinian Christian use of “cruciform” interpretations.

The General Assembly Mission Council has responded to questions raised about the process. There has been further correspondence from the National Middle East Presbyterian Caucus, which raises issues about the process that have not been fully dealt with. Certainly such important statements should not be approved and sent to the Church for study until these significant matters have been resolved. It seems very unlikely that they can be resolved between now and the General Assembly, for the concerns relate to having thorough consultation especially with our partners in the Middle East who have a great stake in the content of both studies, as well as PC(USA) members here in the U.S. Therefore, we join in recommending that the studies be referred for further consultation and rewriting. All these matters are too important, and with lasting influence, to have them approved or recommended prior to the recommended consultations.

As Committee 8 considers these and other complex issues, a basic consideration should always be our understanding of how wide is the circle of God’s love. If the Creator’s love is restricted to some groups and excludes others, then an attitude of anxiety and fear is fostered. But that is not what we have learned from Jesus.
 

Committee 9 : Mission Coordination

Item 09-01 reflects an overture from Pittsburgh Presbytery entitled “On Strengthening the Peacemaking Program.” This is set forth as a celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the important document, “Peacemaking: The Believers’ Calling,” and the establishment of the Peacemaking Program. It would “celebrate” by creating a nine-member task force to present suggestions to the 220^th GA for updating the church’s peacemaking efforts in light of more recent developments such as the emergence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD); the recovery by the U.S., after Viet Nam, of its status as a respected “superpower”; the end of the “cold war”; new wars; globalization and the current global financial crisis; the role of religions in wars and in peacemaking; and “the rise of Muslim influence and militancy.”

The proposal focuses much concern on “weapons of mass destruction,” which is a term used largely in accusations against those accused of terrorism, without any reference to the nuclear arsenal and other forms of warfare such as drone aircraft, which are primarily a part of the arsenals of U.S. and other “Western” nations. There seems to be a certain one-sidedness about the “updating” that is being envisioned.

The proposal calls for the creation of “an advisory committee of six expert persons to meet quarterly to counsel the Peacemaking Program on issues regarding weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and other emerging issues.” It is unclear why the standing committee for the Peacemaking Program would need to be supplemented with such an “advisory” body. It’s worth noting that an earlier advisory committee voted to disband, so that revenue from the Peacemaking Offering could be devoted to staff, programs, and resources, and not spent on their meetings. 

The proposal also includes a very interesting call for “a seminary and college-wide review of peace studies and peacemaking opportunities appropriate to the major shifts in the approach of the United States international relations ...” Its goal would be to “engage students in active peacemaking and to share the wisdom of faculty among our church-related educational institutions.” (Item 1307 deals with similar possibilities for supporting peace studies and action in the arena of higher education.)

Item 09-03, On Amending the Process for Forming Social Witness Policy, would require that “all social witness policy and resolutions shall be sent to all presbyteries for study, discussion, and comment back to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy drafts of resolutions to presbyteries and distributing their comments to commissioners in order to warn them in advance about potential controversial recommendations.” While Item 08-09 exemplifies the need for open processes and consultation, this approach might have the unfortunate effect of giving an official voice to unstudied opinions.

Items 09-06, 07, 09, and 18 all point to areas of the work and witness of the PC(USA) that have been neglected or dissolved over the past few years, calling for renewed commitment to them. These include ministries in higher education, the social ministries carried on through the Presbyterian Health, Education, and Welfare Association, the observance of Criminal Justice Sunday, and staffing for women’s advocacy. While financial constraints are very real, we believe efforts such as these to assert very important priorities deserve careful attention and renewed commitment.
 

Committee 10: Social Justice Issues A: The Promotion of Social Righteousness

Item 10-02, from the Presbytery of Chicago, calls on the 219th General Assembly “to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the first social pronouncement of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.” That would be coupled with educational efforts through the church based on the new Social Creed for the Twenty-first Century that was passed by the 2008 Assembly. The new Social Creed could indeed provide stimulus and material for reflection and action as we seek to be faithful to our calling in an increasingly complex world.

Item 10-04 is a call from the Advocacy Committee on Racial-Ethnic Concerns for a continuing review among our denominational agencies to review “Efforts Regarding Cultural Proficiency and Creating a Climate for Change” in the church. This long-term commitment to developing cultural diversity – and making it work – needs serious support, when many might prefer to ignore the need for such change.

Item 10-05 also comes from the Advocacy Committee on Racial-Ethnic Concerns, calling for the creation of a Committee to Study the Nature of the Church for the 21st Century. Noting the lack of clarity and vision in our church about our nature and calling in an increasingly diverse society, this study, combined with the new Social Creed, might truly open new ways into the future for the PC(USA).

Item 10-06, A Resolution to Study Violence Against Women and Children on the Mexico-U.S. Border, comes from the Advocacy Committee on Womens’ Concerns and addresses a serious situation in Ciudad Juarez and along the border in general. It calls for a study involving a wide range of ethnic and advocacy groups, and the preparation of bi-lingual study materials and programs. It offers, in short, a sensitive approach to a situation needing attention.

Items 10-9 and 10-10, “Living though Economic Crisis: The Church’s Witness in Troubled Times,” and “Neither Poverty Nor Riches: Compensation, Equity, and the Unity of the Church,” are important reports from ACSWP which turn needed attention to economic justice issues, including compensation ratios in the church, and unemployment.

The economic crisis study would focus our attention on “the long-term implications of our current economic trends and practices, including their impact on the church itself, and provide appropriate recommendations for consideration by members, congregations, presbyteries, and local, state, and federal government. This assessment should center on the role of fairness and justice in our economy, with particular attention to growing inequality, the decline of the middle class, the tax structure, the shifting makeup of the labor force and its effects on employee rights, the role of regulatory agencies in protecting the public interest, and access to environmental resources that is equitable and sustainable.” This is a fairly tall order, but certainly needed as guidance for our people, our churches, and our society.

The study on compensation would focus on a very practical issue, and one demanding attention in our increasingly unequal society. It might lead our church to increasing efforts to practice the kind of equality and justice that it preaches, in our staff salary structures, in our family life, and more.
 

Committee 11: Social Justice Issues B: The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World

Item 11-01 comes from Charlotte Presbytery, calling for a renewed commitment to the “Call to Restore the Creation” that was adopted by the 202^nd General Assembly 20 years ago. It reminds us that much remains to be done, and calls on the Assembly to “urge congregations, Presbyterian church-related institutions, and church members to adopt institutional and individual lifestyles reflecting greater stewardship of resources, particularly in energy consumption.”

Item 11-02 from National Capital Presbytery calls on the Assembly to endorse “The Charter for Compassion,” in which people from Jewish, Muslim and Christian traditions have joined to affirm that “[t]he principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.” As one small step toward broadening our circle, and finding ways to talk and act across lines of religious division, this might be a real way forward. Among other things, the statement affirms that “any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate.”

Item 11-04, the “Human Rights Update 2010,” which is provided by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, focuses this year on the issues of human trafficking, detention of immigrants, and the use of torture. It raises many questions for consideration and action, and will merit serious attention.

Item 11-05, “Loving Our Neighbors: Equity and Quality in Public Education (K–12),” is also presented by ACSWP, in partnership with the Office of Child Advocacy. It calls on the Assembly to approve the report with the title above, to “affirm the long-standing commitment of the PC(USA) to public education as an essential institution contributing to the common good in a democratic society by its commitment to equip all children to be effective citizens, capable of living full and meaningful lives and contributing to their society,” and to approve a variety of measures “to provide greater fairness and quality in public education.”

Item 11-06 brings another recommendation from the ACSWP: “Gun Violence, Gospel Values: Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call” advocates incremental improvements in policy and offers many practical ways to involve congregations in reducing gun violence.

Item 11-07 presents a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy that the study paper, “On Living a Human Life Before God,” be approved as a resource to help congregations “become communities of moral discourse, .... developing practices of ethical reflection as communities of covenantal responsibility seeking to hear the voice of God and the voices of others in the context of serious and complex issues.” This is the latest in a series of studies, including “The Nature and Value of Human Life” (1981), which have dealt with the difficult life-and-death questions of abortion, euthanasia, war, and capital punishment.

The introduction includes this statement of the purpose of the paper: “In this paper, we invite groups within churches to become intentional communities of moral discourse, that is, groups committed to reflect together on who we are, what our values are, and how we can respond to specific challenges we face in this century.” The themes include God’s blessing in creation and our response, blessing in Jesus Christ, God’s call to do justice, historical covenants and renewed blessing, Reformed perspectives on social responsibility, and reflecting God’s image through moral discourse. Some may be disappointed because the paper does not take direct positions on war, hunger, genocide, and abortion, but it does provide some helpful theological foundations for local discussions – or in grander terms, “moral discourse.”
 

Committee 12: Civil Union and Marriage Issues

The question of marriage has drawn widely differing proposals – some moving toward an inclusive affirmation of marriage, and others rejecting any change. For simplicity, we’ll group the two sets of items, rather than listing them in numerical order.

Affirming marriage as inclusive

Item 12-02, from the Presbytery of Baltimore (with at least three concurrences from other presbyteries), would change the definition of marriage from “a civil contract between a woman and a man” to “a covenant between two people [which] according to the laws of the state also constitutes a civil contract.”

The rationale for this change is headed, “Marriage: Sharing God’s Gift Equitably in the Church.” It notes that “The Directory for Worship defines marriage as ‘...a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family.’ (W-4.9001). A gift conferred by God can only be denied by God the giver of the gift.” Marriage as “an act of pastoral care” is clearly a way in which the church supports loving, committed relationships, and there is no reason why such support should be limited to heterosexual couples alone. The biblical and theological arguments are opened with a quick refutation of the assumption that there is a single “biblical meaning of marriage”:

A search of marriage in the Scripture reveals a broad spectrum of historical marriage practice, some of which we consider foreign today, including: Solomon’s many wives and concubines (1 Kings 11:3), levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5-6 and Matthew 22:23-32), wives sharing female servants with their husband to increase progeny (Genesis 29-30), divorce and remarriage as equal to adultery (Mark 10:12), and women being commanded to remain silent in church and only ask their husbands for instruction at home (1 Corinthians 14:33-36).

Beyond that simple biblical diversity, Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor is presented as the basis for all discussions of marriage – and that love as Jesus spoke of it and lived it is never limited by questions of gender or sexual orientation.

Item 12-03, from the Presbytery of Hudson River, proposes essentially the same changes in the Directory for Worship. The rationale opens with this fine statement of what marriage is all about:

Marriage is beyond gender. It refers to the commitment of two people to live beside each other with a love expressed as tenderness and justice. It refers to the deep promise to live together through the thick and thin of their journey together through the years. It refers to the mystery in which the love of God meets, is joined to and made manifest in the love of two people whose hearts are a home place to each other. ...

The closing paragraph is equally helpful:

The proposed changes would grant all loving couples the right to have their marriages performed in our congregations, strengthening all our communities and families, gay and straight, since they allow us to recognize the love of two hearts declaring themselves to be a home to each other, before God, with gratitude.

Item 12-04, from the Presbytery of Boston, proposes similar amendments in the Book of Order. In support of these changes, the rationale reminds us of the action of the 218^th General Assembly in 2008, which voted by 516 to 151 to “request the Stated Clerk, the General Assembly Council, and other representatives of the PC(USA) to urge state legislatures and the federal government to apply the principle of equal protection to same gender couples and their children.” That action also expressed support for congregations and pastors as they seek “to extend pastoral care as well as outreach and evangelism to samegender couples and their nontraditional families who are more and more our neighbors on our streets and our fellow members in our pews.” Given this action, and the trend among the states to legalize same-sex marriage, “[i]n a state where same-gender marriage is recognized under the law, it is pastorally unconscionable to apply exclusionary principles to certain members of the congregation by declining to perform their marriage.”

Item 12-06, from the Presbytery of Albany, would set forth a new Authoritative Interpretation of W-4.9000, giving discretion to ministers and sessions to allow or to forbid “ceremonies for couples who have obtained a civil marriage license.” Such an action, if approved, would go into effect immediately upon the conclusion of the Assembly, and not need the ratification of presbyteries. Item 12-08, from the Presbytery of Des Moines, does roughly the same thing, as does Item 1209, from Heartland Presbytery.

Item 12-07 from the Presbytery of East Iowa, and Item 12-10 from National Capital Presbytery, propose amendments to W4.9000 to make the definition of marriage inclusive.

Opposing any change in the understanding of marriage

Item 12-01 from New Covenant Presbytery calls on the Assembly to “joyfully affirm the historic, biblical, and Christological teaching of the Church on the topic of marriage as a gift from God to bless humankind. As God created man and woman, so does God call some men and women to live together as husband and wife. God’s very order and design defines the institution of marriage.” [But you might look back at the “biblical meaning of marriage” as summarized so neatly in the Baltimore overture.] Item 12-11, from the Presbytery of Central Washington, is basically the same as this one.

Item 12-05 from the Presbytery of Prospect Hill urges the Assembly to “[d]eclare ... that no sexual union outside the bonds of marriage, such as in cohabitation, adulterous affairs, domestic partnerships, or same-sex unions, is within the will of God or approved by this body.” [We note that this list does not seem to include Jesus’ apparently negative views of the marriage of divorced persons.]

Presbyterian Voices for Justice regards the issue of same-gender marriage as a matter of justice and compassion, and supports changes in Presbyterian governance that would expand our understanding of marriage to include two persons of the same gender.

Committee 13: Peacemaking and International Issues

Items 13-01, 13-02, 13-03,13-09 On the War in Afghanistan.

Six presbyteries have submitted or concurred with similar overtures calling upon the United States to replace military operations in Afghanistan with nonviolent approaches including diplomacy and material aid and to mitigate the war’s impact through restitution and reconstruction. We also need to evaluate the cost of the war to ourselves – in financial, moral, and human terms – in the hope that we can learn to engage in international affairs in ways that nourish peace, prosperity, and stability.

The rationale points out that no General Assembly has yet addressed the eight-year war in Afghanistan. So there has been no directive to the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program to develop informational and study materials regarding the conflict, and the voice of the church has been silent in a world anticipating its religious bodies to speak out. It is time for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to be heard.

Item 13-04 On Partnering for Peace in Sudan.

This overture from the Presbytery of Trinity calls upon the Assembly to support “working toward a just and lasting peace for all of Sudan” by advocating for a renewed international commitment to the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005, increased private investment for the economic development of Southern Sudan, increased development assistance by the US government, and “renewed efforts by all parties to end hostilities in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan ...” These appear to be genuine steps toward peace in a nation that has certainly known more than its share of suffering.

13-05 On Protecting Christians in the Muslim World.

Growing out of a presbytery relationship, this overture is based on a particular situation in Pakistan, but uses general language to appeal to the United Nations to “exhort the religious and political leaders of Muslim nations to moderate extreme behavior and protect (their) religious minorities from ... harm, and encourage brotherly harmony ...” While the concern merits the GA’s attention, there are several problems with the overture. Most importantly, it fails to set a comprehensive context that includes U.S. military operations in the region and the injustices or resentments that may have motivated attacks on perceived allies of the U.S. It also asks the UN to send a message to all Muslim nations, without documenting that the problem exists in more than a few.

There are several ways that the committee could respond responsibly to the overture. They could issue a statement dealing specifically with the incident documented in the rationale. They could request assistance from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy in drafting a broader statement on the situation in Pakistan, including this concern. Or they might consider requesting a report to the next General Assembly on the complex situation in Pakistan.

13-06 On Entering a Six-Year Term of Discernment to Seek Clarity on Whether God Is Calling the Church to Embrace Nonviolence as Its Response to War and Terror.

This overture proposes a study that could lead to profound changes in the church’s thinking on war and violence. It challenges us to consider reaffirming the early church’s commitment to nonviolence and to reevaluate our reliance on just war doctrines. While Presbyterian polity will always permit a General Assembly to endorse a particular military option, shouldn’t the presumptive position of the church be in opposition to war? The overture is not about the unrealistic hope of the United States becoming a pacifist nation. Instead, it asks questions about the role of the Christian perspective in national debates on war and peace. The rationale points out that modern weapons and military strategies have made traditional Just War theory obsolete. Nevertheless, the burden has generally been on war opponents to demonstrate that a particular conflict is unjust, rather than to its supporters to demonstrate that military action is the only realistic and just option. The decision does not need to be a rushed one, but shouldn’t we start thinking about reversing that dynamic?

13-07 Twenty-first Century Peacemaking and Seminaries, Colleges, and Congregations.

This overture calls for several GAMC entities and church-related seminaries and colleges to investigate the possibility of pooling their resources to help Presbyterians deal with challenges in the 21^st century, such as wars with no end (on terror or drugs), or those that rage in the Middle East, globalization and pluralism, U.S. foreign policy and developing nations, or climate change and the competition for natural resources. The foundational PC(USA) peacemaking document, “Peacemaking: the Believers’ Calling” (1980) still calls us to the privilege and challenge of taking part in God’s peacemaking in this century by assembling all the resources that God has given us. The hope is that a very intentional plan may emerge from an exploration of how our agencies and educational institutions and congregations can comprehensively cooperate together.

13-08 On Assisting with a Process for Negotiation of a Peace Accord in Colombia.

The 2008 General Assembly called for a suspension of military aid to Colombia, which would preclude the expanded U.S. military presence which is the concern of this overture. However, it was the hope of our partner, The Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC), that the election of President Barack Obama would strengthen the search for peace and respect for human rights. This has not been the case. In September 2009, the government of the United States certified the Colombian government in human rights, even with the revelation of a high number of extrajudicial killings of youth by the army. It was also made public that the Colombian intelligence agency conducted illegal surveillance on leaders of the opposition, human rights defenders, and church leaders, threatening them because of their work for peace. And now our government has made an accord with the Colombian government for the U.S. military to use seven military bases within Colombia. In February 2010, the General Assembly of the IPC expressed its concern: “… that the democratic security promoted by the [Colombian] government, the increased military costs, and the growth of the army have not shown us the prospect of peace even though they have reduced the actions of illegal armed groups. It is evident that there is a resurgence or strengthening of former armed groups. Furthermore, there are tensions with Columbia’s neighbors – Ecuador, Venezuela, and throughout the region because of the announcement of the U.S. Army’s use of Colombian military bases.”

For this reason the IPC has called on the PC(USA) to join them in making stronger efforts (initiatives) toward peace in Colombia. In light of these new developments and this urgent request from our partner church, it is appropriate for the General Assembly to direct the stated clerk to ask President Obama to suspend U.S. use of Colombian military bases and to instead promote a peace process to resolve the conflict.

Committee 14: Middle East Peacemaking Issues

14-08 Breaking Down the Walls – From the Middle East Study Committee.

This report is at the heart of the work to be done by Committee 14 and by this General Assembly. It deals with a wide range of Middle East issues, and focuses mainly on Israel-Palestine. Its 42 pages entitled “We Bear Witness” lead into 9 pages of recommendations for our church and its members, our government, and all parties to the conflict. These 50 pages are must reading for all commissioners. The other 123 pages have valuable summaries of perspectives, history, the committee’s process, GA policies, Presbyterian Panel results, and two recent documents from Palestinian Christians.

One recommendation has been the focus of special interest because it deals with corporate engagement. The report stops short of recommending divestment, but calls us to “invest positively, after due vetting, in sustainable economic development projects for the West Bank and Gaza (that do not support the occupation) sponsored by Palestinians or jointly by Palestinians and Israelis in equitable partnership.” The GA will be able to deal directly with the divestment issue as it considers a separate MRTI report and two overtures on that topic. Focus on this issue should not detract from attention to all the recommendations, which could help the church make a significant contribution to justice and peace across the region. 

14-01 and 14-02 – On Divestment from Caterpillar, Inc. and 14-03 – the Mission Responsibility Through Investment Report of Its Engagement with Corporations Involved in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank.

Both overtures call for disinvestment from Caterpillar by the Presbyterian Foundation and Board of Pensions, and for no reinvestment unless MRTI is satisfied that Caterpillar no longer sells equipment to Israel that is used in illegal actions such as building settlements and walls on Palestinian land and destroying Palestinian property. They commend the Church of England and Hampshire College for divesting. 14-02 adds that the Israeli occupation should end for the sake of justice and to prevent the extinction of Christianity in the region.

The MRTI Report begins by citing GA policy: “… all corporations doing business in the region [should] confine their business activity solely to peaceful pursuits, and refrain from allowing their products or services to support or facilitate violent acts by Israelis or Palestinians against innocent civilians, construction and maintenance of settlements or Israeli-only roads in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territory, and construction of the Separation Barrier as it extends beyond the 1967 ‘Green Line’ into Palestinian territories.” Corporate engagement with Motorola, ITT, United Technologies, and Hewlett-Packard are to continue, in light of some positive responses. But Caterpillar “has produced, sold, and profited from equipment that has been and continues to be used … for clearly non-peaceful purposes ... Caterpillar’s unwillingness to engage with authenticity and openness is unique and disappointing.” The report then “strongly denounces Caterpillar’s continued profitmaking from non-peaceful uses of a number of its products.” Since that report was written, Caterpillar took action to have its distributors stop selling to Iran, due to concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. The company has not taken similar action in Israel-Palestine and remains, after over 5 years of corporate engagement, non-compliant with PC(USA) policy. In the face of such noncompliance, divestment (as called for in the two overtures but not the MRTI report) is the course needed now. 

14-04 – On Recognition that Israel’s Laws, Policies, and Practices Constitute Apartheid Against the Palestinian People.

The overture directs the Stated Clerk to encourage the United Nations to find that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid, and to send this information to the President and Congress. It urges all Presbyterians and especially the Office of Interfaith Relations to study this matter and work to end apartheid. Finally, it directs the GAMC to prepare resources and urge study about Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.

The rationale is based upon the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, adopted by the UN in 1973. The argument is made that the UN should expand the definition of the crime of apartheid to apply to the State of Israel instead of only to individuals. In many discussions in Israel, in the U.S. and elsewhere, comparisons as well as contrasts have been made between South African apartheid and the conditions imposed by Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.

By passing this overture, GA will help bring the principles of this Convention to bear on the crisis, in the service of arriving at a decent and just life for all the people of Israel-Palestine.

14-05 – On Commending “A Moment of Truth: A Word of Faith and Hope from the Heart of Palestinian Suffering” as an Advocacy Tool.

This overture calls upon the GA to receive an ecumenical statement from Christian Palestinians, known as Kairos Palestine 2009, and commend it for study and advocacy by presbyteries and congregations, and especially by the Office of Interfaith Relations in discussions with Jewish and Muslim groups. The first sentence of the Rationale states: “This is the first time we have a common voice from the grassroots Christians in Palestine asking us to help them get rid of the occupation through concrete acts: theological debates on occupation as sin, and boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns.” The 10 ½ page document is included in the rationale. (NOTE: “Receiving” a document implies a general recognition and appreciation of the statement, rather than acceptance of all aspects of the statement.)

Palestinian Christians, and their Jewish and Muslim partners in the quest for a just peace, have made another statement similar to the Amman Call of 2007, with was endorsed and affirmed by the 118^th GA (2008). This Kairos document brings up to date the descriptions of the conditions of occupation, rejects violence from any quarter, and furthermore calls for “companies and states to engage in divestment and in an economic and commercial boycott of everything produced by the occupation. We understand this to integrate the logic of peaceful resistance.” By receiving and commending this document, the 219th GA will assure that it receives the attention it deserves in Presbyterian congregations.

14-06 – On Middle East Peacemaking.

Perhaps emerging from a weariness with controversy, this overture calls on the GA to answer all overtures concerning Israel and Palestine with a statement that, in recognition of the complex and changing conditions, it is best to take no actions that appear to support either side. PC(USA) leadership should influence peacemaking through prayer, tolerance and reconciliation, advocating step-by-step negotiation toward a two-state solution, condemning all terrorism and unwarranted violence, and providing assistance to innocent victims. The GAMC is to make sure that all staff abide by the directives, and the whole church is urged to pray and conscientiously support the overall welfare of all in the Middle East and the world.

While these statements may sound faithful, they do little more than assure the continuation of the statements and processes that have been in place for many years, and that have ended neither the violence of Israel’s occupation nor the violence of Palestinian rhetoric and actions. Passing the recommendations of the Middle East Study Committee report and overtures that sensitively support or carry forward those initiatives, plus supporting the Palestinian Christians’ Kairos Document and the United Nation’s Goldstone Report – these are the ways to be faithful in difficult times.

14-07 – On Iraq.

This overture calls for prayer for the churches, all who grieve, Iraqis as they rebuild, and refugees; commends the GAMC for keeping us informed about Iraq churches, Presbyterian Women in regard to the Birthday Offering for the KG in Kirkuk, and those ministering to Iraqi refugees; directs the GAMC to continue support in these ways and to direct the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy to study from a perspective of Reformed theology and practice, the costs of the war related to the U.S. economy; calls for prayers for the U.S. government and commends it for some actions in the Kurdish areas, and calls for the U.S. to maintain the announced schedules for withdrawal of troops and contractors, to have no permanent bases, to provide more and quicker help for refugees, and more medical and psychological help for military personnel.

With its position that the U.S. maintain its stated withdrawal goals this overture would strengthen the 2008 GA position, which did not set a firm limit to the length of the occupation. 

14-09 – On Seeking Compliance to U.S. Government Policy in the Use of Military Aid by All Parties in the Middle East.

This overture calls for the application of U.S. law, as well as international law and human rights protections, to all military aid to the region. Criteria for compliance are found in the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act of 1976. While the relevance of U.S. law is all-inclusive, the primary focus is upon Israel’s use of U.S. weapons, which have been used in ways contrary to U.S. law. The main value of the overture is that it makes very explicit long-standing church policy and two recommendations of the Middle East Study Committee.

Item 14-10 Toward Peace and Reconciliation in the Middle East.

This overture from Baltimore Presbytery calls for the GA to join in international efforts to investigate possible violations of international law by both sides during Israel’s military action in Gaza, December ’08 – January ’09. A United Nations report in Sept. 2009 called for independent investigations by both Israel and Hamas. This recommendation has not been implemented; the U.S. Congress voted in Nov. 2009 to have nothing to do with this report, known as the Goldstone Report, after the name of the Jewish South African jurist who led the investigation. The 575-page report alleges extreme violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The Middle East Study Committee report has many references to Gaza, but does not address this particular concern, probably due to the fact that they were not able to visit Gaza. Passing this overture will appropriately put PC(USA) solidly in line with calling for the parties to conduct their own investigations, and keep alive our church’s long-standing commitment to the rule of law in the Israel-Palestine crisis and our calling for accountability whenever violence occurs.

Committee 16: Theological Issues and Institutions

Item 16-01, from Sacramento Presbytery, would reverse the action of the 2008 Assembly by discontinuing the effort to include the Belhar Confession in the Book of Confessions. While written and adopted in the church of South Africa, and reflecting the particular challenges faced by the church in that formerly white-dominated African nation, its inclusion in the PC(USA) Book of Confessions has been seen as a way of affirming explicitly God’s call to shape church and society in ways that transcend racial divisions.

This overture would reject such inclusion not to justify racism, but because the Belhar Confession, it says, “is a complex and somewhat confusing document, which some parties – theologians as well as the ordained and laity – have attempted to use to press issues other than racial equality. This overly broad application of the Belhar Confession to champion liberation theology in general or same-sex causes in particular produces a conflicted response to its antiracism message.”

The call to reject the Belhar Confession is couched, then, in an affirmation to “uphold the oneness of all believers,” as long as LGBT believers are not included. A confessional rejection of racism is fine, apparently – but not a similar rejection of gender discrimination.

For more on the Belhar Confession, please see an article by the Rev. John Harris.

Item 16-03 from the Presbytery of Missouri Union, with a concurrence from the Presbytery of Western Colorado, asks the GA to amend the section on baptism (W-2.3008b) to add the phrase “and God pronounces that he adopts our infants as his children before they are born.” This change would have the effect of equating infants with fetuses. It would change current policy on problem pregnancy and abortion by privileging one theological understanding of fetal life when our policy currently acknowledges diverse theological opinions in the PC(USA).
 

Committee 18: Board of Pensions, Foundation, and Presbyterian Publishing

Item 18-01 from the Presbytery of Boston would direct the Board of Pensions to extend benefits to same-gender spouses and domestic partners.

This is a simple step toward equitable treatment of the members of our Benefits Plan and their partners and dependents, in accord with state laws that may apply. Item 18-06 from New Castle Presbytery would make essentially the same change.

Committee 19: Health Issues

Two overtures have been submitted which are apparently intended to oppose abortion, not in terms of the “rights of the fetus,” but specifically as it is linked in some cases to violence against or intimidation of women who are pregnant.

Item 19-03, On Making a Statement Regarding Violence Against Pregnant Women, from Boise Presbytery, calls on the 219^th Assembly to “condemn assaults, attempts, and actual acts of pressure, force, violence, and coercion upon a pregnant female, especially where the activity inflicts mental or physical injury or death on the pregnant female.” Women are depicted in the overture as weak, often victimized, and powerless to make choices of their own. They may be forced into having abortions by those who want to “destroy evidence of child molestation or incestuous activities; ... eliminate personal responsibilities or inconvenience to the perpetrator’s lifestyle; dislike for biracial unborn children; or desire to destroy pregnant females.” The overture would call on the Stated Clerk to urge federal and state legislatures “to adopt legislation that recognizes the special vulnerability of pregnant females and to protect them from assaults, attempts and acts of force, coercion, and violence, that inflict physical or mental injury, or death, on the pregnant female.”

Item 19-04, from Prospect Hill Presbytery, similarly views women as victims, calling on the Assembly “to declare that we stand with all women against the injustice of any forced or coerced abortions.” Arguing that “a high percentage (64%) of abortions are NOT the woman’s choice,” but are forced upon them by others, this overture also contends that women having abortions must be protected against these forms of “violence and injustice.”

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by Gene TeSelle, former Issues Analyst of the Witherspoon Society
[published in Network News, pp. 29-30, and posted here on 6-4-10]

This task force, created by the 2006 General Assembly, is bringing a report which (1) rewrites the first four chapters of the Form of Government (the “foundations” of Presbyterian polity), (2) replaces chapters 5-18 with shorter and simpler language, and (3) offers an Advisory Handbook for governing bodies, outlining important concerns and asking how they will be dealt with. The 2008 General Assembly reviewed the report and sent it back to the task force for reworking, and the “final draft” is coming to the 2010 Assembly with a unanimous vote by the task force.

The complete report is available online at www.pcusa.org/formofgovernment/

The Task Force was trying to be as permission-giving as possible; therefore it avoided as many regulations as it could. At first glance this has great appeal, since we want freedom for ourselves and trust our allies. But then we wonder what other camps might do and begin to formulate regulations to prevent “irresponsible” behavior on their part.

Suspicions have been raised across the theological spectrum. Probably it is the result of the attempt to “simplify,” which means that one or another treasured feature of the FOG is left out or blunted.

People who have experienced conflicts begin imagining “loopholes” that would let bad behavior slip through without corrective procedures.

The new draft consciously avoids certain issues. The task force was instructed to make no changes in the provisions concerning GLBT ordination (G-6.0106 is carried over as F-2.0104), freedom of conscience (G-6.0108 becomes F-2.0105), the authority of “confessional standards” (G-2.0200 becomes F-2.02), or the “trust clause” (G-8.0200 becomes F-4.0203).

If the General Assembly were to adopt the draft FOG, including these provisions, it would be wise for it also to reaffirm the various rulings of the Permanent Judicial Commission and the Authoritative Interpretations of the General Assembly regarding them, so that we do not start a new round of controversies.

The draft makes some important efforts at ecumenicity. It mentions the four traditional “marks” of the church (one, holy, catholic, apostolic) and the three “notes” of the Reformed tradition (Word, sacraments, discipline) [F-1.0303], and it affirms that the confessions of the church are based in affirmations by the “Church Catholic,” the Protestant Reformation, and the Reformed tradition (F-2.03 to F-2.05).

And yet at the same time it takes some steps backward.

It reverts to the old language of “teaching” and “ruling” elders, abandoning the ecumenical language of “ministers of Word and Sacrament” (agreed to in the “Lima document” on Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry).

And just when we had learned to speak of “governing bodies” rather than “courts,” it now decides to call them “councils.” In the history of the church, councils were temporary gatherings with a specific purpose (the Roman Catholic Church recognizes 21 ecumenical councils in 2000 years; the Eastern Orthodox Church, only 7). The English language has led to confusion, since we use “council” both for this kind of gathering and for a group whose function is “counsel.” There is a difference between concilium and consilium, concile and conseil, which the Anglo-Saxons did not quite pick up from their Norman rulers. The Catholic Church calls its continuing administrative organizations “conferences.” Scholars dealing with the growth of representative government in the German churches (with special credit going to Schleiermacher, the 1848 revolutions, Bismarck, and the Weimar Republic) use the term “synodal.” Why don’t we just continue our more descriptive language of “governing bodies”?

Finally, let me highlight two specific reasons for concern.

First, while the draft affirms “unity in diversity” and says that there is no place for discrimination (F-1.0403), and invites participation and representation by all (F-3.0103), it leaves out the formation of Committees on Representation (G-9.0105), and only says that governing bodies (excuse me, councils) are to establish committees “by their own rule.” The Articles of Agreement that effected reunion in 1983 also provided for Advocacy Committees on Women’s Concerns and Racial Ethnic Concerns. These, too, should be referenced in the Form of Government, since questions have been raised about their permanent status.

Second, some of the language, and the “deregulation” mood in general, is reminiscent of the slogan that “the church is mission” — a slogan that first gained currency during the Sixties but is currently being exploited by the conservative New Wineskins movement, which speaks about the need for flexibility but regards this as quite compatible with insistence upon very specific tests of orthodoxy.

Several years ago the Presbytery of San Diego declared itself to be no longer primarily a “governing body” but a “relational community” that is “becoming a mission agency.” And proposals have been made to the 2010 General Assembly that non-geographical presbyteries be permitted.

Let’s consider the consequences carefully. Presbyteries would become much more homogeneous; votes would be swayed by factional rhetoric, without any need to find broad grounds for agreement; and the rights of minorities would be seriously compromised.

There is nothing wrong with flexibility and noble purposes. But when controversy arises and we face clever lawyers on all sides of an issue, we still need procedural guidelines and criteria for decision-making. Many of the details in the existing Form of Government were added through the years, usually judiciously, as a result of procedural confusions that inevitably arise and need clarification. The new mood that “the church is mission” and “form follows function” might encourage impatience about due process and minority rights in order to “just get the job done.” If that were to happen, there would be a new round of amendments to fill gaps that did not need to be created in the first place.
 

by John Harris, designated pastor of North Presbyterian Church in Flushing, NY, and former member of the Witherspoon Society Board.
[published in Network News, p. 28, and posted here on 6-4-10]

Established by the 2008 General Assembly, the Special Committee to Consider Amending the Confessional Documents of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to Include the Belhar Confession in The Book of Confessions is recommending to the upcoming General Assembly that the Belhar Confession be added to The Book of Confessions. Produced in 1982 by the Dutch Reformed Church (South Africa) as a theological response to apartheid, the Belhar Confession became the confession of the Uniting Reformed Church (South Africa) in 1986. Two other Reformed Churches in the United States, the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America, are also considering adopting Belhar as their own.

There are many well argued reasons for adding the Belhar Confession to The Book of Confessions. According to Special Committee Member the Reverend J.C. Austin, there are two that stand out. First, “Belhar refuses to choose among unity, reconciliation or justice, holding them in a unique tension.” Second, Belhar “gives us a theological argument for being a multi-cultural church which we do not currently have in The Book of Confessions. Such an argument is implicit in the Confession of ’67, but in Belhar it is explicit and detailed.”

The above arguments, as well as other reasons for adding The Belhar Confession to The Book of Confessions, might lead one to think that amending The Book of Confessions to include Belhar is a no brainer. Some think, however, that we do not need it. But Austin asserts that the only reason some might think we do not need it is because they have not spent enough time with Belhar to know the confession.

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