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| Presbyterians make the news concerning
Amendment O
Some Facts and Reflections
by the Rev. James D. Brown
James D. Brown, former Executive
Director of the General Assembly Council, presented this explanation
of the defeat of "O" to his congregation in Harrisburg,
PA.
[3-21-01]
In recent days Presbyterians have made the news with
word of the defeat of Amendment O. It's important for us to be aware of
the facts of the matter, as well as the theological and pastoral issues
involved.
What is Amendment O?
This is a proposed amendment to the Constitution of
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that was adopted at last year's General
Assembly by a very close vote. In order for it to become part of the Constitution,
a majority of our 173 presbyteries across the country would need to
approve it (by majority vote in each presbytery.) Voting has been going
on over the past several months, and this past week the 88th
presbytery voted in the negative, meaning that the language of Amendment
O will not be added to the "Directory for Worship" in our Constitution.
What is the wording of this now defeated
amendment?
This is the full text:
"Scripture and our confessions teach that God's
intention for all people is to live either in fidelity within the
covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or in chastity in
singleness. Church property shall not be used for, and church officers
shall not take part in conducting, any ceremony or event that
pronounces blessing or gives approval of the church or invokes the
blessing of God upon any relationship that is inconsistent with God's
intention as expressed in the preceding sentence."
Why have the majority of our presbyteries
(including our own, Carlisle Presbytery), voted against this proposed
amendment?
 | One of the strongest theological arguments against
O is that of Professor Daniel Migliore of Princeton Theological
Seminary: "Amendment O draws a line in the sand and says in
effect: Beyond this line the Spirit cannot work, Christ cannot be
present, witness to Christ cannot be found, and thanksgiving and
blessing are not to be pronounced." Many Presbyterians,
including our own Session and a majority of our own presbytery, have
not wanted to see us codify into the law of the church such
exclusionary language, believing that it does not reflect the Spirit
of Christ. |
| Related concerns have to do with the sweeping
nature of an amendment ostensibly designed to prohibit the blessing
of same-sex marriages. Significant questions have been raised about
whether a pastor could baptize the child of a gay couple if O were
passed; or give thanks to God at a funeral service for the love
between two persons of the same sex; or officiate at the marriage of
a heterosexual couple living together before their wedding. |
| Perhaps the most passionate objection has been to
taking away from pastors and sessions of local churches their
current responsibility prayerfully to deal with the pastoral needs
of their flocks. Does it not make good spiritual sense to have those
who know persons first hand determine when to invoke God's blessing? |
Where does this leave our denomination on the
subject of the blessing of same-sex unions?
| Our "Directory for Worship" that is part
of our Constitution declares: |
"For Christians marriage is a covenant through
which a man and a woman are called to live out together before God
their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a
lifelong commitment is made by a woman and a man to each other,
publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith."
The defeat of Amendment O leaves the matter where it has been. Sessions
cannot authorize same-sex weddings, but do have the discretion to
establish guidelines and services for asking for God's blessing for
same-sex couples. This has happened in some instances in the
Presbyterian Church, which is what led opponents to recommend Amendment
O.
Where does this leave Market Square
Presbyterian Church?
Here we need to rely on the letter and spirit of our
mission statement, in which we declare our intention to welcome
"friend and stranger alike into our inclusive family of
faith." We have not addressed the question of ceremonies for asking
God's blessing for same sex couples. But we have made clear that ours is
a congregation open to everyone. This means that we will have to have
the courage and grace to stay in candid conversation with one another as
we seek the leading of the Holy Spirit in this and other matters that
come before us.
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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