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Complaints against Morrison
ordination |
| Witherspoon
supports those accused of "renouncing jurisdiction"
because of issues of ordination and sexuality [4-29-02]
As the Executive Committee of the Witherspoon Society
met on April 21-23, we were keenly aware of the accusations
that have been leveled against a number of our friends and
colleagues in ministry. We have adopted a statement expressing support
for the people who have been accused, and pledged to do what we can to
assist them. |
The Rev. Betty
Hale responded to the report on complaints against numerous
Presbyterians with this e-mail comment:
I think the accused should argue that they are
obeying Westminster: "All synods or councils since the apostles'
times, whether general or particular, may err, and many have erred;
therefore they are not to be made the rule of faith or practice, but
to be used as a help in both." [6.175]
Maybe it was when we Presbyterians disobeyed
Westminster that we fell amongst all our troubles.
Betty Hale
Roxboro NC
[4-27-02] |
Eight complaints (not
"disciplinary cases," as stated by the Layman Online)
have been filed relating to the recent ordination of the Rev. Katie
Morrison, who is now serving as a staff member of More Light
Presbyterians
[3-28-02]
According to a
new report by the Layman Online, Paul Rolf Jensen, an
attorney in Reston, VA, who recently filed complaints against the pastor
and a former pastor of Mt. Auburn
Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, has now filed eight complaints
against the Rev. Katie Morrison, who was
recently ordained by the Presbytery of Redwoods, along with the
Moderator of the presbytery, other participants in her ordination, and
even Ms. Morrison's father. The charges accuse the Presbyterian officers
of "renouncing the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church
(USA)."
Various observers have noted that in this case, as in
the Mt. Auburn cases, Mr. Jensen has standing as a Presbyterian to file
complaints, but that only a governing body (a session or a presbytery)
can take action, by appointing an investigating committee which would
then decide whether charges should be filed against someone.
It will be interesting to see whether it will be ruled
that a father may not take part in the ordination of his daughter, and a
woman can be charged with the "sin" of homosexuality solely on
the evidence of her accepting employment with That All May Freely Serve,
and others can be charged with participating in an ordination approved
by a presbytery.
Comments
Two stated clerks offer comments on the
complaints [4-1-02]
 | Raymond Kersting
ponders the various ways in which such complaints might be handled,
and the standing -- or lack of standing -- of Mr. Jensen to file
such complaints. |
| Frank Baldwin
expresses concern about the cost of all these cases, and hopes that
people on the other side of the issue of ordination will not respond
with charges of their own, no matter how justifiable they might
seem. |
We have already received comments from Witherspoon
member John Harris (who expresses concern
about the "blood-letting" that will be started by this
"witch-hunt"), and from the national Board
of More Light Presbyterians (lamenting the addition of more
"anti-gay judicial complaints.")
Presbyterian News Service reports
[3-30-02]
PNS has carried two reports by Alexa Smith, one
detailing the variety of complaints
recently filed by Paul Jensen, and the other surveying the broader
picture of various
challenges being leveled against gay-friendly congregations and
individuals, in the wake of the defeat of Amendment A.
What do you think? Please send
a note, and we'll share it here.
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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?
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